Lithuania to Prepare Nationwide Evacuation Plan Due to Threat from Russia

Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has announced that a national mass evacuation plan will be developed by early October.

This was reported by LRT.

Bilotaite believes that the country should now have a national evacuation plan and be ready to implement it.

‘Each self-government has its own evacuation plan, but it is obvious that we must have a national plan and be ready to implement it,’ she said.

The head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs stressed that the security of the population has become a priority due to cyber attacks. She emphasised that civilian protection is now more important than ever. 

‘The war against Ukraine continues, the countries of our region are subject to hybrid and disinformation attacks, and sabotage is our new reality. It is important to note that we are at the forefront, so today civilian protection has become a priority,’ the official explained.

According to her, it is not enough to strengthen civil protection at the national level, so it was decided to work together with other Baltic States, and the countries will also apply for funding from the European Union.

‘We need to coordinate our efforts at the regional and European level. It is expensive, but it is important to pool our capabilities and get support from the EU. We are calling for a risk assessment to better understand the threats and strengthen public protection measures,’ the minister said.

As The Gaze previously reported, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said that a Russian military drone had crashed in the east of the country on 7 September. According to the Latvian Ministry of Defence, the Russian drone flew into the airspace from Belarus. The armed forces monitored its movement and identified the crash site.