Lithuania Prepares Defense Measures Amid Russian Threats, Including Evacuation Plans, PM Reveals

Germany, a fellow NATO ally, pledged in 2023 to permanently station a combat‑ready brigade in Lithuania as a response to the evolving security landscape in Europe.

The brigade, projected to comprise roughly 5,000 soldiers and civilian staff, is slated to become fully operational by 2027. However, recruitment shortfalls have prompted the use of compulsory assignments to fill vacancies.

Most of the personnel will be stationed in Rūdninkai, close to the Suwałki Gap—a strategic corridor bordering Lithuania and Poland that also connects Belarus with Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave.

As of last December, NATO reported more than 5,000 troops were stationed in Lithuania.

The source of a drone incursion over Lithuania last week remains unconfirmed, though Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas told the BBC that the aircraft approached from the direction of Belarus.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the rapid and professional response by Lithuanian and Italian forces demonstrated NATO’s resolve to safeguard its airspace. “We stand united, around the clock, in defence of every inch of NATO territory,” he added.

Moscow has not commented on the incident.

Since the start of Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, military drone incursions have become increasingly common across Europe.

In May, residents of Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, were forced to seek shelter after a drone alert grounded flights and rail traffic for a short period.

Throughout the year, NATO jets have scrambled multiple times to intercept stray Ukrainian drones that inadvertently entered the airspace of fellow Baltic states, including Estonia and Latvia.

Ukraine has attributed the inadvertent drone incursions to Russian electronic warfare systems, which are designed to alter the flight paths of Ukrainian drones.

Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia became NATO members in 2004 and are bound by Article 5, which stipulates that an armed attack against one member shall be considered an attack against all.

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