9 April 2026

Lithuania’s parliament on April 9 began the process of stripping Saulius Skvernelis of legal immunity after Prosecutor-General Nida Grunskienė asked lawmakers to let investigators advance a criminal case tied to municipal expenses. Speaker Juozas Olekas put the request on Thursday’s agenda, with the next steps running through committees before a plenary vote.

Parliament changed pension allocation rules and raised fines for managers who withhold information from journalists. The government has proposed new assisted reproduction rules that would reshape how procedures are regulated and accessed in Lithuania. NATO has assessed Lithuania’s armed forces expansion plans, dairy producers protested near the government, and a furniture manufacturer has started laying off nearly 200 workers.

A Vilnius regional court on April 8 sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for rigging a neighbour’s gate with a homemade explosive device, though the ruling can still be appealed. Prosecutors opened a pre-trial investigation into activity against the state after a coordinated social-media disinformation campaign and are tracing possible links to Russian information operations. In Klaipėda, scammers stripped 14,000 euros from a resident within minutes, while Inga Sala spoke publicly in the child kidnapping case that shocked Lithuania.

In energy, Litgrid’s new chief said Lithuania’s grid must make room for two to three times more solar and wind capacity. Ignalina nuclear plant completed dismantling the first unit’s reactor channels and received permission to dismantle the second, while the Drūkšiai pumped storage project linked to Ignalina infrastructure has been completed.

Lithuania’s Prosecutor General asked parliament to lift Saulius Skvernelis’ legal immunity over suspicions of possible bribery, and the politician suspended his party membership. In business, Vinted topped €1bn in annual revenue last year.

Odesa region came under another Russian strike on April 9, with Ukrainian officials saying an energy facility was hit after several Black Sea attacks in recent days. An earlier strike in the same region killed three people and cut power to thousands.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia lost 1,240 troops in the past 24 hours, pushing Moscow’s total losses since the full-scale invasion above 800,000. Kyiv also said Russia launched nearly 100 drones overnight, 69 of which were intercepted, while some strikes hit the Donetsk region. In Russia’s Krasnodar region, a drone attack triggered explosions and a fire, and Ukrainian forces separately said they destroyed a Russian-controlled bridge with drones. Officials in southern Ukraine said one person was killed in a new Russian strike. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Vladimir Putin wants more than Donbas and named two other Ukrainian regions in his assessment of Moscow’s war aims.

Poland and the Baltic states are again pressing the EU this week to speed up air-defence and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine after the latest attacks in the south. Fire Point chief executive Yaroslav Azhnyuk said a Ukrainian drone-and-sensor system costing less than one destroyer could block shipping across the Baltic Sea. In Russia, authorities are weighing a ban on the human rights group Memorial. Border residents in Russian regions are also receiving calls from abroad in what officials describe as a revival of older pressure tactics.

Brussels is preparing to cut its 2026 growth forecast, blaming weak industrial demand, sluggish consumer spending and still-elevated prices across the euro zone. The EU is also facing fresh pressure in trade talks with Washington as tougher U.S. demands threaten future deals. Estonia, meanwhile, listed 23 planned industrial sites designed to attract more than 320 million euros in investment.

Vladimir Putin declared an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, while Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv expects €90bn in EU aid this year. US media also reported that Donald Trump is considering reducing the number of American troops in Europe.

Hezbollah said on April 9 it had fired rockets at northern Israel and would keep attacking until Israel stops striking Lebanese territory. Israel had just launched its biggest coordinated assault in Lebanon since the war began, hitting more than 100 Hezbollah targets in Beirut, south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in 10 minutes, and Benjamin Netanyahu said operations would continue wherever needed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Israel’s strikes pose a major risk to the U.S.-Iran truce. Iran said ships seeking to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must obtain permission and announced alternative routes through the chokepoint that carries a large share of global oil flows. U.S. oil exports have climbed to record highs as the war with Iran reshapes energy markets. In Tehran, thousands attended a state funeral for Revolutionary Guard commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes, but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei did not appear at the ceremony.

Donald Trump on April 8 again attacked NATO after meeting Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Washington and renewed threats over Greenland. The United States, Denmark and Greenland are already negotiating Arctic security, military access and the 1951 defence pact, while the White House said Trump will continue talks with the Israeli prime minister on Lebanon. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said NATO should seriously discuss help for the United States in the Strait of Hormuz if Washington makes a specific request. The White House also proposed cutting NASA’s science budget for fiscal 2027 from $7.25 billion to $3.9 billion, though Congress has the final say.

The United Nations said at least 326 humanitarian aid workers were killed in 21 countries in 2025. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in New York on April 8 that the three-year toll has now passed 1,010, with Gaza, Sudan and South Sudan accounting for much of the violence. North Korea conducted weapons tests for three days.

Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 300 people were killed in Israeli strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his cabinet to begin a process for direct talks with Lebanon, but a Hezbollah lawmaker said the group rejects any such negotiations.