Lithuania: Former PM Kazimira Prunskiene buried
Lithuania’s first prime minister after the restoration of independence, Kazimira Prunskiene, was laid to rest…
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Welcome to Via Baltica, your “information superhighway” for news from the three Baltic tigers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania! Our founder and editor-in-chief is Kerkko Paananen, senior news analyst with more than two decades of professional expertise in covering and reporting on current affairs in the Baltic States. We aim to do one thing well:…
Lithuania: Former PM Kazimira Prunskiene buried
Lithuania’s first prime minister after the restoration of independence, Kazimira Prunskiene, was laid to rest at Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius on 6 August 2026, ELTA reports. Earlier, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius stated that today’s government could draw inspiration from Prunskiene’s commitment to public service and sense of responsibility, LRT reported. Juozas Olekas, speaker of the…
Latvia: Over 257,000 Latvians live abroad
Altogether 257,373 Latvian nationals lived abroad at the end of the first half of 2026, which was up 1.5% from 253,572 in the beginning of 2026, according to data from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), LETA reports. The number of Latvians in the UK totalled 102,086 (up by 950), followed by Germany…
Estonia: Justice Chancellor one vote short of presidency
Altogether 67 members of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, support the possible presidential candidacy of the country’s Chancellor of Justice, Ülle Madise, according to Kristina Kallas, chairwoman of the liberal coalition party, Estonia 200, ERR reports. She said that support from the opposition Fatherland or Estonian Centre Party was still missing, however. Kallas urged the…
Baltic: Russia may use Ukrainian drones in false-flag attacks
Lithuanian military intelligence has information suggesting that Russia may use drones made in Ukraine to carry out attacks against critical infrastructure targets in the Baltic region, LRT reports. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the intelligence reports indicated that Russia was assessing the possibility of conducting such false-flag attacks, but that there was no evidence…
Lithuania: No evidence Russia targeted embassy in Kyiv: minister
Lithuania has no evidence that Russian missiles deliberately targeted the Lithuanian embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on 1 August 2026, Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said, LRT reports. Speaking in an interview with Verslo Zinios, Budrys said that Lithuania did not believe that the embassy building, which suffered damage in the attack, was the target…
Latvia: PM criticises Interior Minister over letter to Spain
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs criticised Interior Minister Janis Dombrava for a letter that the minister had sent to Spain over the recent border crisis in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, LETA reported. According to LTV, Spanish officials were irritated with Dombrava’s letter, which they found patronising and arrogant, LSM reported. Spanish officials expressed disappointment…
Estonia: EU to lend EUR 2.34bn for defence
Estonia has signed an agreement with the European Commission on up to EUR 2.34bn in long-term loans for defence investments through the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme, ERR reports. Under the agreement, the loan period will be 45 years. The Ministry of Defence will use the SAFE funding to acquire air defence capabilities,…
Lithuania: Migrants dig tunnel, attack border guards
A group of migrants attacked Lithuanian border guards after entering the country through a tunnel on the border with Belarus, LRT reported. The incident occurred on 26 July 2026 at the Kapciamiestis border checkpoint. Border guards detained the first people who came through the tunnel but were then attacked by about 20 more migrants, forcing…
Latvia: Belarus border crossing reopened
Latvia has reopened the border crossing in Patarnieki on the border with Belarus, the State Border Guard (VRS) announced, LETA reports. Earlier, the government decided not to approve the Interior Ministry’s proposal to close down the checkpoint, which is the only road border crossing that remains open on Latvia’s border with Belarus. However, Prime Minister…