Lithuania ready to 'fight back' but has evacuation plans in face of Russia threats, PM tells BBC
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius stated that while the country has evacuation plans due to Russian threats, they are prepared to fight back if attacked. The statement follows recent drone incursions into Lithuanian airspace.
Why it matters
The situation highlights the heightened security concerns among NATO members bordering Russia and the ongoing geopolitical instability in Eastern Europe.
Figure caption, ‘We will fight back’ if Russia attacks, Lithuanian PM says
Lithuania's prime minister has told the BBC his country has made evacuation plans in the face of threats from Russia, but added they "will not surrender" if attacked.
Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told Newsnight that Lithuanians feel "constantly threatened" by Russia, in part because of drones entering the nation's airspace.
He told Newsnight if his country was attacked, "we will fight back... we will engage". But he said there were plans for a "variety of scenarios" and used an example of getting elderly citizens out of cities "smoothly" and avoiding traffic jams.
Lithuania, a Nato member, shares a land border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningad.
"We're thinking about a variety of scenarios, not all of them are being discussed very much publicly," Sinkevičius told the BBC.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
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