Lithuania’s Interior Minister, Martynas Katelynas, has asked Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas to deploy troops to the country’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region, BNS reports. Katelynas said that the troop deployment was a preventive measure in response to an armed incident on Latvia’s border with Belarus. Speaking in an interview with Die Welt, Prime Minister Mindaugas…
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…
Housing prices in the Baltic States rose the most in Lithuania in the second quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data, BNS reported. Compared to the second quarter of 2025, housing prices in Lithuania rose by 14.3%, which was the third-largest increase in the EU. In Latvia, housing prices went up by 11.4% and in…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has asked Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List alliance to form a new government, LSM reports. Rinkevics hoped that the new government could be formed by 18 November 2026, LETA reported. He said that United List had obtained a “very impressive mandate” in the parliamentary elections on 3 October…
The number of Russian citizens with valid residence permits declined in all three Baltic States in 2025, according to Eurostat data, Meduza reports. Since 2016, their number has fallen every year in Estonia and Latvia, but rose in Lithuania from 2019 to 2023. Estonia had 78,377 Russians with residence permits at the end of 2025,…
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…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, may cut 500-700 jobs at its bases in the three Baltic capitals, BNS reports. The company announced that it was in talks with trade unions on potential layoffs, which could affect about 20% of its total workforce. Currently, the airline employs around 3,000 people in the Baltic States. Meanwhile, Dace…
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s centre-right party alliance, United List, secured a landslide victory in the country’s latest parliamentary elections held on 3 October 2026 with over 35% of the vote, LSM reported. The party’s overwhelming win was a big surprise in light of polls ahead of the elections. Kulbergs is an outspoken businessman who…
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and his United List alliance may win the country’s parliamentary elections by a landslide, according to pollster SKDS’s exit poll, LSM reports. The poll shows that United List may win 35.6% of the votes, far ahead of all other parties. The far-right populist Latvia First would be second with 11.3%,…
