17 April 2026

Vilnius Regional Court opened the trial today of five defendants accused of forming a terrorist group and sending incendiary parcels through DHL and DPD. Prosecutors say four parcels sent from Lithuania in July 2024 caused fires in Leipzig, the UK and a truck in Poland, while a fifth device was intercepted. The case file runs to 42 volumes, and investigators say the seized charges had a combined explosive force of more than 6kg of TNT equivalent.

In Vilnius, a student's car was shot at near a school over the past day, and police are investigating the circumstances and possible motive. Vilnius prosecutors also sent to court today the case against reality-show figure Daugvydas over sexual relations with a person under 16. The hearing will be closed because the alleged victim is a minor.

Vilnius's housing market remains tightest for one-room flats, with the strongest demand still concentrated in one- and two-room units. The capital recorded 586 new-home transactions in September, keeping smaller apartments the fastest-moving segment in both sales and rentals. Amber Grid is set to pay almost 10 million euros in dividends, while Vilniaus prekyba will receive a 100 million euro payout after Maxima Group cuts its share capital. Lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė called for dialogue with Belarus's regime, and Laurynas Kasčiūnas described that position as capitulation to Alyaksandr Lukashenko.

Brazilian basketball legend Oscar Schmidt has died. Lithuania’s largest private electricity storage park opened in the Panevėžys region.

Ukraine has expanded air and border defences in the north and west over the past 48 hours, reinforcing electronic warfare coverage near the Russian and Belarusian borders. Lithuanian-made EDM4S anti-drone systems and domestic Bukovel-AD R4 units are already operating in those sectors.

Russia is building up fresh offensive operations along several parts of the front, with pressure rising in the Novopavlivka and Kharkiv directions. Ukrainian commanders say the scale of the assault is unusual for those areas, while heavy fighting is also under way near the north-eastern border. Kyiv said today that Russian forces violated the 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire 400 times, using artillery, drones and assault units across multiple sectors. Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine now wants a clear answer from Moscow on whether it will stop attacks on civilian infrastructure.

A new Russian strike in Chernihiv caused fires at an energy facility and cut power to about 6,000 residents. Ukrainian drone attacks are also reaching deeper into Russia’s rear, increasing pressure on military logistics and air bases. Sergei Shoigu warned Finland and the three Baltic states yesterday that Russia could retaliate if Ukrainian drones were allowed to cross their airspace into Russia, prompting consultations in Brussels and among NATO allies on north-eastern airspace security. In the euro zone, Citadele economist Aleksandras Izgorodinas said today that the bloc could cope with no more than one ECB rate hike this year because growth remains soft and energy sensitivity high.

In football, Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-1 away yesterday to reach the Europa League semi-finals. Brugge went down to 10 men early, and Villa will now face another English side in the last four.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia is again trying to draw Belarus into the war against Ukraine and warned over developments at the Belarus border. France and Britain agreed to lead a multilateral defensive mission in the Strait of Hormuz to protect shipping.

Germany is preparing fuel-tax cuts today, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz presenting them as a shield for households and companies against the Middle East war’s energy shock. EU economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis warned earlier this week that a prolonged conflict could curb growth and lift inflation after energy prices jumped. Donald Trump said yesterday that Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile, shifting attention to whether any transfer can be verified under a UN inspection system.

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Hezbollah to respect their ceasefire, while Hezbollah said it was keeping its “finger on the trigger” if Israel breached the truce. Syria announced a full withdrawal of US forces, and Emmanuel Macron warned that the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire could still come under threat. A Ukrainian drone strike yesterday set a fuel terminal ablaze at Russia’s Ust-Luga port near St Petersburg. It was the second fire at the Baltic export hub since March 25, raising the risk of higher shipping and insurance costs.

China this week approved its first brain-computer implant for paralysis, with early Shanghai clinical work showing some patients improved their ability to grip, hold and move the right hand. NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down off California yesterday, ending the 10-day Artemis II mission with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen aboard. They became the first crew in more than 50 years to fly around the Moon and return safely to Earth. The 2026 World Cup will run across the United States, Canada and Mexico in June and July, with the new 48-team format making it the biggest tournament in the event’s history.

Nearly 2,300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, while Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has not finished its campaign against Hezbollah. Donald Trump said no obstacles remain to a deal with Iran, and Iranian state TV said warships are forbidden from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.