5 April 2026

Kapčiamiestis in Lazdijai district has been chosen for a brigade-sized military training range because, among seven options, it has the most state-owned land and the lowest population density. The defence ministry says the site lies on the Suwałki corridor, and if parliament approves the law, 13 homesteads inside firing zones would have to be relocated.

Lawmakers have registered a proposal to remove limits on eligibility for different state pensions. Parliament is also considering a bill to raise maternity, paternity and child-care leave benefits. More than 60 budget amendments have also been tabled, which would increase 2026 state spending by over 0.5 billion euros. One proposal would add 57.2 million euros to nurses’ wages by cutting national broadcaster LRT’s budget to 25 million euros. Lithuania said on April 5 it will keep building up air defence stocks and expand air surveillance, building on signed deals for NASAMS, RBS-70 Bolide, AMRAAM, Giraffe and the first passive TwinWis radars.

Vilnius police received a complaint on April 4 from a 59-year-old woman who said a scammer she met on TikTok stole 148,000 euros from her. Investigators are tracing the transfers, checking whether the suspect used a stolen identity, and running a pre-trial investigation into large-scale fraud. In Vilnius, Lithuania’s flag was stolen from the Vilnius Gaon Museum of Jewish History building. In Kaunas, two young men aged 20 and 22 will stand trial for the murder of their 75-year-old neighbour in his flat. In Klaipėda district, medics were handed a badly burned body after a fire in a residential building.

Xpeng has launched the G6 and G9 in Lithuania, bringing 800-volt electric vehicles that can recharge to 80% in 12 minutes. The G6 is rated for up to 570 km on a charge, while the larger G9 is listed at up to 585 km.

Russia’s own military propaganda channels on April 4-5 circulated a blunt admission that assault groups are losing 80-90% of their men before reaching contact with Ukrainian forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 5 he was “100% sure” Russia still wants to occupy Ukraine completely and rejected pressure to treat territorial concessions as the basis for a ceasefire.

Russian drones struck Odesa overnight on April 5 and set fires in several parts of the Black Sea port. Local officials said homes, commercial premises and other infrastructure were damaged, and emergency crews were still working at daybreak. Ukraine has used drones over the past 48 hours to hit Russian strategic infrastructure tied to air strikes and frontline supply. A separate Ukrainian strike damaged a Russian oil pipeline near the Baltic Sea.

Kyiv said on April 5 that Russia has lost about 1.2 million troops killed or wounded since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. Ukraine’s presidency said more than 100,000 square kilometres of the country may still be contaminated by mines. In Poland, business groups are warning that rising risk in the Polish market is becoming a concern for Lithuanian companies linked to trade and investment flows.

Dozens of people went missing after a migrant boat capsized in the Mediterranean. A Russian ship carrying grain sank in the Sea of Azov, with casualties reported. OPEC+ raised oil production quotas by 206,000 barrels per day.

Donald Trump said on Sunday that a strike in Tehran killed several senior Iranian military leaders. Weeks of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian military and nuclear targets have widened the war to Gulf shipping, regional bases and airspace.

Trump gave Iran 48 hours on April 4 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle. On Sunday he warned that U.S. strikes could hit Iranian bridges and power stations unless the strait is reopened by Monday. By early April 5, Trump said both crew members from the downed jet had been rescued in an operation involving dozens of aircraft. Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guard then shot down a U.S. aircraft involved in the rescue search in western Iran and hit an A-10 attack aircraft.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said near Tel Aviv on April 4 that Israel would reach Iran’s leaders after earlier operations killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ali Larijani. Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli strike on southern Beirut killed four people and wounded 39 on Sunday. Hezbollah said on April 5 that it fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship off Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. Kuwait reported major damage from an Iranian drone strike, and the U.S. ambassador said pro-Iranian groups attacked American diplomatic missions in Iraq.

OPEC+ raised oil production quotas by 206,000 barrels per day. China said it is ready to work with Russia to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.