Lithuanian PM announces evacuation plans amid Russian threats — BBC News
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said that the country has evacuation plans amid threats from the Russian Federation, an aggressor state. At the same time, he stressed that Lithuania would not surrender in the event of an attack. Sinkevičius said this in an interview with BBC News.
Evacuation scenarios
According to the head of the Lithuanian government, the country’s residents constantly feel the threat from Russia, including because of drones entering its airspace. Sinkevičius said that in the event of an attack, Lithuania would resist and fight.
He said that the authorities are considering various scenarios, although not all of them are discussed publicly in detail. As an example, the prime minister cited organizing the evacuation of elderly people from cities in a way that would avoid traffic jams.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Airspace incidents
Last week, NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace. The origin of the aircraft has not been confirmed, but Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said it arrived from Belarus.
Lithuania has also reported a number of incidents that it calls hybrid attacks and links to Belarus, a close ally of Russia. Late on Monday evening, the operation of the country’s main airport in Vilnius was disrupted by objects resembling balloons in shape. The airport operator called the incident a hybrid attack carried out by Belarus, but presidential adviser Deividas Matulionis said it was still unclear whether the objects were actually balloons.
Germany pledged in 2023 to permanently deploy a combat-ready brigade of about 5,000 military personnel and civilian staff in Lithuania. It is expected to become operational by 2027. According to NATO, as of December last year, more than 5,000 Alliance troops were already in Lithuania.
