Lithuania has prepared an evacuation plan for its population if faced by a military threat, according to a report which comes amid urgent warnings from leaders along NATO’s eastern flank about Russia’s growing belligerence. The Baltic state’s interior ministry had approved in July an evacuation plan “in the event of military or civilian threats,” but details of the order this week revealed that they would involve Poland's Podlaskie province acting as a transit corridor for residents. This week, NATO fighter jets downed a drone carrying explosives after it entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, which is Russia's closest ally.
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda said Moscow may be deliberately allowing Russian drones to deviate from their intended course and enter NATO airspace. The cooperation between Vilnius and Warsaw comes as Polish prime minister Donald Tusk told parliament how intelligence from NATO allies, Ukraine and the U.S., showed that Russia may launch drones or missiles into Poland or other European countries that support Ukraine. Newsweek has contacted the Lithuanian, Polish and Russian foreign ministries for comment.
Lithuania’s interior ministry announced on July 14 government plans to evacuate residents without providing details about routes and collection points. It said three quarters of people could evacuate independently, while municipalities would help those who cannot leave by their own transport or require additional assistance with priority given to families with young children, those with disabilities, and the elderly. Solovyovas revealed more details on September 16, which included three main routes out of the capital city.
Two head north and west within Lithuania while one leads towards Poland’s Podlaskie province. If there is active shelling residents must instead take cover in designated shelters and the aim of the plan was to get people used to evacuation being a controlled process. Lithuania is also expanding its defensive fortifications on the border with Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, and the Kaliningrad region, a Russian enclave thought to be the center of hostilities in the event of a conflict between Moscow and NATO.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said that fortifications would cover areas up to 5, 20 and 50 kilometers from the border to limit the maneuver of an adversary. Lithuania’s neighbor, Latvia, will get Eurofighter jets from Germany to protect its skies ahead of the Baltic country’s elections on October 3. Four German Eurofighters will go to Latvia’s Lielvārde Air Base for about a week from late September into early October, Germany’s defense ministry said Wednesday, adding that it had requested additional support from its NATO allies.
"Just think about how extraordinary that is," Olga Lautman, a researcher and analyst on Russian intelligence wrote on her Substack. "Latvians will be going to vote under the protection of German fighter jets. None of this is normal, and it says a lot about how seriously the Baltic states are taking the threat." It comes as repeated drone incursions and accusations of Russian hybrid warfare have raised security concerns along NATO’s eastern flank.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
