Lithuania’s State Defence Council (VGT) has approved a decision to buy 936 armoured vehicles from the Finnish defence group, Patria, BNS reports. President Gitanas Nauseda said that Lithuania expected that 300 of the vehicles would be delivered by 2030. He added that part of the production process would take place in Lithuania. A Patria representative…
NATO plans to assign additional forces to defend the Baltic States, Reuters reports. Military sources revealed that Germany and the Netherlands had agreed to assign the 1 German-Netherlands Corps (1GNC), based in the German city of Münster, to the defence of Estonia and Latvia. The move would facilitate the rapid deployment of forces into the…
Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) has warned against proposals to resume transit shipments of Belarusian fertilisers through the port of Klaipeda, BNS reports. VSD director Remigijus Bridikis noted that such a move would contravene EU sanctions without reducing security threats posed by Belarus. He stressed that the Belarusian regime had not changed its policies of…
An unidentified drone crashed into a lake in eastern Latvia on 23 May 2026, LSM reported. A local resident saw the drone fall into Lake Dridzis in the Kraslava municipality and explode on impact. No injuries or damage was reported. Authorities are examining the wreckage. The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) said that their sensors…
Leaders of NATO and the EU expressed full support for the Baltic States after Russian threats, ERR reported. Russia accused the Baltic States of allowing Ukrainian drone strikes from their territory, threatening retaliation. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte called the Russian accusations “absolutely ridiculous,” while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen stated that the…
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) issued an air alert in the country’s capital, Vilnius, after a drone was sighted over Vilnius district, LRT reported. LGP activated the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission after radars detected the suspected drone within Belarusian territory. Lithuanian leaders, including President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, as well as members…
The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) plans to carry out a broad transformation, NBS commander Major General Kaspars Pudans announced, LSM reports. The plan includes adding new capabilities and technologies as well as restructuring the overall structure of the armed forces. NATO division deputy commander Brigadier General Ilmars Lejins will lead the transformation. He said…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda supports discussions on changing the country’s constitution to allow hosting nuclear weapons in the country, BNS reports. The presence of allied nuclear weapons could serve as an appropriate and proportionate deterrent against armed aggression from hostile states, Nauseda argued. Juozas Olekas, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, stated that such…
A suspected Ukrainian military drone crashed in northern Lithuania in the early evening of 17 May 2026, LRT reports. The National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) said that the drone crashed in a field near a village in the Utena district. According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGS), military radars failed to detect the drone, and…
