Lithuania’s prime minister told the BBC that his country has developed evacuation plans to address potential military threats from Russia while reaffirming the nation’s commitment to resist any attack. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius stated that Lithuanians experience constant threats from their neighbor, partly due to unmanned aircraft entering national airspace. He emphasized that if attacked, Lithuania would respond militarily, but also stressed the importance of detailed contingency planning for various potential scenarios.
Sinkevičius outlined that evacuation preparations include provisions for moving elderly residents from urban areas in an orderly fashion to prevent congestion. The prime minister noted that while not all contingency plans are publicly discussed, Lithuania faces genuine security risks rooted in its proximity to Russia. He also called for the United Kingdom to reassess its defense strategy, though acknowledged that Lithuania faces a more immediate threat due to its geographic location near hostile borders.
Lithuania, a Nato member state, shares a land border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and has experienced multiple incidents it characterizes as hybrid attacks attributed to Belarus, a Russian ally. Last week, Nato fighter pilots intercepted a drone that violated Lithuanian airspace. The same period saw disruptions at Vilnius airport attributed to what airport operators described as a hybrid attack involving balloon-like objects. Germany, also a Nato ally, committed in 2023 to permanently deploy a combat-ready brigade in Lithuania, expected to become operational by 2027 with approximately 5,000 military and civilian personnel stationed primarily near the Suwałki Gap.
Defense officials have increasingly attributed airspace violations to Russian-related activity, though Moscow has not commented on recent incidents. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting praised the response by Lithuanian and Italian forces, emphasizing Nato’s unified commitment to territorial defense. Drone incursions have become more frequent across Europe following Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, with stray Ukrainian drones also crossing into Baltic nations. Lithuania joined Nato in 2004 and is bound by Article 5 collective defense provisions.
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