4 May 2026

NanoAvionics put three Lithuanian-built satellites into low Earth orbit yesterday on SpaceX’s CAS500 mission, including an intelligence satellite for a Polish customer. The company said that craft can see through clouds and in darkness, while the other two satellites extended Lithuania’s position in commercial and defence-linked space manufacturing.

Kaunas prosecutors said today that Benas Mikutavičius has completed a psychiatric examination and may have understood his actions when two young women were killed. Investigators say he fatally stabbed women born in 2003 and 2001 in December, so the case will proceed through the normal criminal process and could end in a life sentence. Lithuanian prosecutors have also unveiled a separate case in which 13 suspects are accused of plotting attacks on Russian exile Ruslan Gabbasov and Lithuanian activist Valdas Bartkevičius, with arrests already made in Lithuania and Greece.

The presidency said after a meeting on district hospitals that it plans to preserve regional hospital services as municipalities warn about possible cuts. Lithuania is also launching the international Iron Wolf exercise today, bringing together Lithuanian and allied forces. Lithuania’s wholesale electricity price rose 61% over the past week to 86.27 euros per MWh because of weaker wind generation and stronger regional demand. In Vilnius, more than 1,100 apartments were added to primary-market supply in April, giving buyers more leverage and prompting developers to offer discounts.

A Russian-linked killer network was disrupted in Lithuania. An activist’s account disclosed covert Russian plans and possible targets inside the country.

An Iskander ballistic missile strike in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed four people and wounded 16 today. The injured were taken to hospital and rescuers were still searching the debris for anyone trapped.

Moscow was shaken by explosions overnight into Sunday after a Ukrainian drone raid. Russian officials said air defences intercepted drones headed for the capital, while emergency teams checked debris sites after strikes near sensitive facilities and close to Red Square. A luxury building near the ministry district was also damaged in the attack. U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg said today that Moscow would lose the war if it stayed on its current course. Volodymyr Zelensky also said Ukraine was ready for another round of trilateral talks.

In Helsinki, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Zelensky discussed Russian drone incursions and signed a bilateral defence cooperation deal. The agreement is meant to deepen work on counter-drone systems, technology sharing and defence production outside Ukraine.

The Kremlin has sharply tightened Vladimir Putin’s security after a wave of killings of Russian soldiers and fears of a coup. A European intelligence assessment says visitor screening has intensified, protected rooms and bunkers are being used more often, and bodyguards now carry Kevlar-lined umbrellas and briefcase shields. NATO air policing jets over the Baltic states scrambled three times last week to identify Russian aircraft, including two Su-24SMs, two Su-24s and a Tu-134. Two of the aircraft had no transponders switched on, no flight plans and no radio contact with regional air traffic control.

Russia announced a unilateral ceasefire for May 8-9 and threatened Ukraine if it did not comply. Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the proposal as unfair and said Ukraine would apply its own ceasefire regime on May 5-6.

Iran said on Monday it would attack U.S. forces if they tried to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting stranded ships through the chokepoint, where traffic has been heavily disrupted for weeks. The United Arab Emirates said on Monday that Iran fired four cruise missiles, three of which were intercepted and one of which fell into the sea. In Fujairah, an Iranian drone started a fire at a key oil facility, while two cargo ships caught fire off the UAE coast.

Mediterranean Shipping Company said today it would launch a new Europe-Red Sea-Middle East express service that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The first sailing is due to leave Antwerp on May 10, with cargo then moved overland through Saudi Arabia before reaching Gulf markets. Any direct U.S.-Iran clash in the waterway would hit global oil and gas prices immediately. Reports over the past day also pointed to another vessel coming under attack in the area.

A passenger flight from Venice to New York landed safely today after a serious in-flight incident forced the crew to change course. All passengers and crew survived, and investigators are examining what triggered the episode and whether any safety procedures were missed. The World Health Organization said over the past day that three people died in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. Health authorities are also investigating possible additional infections among passengers and crew.

A U.S. admiral said American forces destroyed six Iranian ships and shot down missiles and drones. An Iranian drone attack also triggered a large fire in a UAE port city. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged China to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.