PABRADE, Lithuania — Peering past the black tarps covering the windows of the barricaded house, the men in camouflage could see daylight gradually illuminate the fresh snow.

For two days, speakers outside the barricaded buildings had blasted Soviet-era jingles: “Put down your guns! Your leaders have forgotten you! While you stand here and freeze, other men are having fun with your women!”

The separatists holed up in their headquarters had been getting defenses ready for the daybreak assault, noisily loading blanks into the magazines of their semi-automatic weapons and assembling dud IEDs.

In this joint training exercise with the country’s military, the Lithuanian Riflemen played the role of separatists declaring a breakaway republic, much like the Moscow-backed rebels did in eastern Ukraine in 2014 — a scenario some fear may be replicated here.

Indeed, since Russia’s annexation of Crimea two years ago and the ensuing conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Riflemen’s Union, a paramilitary group conceived almost a century ago, has seen a sharp rise in membership. The group, which boasts more than 10,000 members, aspires to rebuild its post-World War I membership of more than 80,000 in a country of 2.8 million people.

Another EU and NATO member might be unnerved by the growing popularity of a paramilitary force operating within its borders. But since Lithuania gained independence from the Soviet Union in the early nineties, the paramilitary group has fomented close ties with the military.

The Union’s code of conduct aligns it with Lithuania’s armed forces, and it has so far proven to be a fiercely loyal partner. When a Riflemen's Union leader last year criticized the military for reinstating conscription, he became the subject of an embarrassing and public vote of no confidence.

“We have to look to the constitution of the Republic of Lithuania,” said Major Gediminas Latvys of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces in Vilnius. “It says that the defense of the country, in the event of an armed attack, is the right and the duty of every citizen. We see the Riflemen’s Union as one organization that helps people to fulfill this duty.”

The mayor of Vilnius, a semi-celebrity member of the Riflemen’s Union, was among those to join after the “events in Ukraine.” Remigijus Simasius’ motivation for volunteering, he said at in his skyrise office in Vilnius, was “not related to the fear of whether Russia would attack, but more about the general principle of being ready and being prepared.”

“People have to contribute to their own safety,” he said. National security "is not just a function of the state.” Referencing the Soviet takeover of Lithuania in 1940, when the country’s military laid down arms, he said, “sometimes the state gives up, but that doesn’t mean society gives up.”

Mindaugas Petraitis, 34, is a translator in his civilian life — other Riflemen are tax consultants and small business owners — and says he was among the first wave of men and women to join the paramilitaries in 2014.

After witnessing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the ensuing conflict in Ukraine, “we felt very strongly that we have to prepare while we still have time,” he said. “We rarely use the precise word for our enemy in a military setting, but inside everyone knows who the enemy is,” he added, refraining from using the word “Russia.”

Since 2014, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense has issued a yearly manual of what to do in case of invasion. This year's edition, with a print run of 30,000 distributed to schools and libraries around the country, unambiguously identifies what it believes to be the primary threat to Lithuania’s national security. “Most attention should be paid towards the actions of our neighboring state Russia," the manual states. "This nation does not shy away from using armed power against its neighbors. At this time, in principle, it continues military aggression against Ukraine.”

Beyond advising citizens on how to resist an occupying power — pointers include identifying collaborators and handing them over to resistance groups — the manual encourages civilian readiness by completing basic military training or joining the Riflemen’s Union.

The rise of paramilitary groups across Eastern and Central Europe appears to be “a natural response to the confluence of two forces,” said Michael Kofman, a research scientist at the Centre for Naval Analysis and a fellow at the Wilson Center. “A general increase of nationalist sentiments across Europe and the perception of greater threat from Russia.”

Similar groups in the neighboring Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia have also seen increased membership since the annexation of Crimea, and the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union is in the process of formalizing relationships with the youth wings of both the Latvian National Guard and Estonia Defense League.

In Central Europe, groups in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary have sprung up alongside a rise in right-wing sentiment in the region and the refugee crisis in Europe.

Paramilitary groups across Eastern and Central Europe, “encompass a diverse array of organizations,” said Arthur de Liedekerke, an external analyst for the Brussels-based Global Governance Institute. “Their means, objectives and relation to the state often vary considerably."

Paramilitary "will challenge government authority on the margins and must be carefully trimmed in power,” said Kofman. “Playing with nationalism is like holding a tiger by the tail.”

The Union’s leadership encourages members to arm themselves with handguns, specifically Glock 17s, which current Lithuanian gun laws allows. Riflemen can purchase the pistols at a discount and store them in safes at home.

But “what can you do with a pistol?” asked a Rifleman (jokingly) who was previously a sniper in the police special forces. “Shoot your way to a rifle,” he added, delivering his own punchline.

Lithuania’s already liberal gun ownership laws are set to be relaxed further. By January, members of the Riflemen's Union will be encouraged to purchase semi-automatic rifles under new laws that allow gun possession for the express purpose of “country defense.”

“I think deterrence is the primary aim of any country’s defense system — to deter, not to fight,” said Liudas Gumbinas, commander of the Riflemen’s Union, whose salary is paid by the Ministry of Defense.

Along with the Riflemen’s strategic alliances with the armed forces, its decision to invite members to arm themselves with semi-automatic weapons, Gumbinas said, is part of strengthening that deterrent, a policy he said is akin to “not just shouting, but actually doing something.”

But he is quick to point out that the Union is more than a gun toting boy’s club. With nearly half of the Riflemen’s Union members under the age of 18, the Union’s free summer youth camps, which he likens to the Scouts, familiarize thousands of Lithuania’s youth with military values and structures.

“We are building the youth to become good citizens,” Gumbinas said of the camps, which take place at military facilities and aim to develop children’s “leadership skills, nature survival skills, self-confidence, but all under a military framework.”

Kofman said that governments should always be concerned by the rise of paramilitary organizations, especially since such groups often rise in response to a threat. "But the threat in most cases never materializes [and so] they look to occupy themselves. Some transition into politics and form far-right parties, others may choose to serve as muscle for criminal elements."

The Riflemen's Union has been an integral part of Neimantas Psilenskis' life since he joined 10 years ago. When the 24-year-old descended the steps of the Garrison church in Kaunas, arm in arm with his new wife last month, the Union’s Honorary Guard saluted the young couple in full regalia and World War II-era bayoneted rifles.

Psilenskis, a part-time employee of the Riflemen's Union and part-time construction worker, said his sense of patriotism and loyalty towards the Union was nourished as a young member.

“I’m a patriot,” Psilenskis said. “No one would need to ask me if I would defend my homeland. Just give me a gun. You don't need to ask. Maybe the fact that I came to the Riflemen’s Union at a young age formed these instincts.”

Outside the Riflemen’s headquarters, with night and snow falling, the men shuffle their boots on the frozen ground, partly to keep warm, partly in anticipation of the assault. "We are not looking for enemies," said one. "It’s just weird how a tiny country like Lithuania is perceived by a much greater country ... as an enemy to them. How can we be an enemy to anyone? We just want to live our calm little lives."