PM: Lithuania will fight back if attacked by Russia

Lithuania has drawn up evacuation plans for a range of scenarios amid what Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius described as persistent threats from Russia, but the country “will not surrender” if attacked.

Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight, Sinkevičius said Lithuanians feel “constantly threatened” by Russia, citing, among other concerns, drones entering the country’s airspace.

“If we are attacked, we will fight back... we will engage,” the prime minister said, adding that authorities had prepared plans for a “variety of scenarios.” As an example, he cited the possibility of evacuating elderly residents from cities in an orderly manner while avoiding major traffic jams.

“We're thinking about a variety of scenarios, not all of them are being discussed very much publicly,” Sinkevičius told the BBC.

“We face concrete threats, not on a daily basis, but we're experiencing them and it's a true reality for us.”

Sinkevičius also said the UK needed a “shift in the mindset” in its approach to defence, while acknowledging that Lithuania was “closer to the border and closer to [the] threat”.

His comments came a week after NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that had entered Lithuanian airspace. Lithuanian authorities said the unmanned aircraft entered from the direction of Belarus.

Although the drone’s origins have not been conclusively established, Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told the BBC’s Newshour that it came from the direction of Belarus, Lithuania’s neighbour and a key Russian ally.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Thanks to the swift and professional actions of Lithuanian and Italian forces, Nato once again demonstrated our readiness to protect our airspace.

“We stand united, around the clock, in defence of every inch of Nato territory.”

Moscow did not comment on the incident.

Military drone incursions have become increasingly common across Europe since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Residents of Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, were also forced to take shelter in May after a drone alert was triggered, briefly grounding flights and disrupting rail travel.

NATO jets have scrambled multiple times this year to intercept and shoot down stray Ukrainian drones that crossed into fellow Baltic states Estonia and Latvia.

Ukraine has blamed such incidents on Russian electronic warfare, technology designed to alter the flight paths of Ukrainian drones.

Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia joined NATO in 2004 and are covered by the alliance’s Article 5 provision, which states that “an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against all members”.

By Tamilla Hasanova