At their summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, NATO leaders decided to turn the alliance’s rotating Baltic Air Policing mission into an air defence mission, ERR reported. The change will allow NATO fighter aircraft to respond more rapidly to threats in Baltic airspace. NATO’s air operations centre in Uedem, Germany, will have authority to decide…
Russia may be planning provocations against the Baltic States or Poland to test NATO unity, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics warned, BNS and LETA reported. Nauseda said that intelligence indicated that Russia could be preparing “targeted kinetic operations” against critical infrastructure in the region. Rinkevics said that the intelligence reports pointed…
Latvia will deploy more air defence systems to its eastern border, Defence Minister Raivis Melnis announced, LETA reported. Speaking during a meeting with local government leaders, Melnis said that the deployment would include drones, radars, and interception systems, LSM reported. He thanked Ukraine for providing necessary help. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said that new counter-drone…
Russia has closed several railway checkpoints on the borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia as of 1 July 2026, The Baltic Times reports. The official notice indicated no end date or reason for the closure. The order applies to the Lyttä, Värtsilä, and Svetogorsk (Enso) checkpoints on Russia’s border with Finland, the Pechory (Petseri) checkpoint…
Hackers have stolen large amounts of sensitive data from Latvia’s state forest management company, Latvijas Valsts Mezi (LVM), LETA reports. Baiba Kaskina, head of Latvia’s Cyber Incident Response Institution (CERT.LV), suggested that that the attack appeared to have been commercially motivated, LSM reported. A foreign ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Prime Minister…
A Lithuanian volunteer, Ignas Kailius, was confirmed to have been killed during a combat mission in southern Ukraine in June 2026, LRT reported. He had served in a mostly Brazilian and Colombian unit. Kailius, who was 25 years old, had arrived in Ukraine in February 2026, BNS reported. In Lithuania, he had played for the…
People abusing freedom of speech to spread disinformation and hate speech should be detained and isolated from society, Latvia’s Prosecutor General, Armins Meisters, stated, LETA reports. He said that the Prosecution Office would take action against specific individuals who were acting against Latvia’s national interests under the cover of press freedom and freedom of expression….
Estonia will begin building a new permanent base for the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) in the northeastern border city of Narva later in 2026, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reported. The base in the city’s Kadastiku industrial area is due to be completed by the end of 2027. Although all political groups in Narva…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has officially nominated Mindaugas Sinkevicius, chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), for prime minister, BNS reports. The parliament, the Seimas, will vote on the nomination on 30 June 2026, after which Sinkevicius will have 15 days to present his new cabinet and government programme for parliamentary approval. Sinkevicius…
