Putin warns NATO against potential blockade

"Any attempt to blockade Russia’s Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast would spark an

“unprecedented escalation” and could expand into a large-scale armed conflict, President Vladimir Putin has warned.
The Russian leader made the remarks during his traditional end-of-year Q&A session when asked how Moscow would respond if European states sought to impose a blockade on the country’s westernmost region, an exclave bordered by NATO members Lithuania and Poland." RT

Ukrainians ‘with spy equipment’ arrested in EU

"Police in Poland have detained three Ukrainian nationals allegedly found in possession of spying and hacking equipment.
The suspects were apprehended during a routine traffic stop in Warsaw, police said in a statement on Monday. The three men claimed they had been “traveling Europe” and had arrived in Poland just a few hours previously, and were next set to drive to Lithuania. Officers saw that the men were agitated and opted to search the vehicle, the statement noted.
“Suspicious items that could even be used to interfere with the country’s strategic information systems” were discovered, police said, adding that the men were in possession of a large number of SIM cards, antennas, laptops, routers, cameras, advanced hacking equipment, and a “spy device detector.” RT

Baltic States Prepare Mass Evacuation Plans Amid Growing Fears Of Russian Attack

"Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are drawing up detailed plans to evacuate vast numbers of their citizens to the countries’ west in the event of a Russian invasion, with officials warning that Moscow could attempt to overrun all three Baltic states in less than a week.
While a conventional invasion remains the most serious scenario, governments are also preparing for a range of other destabilizing events, from sabotage of transportation networks and mass migration waves to civil unrest among Russian-speaking minorities and disinformation campaigns designed to trigger panic." ZH

Poland deploys troops to German and Lithuanian borders

"Polish President Karol Nawrocki has ordered troops to the borders with Germany and

Lithuania. Warsaw recently reintroduced border controls, citing a surge in illegal immigration.
All three nations are members of the European Union, which has been grappling with a refugee crisis since at least 2015, largely caused by upheavals in the Middle East and Africa, and later by the Ukraine conflict.
In a resolution released on Friday, Nawrocki said that the measures would take effect on October 5 and last until April 4, 2026.
In July, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz revealed that 700 troops had already been deployed to the country’s Western frontier, with plans to send in up to 5,000 more military personnel to assist border guards." RT

EU Leaders Want 'Drone Wall' Protecting Eastern Flank From Russian Incursions

"European Union leaders are mulling a joint "drone wall" to boost Europe's defenses,

according to European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier from Brussels.
He previewed that EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius will participate in meeting representatives of seven frontline EU member states, listed as Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania - as cited in Bloomberg. The Ukrainian government is also expected to send representatives to the meeting." ZH

World War III will start with simultaneous Xi and Putin invasions, warns NATO chief Mark Rutte

"NATO chief Mark Rutte has chillingly warned that World War II will start with simultaneous invasions from Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.
Secretary-general Rutte suggested the combined attacks from the Chinese and Russian leaders could trigger a World War nightmare and bring the planet to the brink of Armageddon.

According to the NATO chief, China would start by seeking to grab Taiwan - while ensuring the Kremlin dictator simultaneously attacks NATO territory, amid fears Putin is anyway eyeing the Baltic republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, formerly part of the USSR.
Russia today hit back at ex-Netherlands premier Rutte, claiming he had 'gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch', while warning he should look forward to a future in a hellish Siberian labor camp.
Stressing the urgent need to re-arm and boost military budgets, Rutte told the New York Times in a chilling vision of the future: "Let's not be naïve about this."
"If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, residing in Moscow, and telling him, "Hey, I'm going to do this, and I need you to to keep them busy in Europe by attacking NATO territory".
'That is most likely the way this will progress" he added." msn

Poland to deploy thousands of troops to German border to BLOCK failed asylum seekers

"Poland

is set to deploy thousands of troops to the boarder with Germany to stop Berlin from
sending back failed asylum seekers.
A spokesman from the Polish general staff said around 5,000 troops would be stationed at the borders of Germany and Lithuania from Monday to check vehicles for refugees.
Officers could also use surveillance drones operated by the Polish air force to monitor the area, reports The Telegraph.
Tensions have flared between governments in Warsaw and Berlin over how to deal with refugees trying to cross between the two countries." GB

Lithuania to strip residence permits of Russian, Belarusian citizens who frequently travel back home

"Russian and Belarusian citizens who reside in Lithuania will have their residence permits

revoked if they travel to Russia or Belarus more than once within a three month period, Lithuanian media outlet LRT reported on May 3.
According to the country's Interior Ministry, a total of 14,652 Russian citizens hold a valid residence permits in Lithuania." KI

Germany Deploys Troops To Lithuania In First Permanent Foreign Deployment Since World War II

"Germany has activated its first permanent foreign troop deployment since World War II, establishing a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania. This decision follows Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ announcement in 2023 to bolster troop presence on NATO‘s eastern flank in response to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War." ZH

NATO chief triggers confusion over ‘dead’ American troops

"Four US Army soldiers mysteriously disappeared during a training exercise in Lithuania near the Belarusian border on Tuesday. The Pentagon has yet to confirm their fate, after NATO

Secretary-General Mark Rutte triggered confusion by expressing condolences to their families.
The soldiers, from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were conducting “scheduled tactical training” at the General Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in Pabrade, Lithuania when they went missing, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation.
“The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing US Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania,” US Army Europe and Africa said in its latest update on Wednesday.
The armored vehicle “was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area,” but “search efforts for the soldiers continue,” the US military added. The Lithuanian Armed Forces also stated that, at present, “there is no evidence or information confirming the death of the troops.” RT

Second Baltic Sea communications cable damaged

"An undersea communications cable between Lithuania and Sweden has been damaged in the Baltic Sea. The damaged cable is one of the three that connect Lithuania to the internet. While overall data traffic throughput capacity has been reduced, connectivity for Lithuanian users remains stable." NV

Lithuania may send fire engines intended for Zimbabwe to Ukraine

"Lithuania is exploring the option of sending 17 fire engines to Ukraine. These vehicles were impounded in Klaipėda last year due to sanctions and were initially destined for Zimbabwe. Last week, South African state-owned news website The Herald urged Lithuania to hand over 17 vehicles purchased by Zimbabwe from Belarus last year.

The vehicles were detained at the Klaipėda seaport in March last year, according to Zimbabwe's attorney general." Pravada

Baltic states, Poland criticize EU imports of Russian LNG

"Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland have called on other European Union countries to stop buying Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), arguing that such imports help fund Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

This appeal was made in a letter from the heads of EU Affairs committees of the parliaments of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland, as reported by Estonian outlet Postimees." NV

Fighter jets scrambled four times: Eight Russian UAVs enter Belarus, one headed for Lithuanian border

"During the Russian drone attack on Ukraine overnight on Sept. 7, at least eight drones — seven strike and one reconnaissance Supercam — entered Belarus.....According to the monitoring channel, the first strike drone entered Belarus from Chernihiv Oblast near Loyew around 23:20 but returned to Ukraine 40 minutes later, heading toward the Kyiv Reservoir.

Starting at around 02:45, six more UAVs entered Belarus. Then, at 08:13, analysts reported that a Russian reconnaissance drone entered the country for the first time. It may have flown about 200 kilometers, reaching Navahrudak and coming within approximately 70 kilometers of the Lithuanian border. Analysts note that what happened to it afterward is unknown." NV

Germany Building 1st Military Base Abroad Since WWII

"Germany has started building military barracks in Lithuania, near the Belarusian border, which will become its first permanent military base overseas since World War II." Sputnik

NATO Nation Preparing Mass Evacuation Plans for Russian Invasion

"NATO member state Lithuania is drawing up plans for a mass evacuation of civilians in

preparation for the possibility of a war breaking out, the country's Interior Ministry said.
The measures are the latest adopted by members of the NATO military alliance to protect against potential Russian attack." Newsweek

These NATO States Are Embracing Conscription, Eyeing Future War With Russia

"Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has insisted, “Today, we have 500,000 troops on high readiness, combat-ready battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance for the first time.” But the bloc is struggling to meet its goals of assembling 300,000 soldiers prepared to be activated within a month and another half a million in six months. There is also a

question of whether the bloc can filed a military fit for a protracted war akin to the Ukraine conflict.
This year, for the first time since it was abolished in 2006, Latvia reimplemented its draft. Male citizens are subject to conscription within a year of turning 18 years old. Additionally, Norway has unveiled a long-term plan to increase its ranks of mandatorily conscripted troops, employees, and reservists by 20,000 as well as double the military budget. In 2015, Lithuania brought back mandatory military service in 2015, each year drafting 3,500 to 4,000 men between the ages of 18-26 for a nine-month period. Although the Finnish Defense Forces employ only 13,000 people during peacetime, Helsinki claims it has the ability to activate over 900,000 reservists with 280,000 combat-ready troops. Sweden conscripts both men and women, Stockholm drafted 7,000 its citizens and the military expects to conscript 8,000 next year. The Swedes have had conscription since 1901." ZH

Baltic officials said they could send troops to Ukraine without waiting for NATO if Russia scores a breakthrough

"MPs for the Baltic States have been warning German officials that they might send troops to Ukraine.Their condition would be if Russia achieves a breakthrough in Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported.

They issued the warning as part of an argument for Germany to support Ukraine more aggressively, per the outlet." MS

Lithuania to help repair Ukraine’s damaged power plants

"Lithuania will supply Kyiv with equipment to restore thermal power plants damaged by the recent waves of Russian air strikes, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry announced." UV

Russia Says Arrested Belarusian for Siberia Railway Sabotage

"Russia on Thursday arrested a Belarusian man for allegedly placing explosives on two trains

on a key part of a Siberian railway near the Chinese border, on Ukraine's orders. Moscow said the man's curator was a Lithuania-based Belarusian who it said worked for Ukrainian secret services.
It said the "terrorist act" was aimed at "destroying critical transport-energy infrastructure." MS