3 April 2026

Lithuanian law enforcement said on Thursday it had seized more than 1 tonne of cocaine, including 800 kilograms found inside Lithuania, in a haul worth tens of millions of euros on the black market. Investigators tied the shipment to a trafficking route that crossed several countries and are now mapping the supply chain and identifying suspects.

Border guards stopped 117 irregular migrants at the Belarus border between March 30 and April 2, with this year’s highest daily totals reaching 34 and 35. A 12-person group near the Aleksandras Barauskas border post triggered a helicopter search, while firefighters pulled some migrants from a marsh. Environmental experts warned that the worsening condition of the Curonian Lagoon threatens the wider Lithuanian coast. Police are also investigating cases involving the abuse of minors in Radviliškis district and Šiauliai.

Litgrid said Lithuania’s installed wind and solar capacity has reached 5.9 GW and is closing in on 6 GW. The country is still about 2 GW short of its strategic renewables target, while the currently allowed generation capacity stands at 5.2 GW, increasing pressure on grid balancing. Lawmaker Lukas Savickas said delayed government decisions could cost Lithuania up to 30,000 jobs. In Trakai, police are investigating after a body was found in a lake.

A person was killed in a nighttime clash near a school in Kaunas. Three drones and their operators were detained near Vilnius Airport.

Russia hit Ukraine with nearly 500 drones and missiles on April 3, adding to a March 24 barrage of almost 1,000 attack drones and dozens of missiles in one of the year’s biggest assaults. The latest strikes targeted the Kyiv region, while the earlier daytime attack killed at least three people and damaged energy and rail infrastructure in western Ukraine.

Ukraine’s military said it detected more than 400 Russian drones in its airspace over one day, and Poland scrambled fighter jets during attacks near its border. In the Sumy region, a Russian strike damaged a civilian bus and injured all passengers. Kyiv said Russia lost 1,230 troops in the past 24 hours, while Ukrainian strikes inside Russia hit five strategic plants and 10 oil facilities. A Russian Su-30 fighter jet worth about €50 million also crashed in occupied Crimea.

Across Europe, doubts over future US commitment to NATO are pushing allies toward more military exercises and faster defence planning. Germany, Poland and the Nordics are stepping up preparedness, while Polish border guards detained another group of migrants heading west. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also indicated that Ukraine is open to discussing a possible Easter truce.

A French court ruled that former Snoras shareholder Vladimir Antonov will be handed over to Lithuania. In Paris, dozens of school staff came under suspicion of sexual abuse against children. Volodymyr Zelensky said Egypt will not buy grain seized by Russia from occupied Ukrainian territories.

The Trump administration on April 3 asked Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, making the war with Iran the central driver of U.S. spending plans. The Pentagon also confirmed that the top U.S. military officer will step down as operations expand in the region and crews search for the airmen from a jet downed over western Iran.

Iran said on April 3 that it had shot down a U.S. fighter jet over western Iran, with the two-person crew still missing. In the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran issued a fresh warning to the United States after earlier strikes on bases and infrastructure in neighboring states. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli attacks had destroyed 70% of Iran’s steel production capacity. In Ukraine, six people were killed in Russia’s April 2 missile and drone assault, including in a strike on a residential area in the Kyiv region.

Donald Trump also announced new tariffs on medicines and reworked metals duties, adding trade pressure to a broader plan to raise military spending and cut domestic programs. A strike also penetrated a water purification plant, widening the war’s impact on civilian infrastructure.

NASA’s Artemis II left Earth orbit on April 2 and is heading for the Moon with four astronauts aboard. A close lunar flyby is scheduled for April 6 on the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since 1972.

A 14-year-old boy was shot dead in broad daylight in London, and police detained several young suspects. China is culling cattle and tightening border controls over a foot-and-mouth outbreak. The United States warned its citizens in Lebanon over potential targets linked to Iran and allied groups, including universities.