Lithuania’s prime minister has told the BBC that his country has prepared evacuation plans in response to potential threats from Russia, while stressing that they “will not surrender” if the country comes under attack.
Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said Tuesday that people in Lithuania feel “constantly threatened” by Russia, partly because of drones entering the country’s airspace.
He said that if Lithuania were attacked, “we will fight back… we will engage.” At the same time, he explained that authorities had prepared for a “variety of scenarios,” including plans to move elderly residents out of cities “smoothly” while preventing major traffic congestion.
Lithuania, a NATO member, shares a land border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
“We’re thinking about a variety of scenarios, not all of them are being discussed very much publicly,” Sinkevicius said.
“We face concrete threats, not on a daily basis, but we’re experiencing them and it’s a true reality for us.”
Sinkevicius also said the UK needed a “shift in the mindset” when it comes to its approach to defense, while acknowledging that Lithuania was “closer to the border and closer to [the] threat”.
His comments come just a week after NATO fighter pilots shot down a drone that had entered Lithuanian airspace.
While the drone’s origins have not been officially confirmed, Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas told Newshour that it had come from the direction of Belarus, which borders Lithuania and is a close Russian ally.