The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed amendments banning unregistered SIM cards as of 1 September 2027, LSM reports. Under the amendments, users of pay-as-you-go SIM cards will also have to register their personal information with the mobile service provider. The Ministry of Interior noted that unregistered SIM cards are often used in telephone fraud,…
Russia was likely responsible for an arson incident at a storage facility for satellite communications equipment in Lithuania on 18 October 2026, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius announced, LRT reports. He said that incendiary liquids and containers were found at the facility, which stored satellite antennas and a control unit for Starlink equipment. Vilmantas Vitkauskas,…
Armed men attempted to push a group of at least 20 migrants to cross the border from Belarus into Latvia illegally on 5 October 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. NBS soldiers prevented the attempt, which it said was particularly demonstrative and aggressive. During the incident, the masked armed men…
Altogether six political groups managed to win seats in Latvia’s 100-member parliament in elections that concluded on 3 October 2026, LSM reports. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s centre-right United List won an overwhelming victory, more than tripling its number of MPs from 13 to 41. The far-right populist opposition party, Latvia First (LPV), doubled its seat…
The Lithuanian Catholic Church will investigate sexual abuse of children since 1990, LRT reports. The Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference (LVK) decided to launch the investigation into crimes against minors and vulnerable adults within the church after two Lithuanian priests were charged for sexual offenses involving children. Church officials are waiting for guidance from the Holy See…
Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius and parliamentary speaker Juozas Olekas resisted calls for an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, BNS reported. Earlier, two local priests were charged with sexual offences against children. Sinkevicius insisted that any investigation was up to Church authorities. Olekas asserted that courts should do their work…
All members of the supervisory and management boards of Latvia’s Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) have resigned, following a massive data leak at the agency, LSM reports. Earlier, President Edgars Rinkevics stated that CSDD’s management could not continue in office due to the scandal, DELFI reported. He has asked Latvia’s Prosecution Office to assess the…
A recent cyberattack against Latvia’s Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) breached the data of as many as 1.2 million people and around 200,000 companies, LETA reported. Latvia’s population totals a little over 1.8 million people, LSM noted. The attackers obtained personal and company data contained in payment receipts dating back to 2008. The compromised information…
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius urged the Catholic Church to cooperate in an investigation into child sexual abuse by two local priests, BNS reported. He called for answers on whether the Church had taken sufficient measures to detect, prevent, and report such abuse. “Moral authority mandates the highest standards of responsibility,” he stated. In the…
