6 May 2026

LRT’s investigations desk on Wednesday published a cross-border report on Aleksandr Okunev, a 36-year-old programmer from Kaliningrad whose death in Russia was kept out of public view and framed through the symbolism of Romas Kalanta. The report says the Kremlin’s goal is not only to suppress dissent over the war in Ukraine but to shape how sacrifice and resistance are understood by Lithuanians.

Lithuania on Wednesday approved 650,000 euros for a project to strengthen child protection in Ukraine. The funding will support child welfare reform, mental health services and safer care for children returning from occupied territories. Kaunas Regional Court of Appeal on Tuesday finally found former Kaunas district judge Rimantas Grigas guilty of bribery, closing a long-running judicial corruption case. He was removed from the bench by presidential decree in 2021, and his son, lawyer Tautvydas Grigas, was convicted in a separate corruption case last year.

SEB on Tuesday raised Lithuania’s 2026 inflation forecast to 5.7%. The bank also lifted its 2026 growth forecast to 3.2% and warned inflation could reach 7% this autumn because of higher energy costs. Elektrum Lietuva chief executive Neringa Petrauskienė said on Wednesday that the current prosumer settlement scheme has already cost the company tens of millions of euros.

Vilnius City District Court is hearing the prosecutor’s closing statement on Wednesday in the fast COVID-19 test case against former health vice-minister Lina Jaruševičienė. The case centres on the purchase of more than 500,000 serological tests from Profarma for over 6 million euros, with prosecutors putting state damage at about 4.1 million euros. Over the past day, Lithuanians were also warned about a new scam wave using cloned voices, fake images and cheap artificial intelligence tools. Forecasters on Wednesday also warned of stormy weather across Lithuania, with thunder, stronger wind gusts and short bursts of rain expected.

In Kedainiai, at Rytas school, one child was strangled and another was wounded with scissors during a conflict involving minors. In Kaunas, Zalgiris beat Fenerbahce Istanbul to extend the EuroLeague quarter-final series.

Russia fired 11 ballistic missiles and 164 drones at Ukraine overnight, killing 12 people and wounding 37 in the Zaporizhzhia region. Kyiv said today it was still observing its own two-day ceasefire, even after Russian strikes appeared to breach it almost immediately.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukraine’s military in Kyiv today to stay on full alert, saying Russia was not preparing to stop firing. In Sumy, two Russian drones hit a children’s kindergarten today, and rescuers were checking whether any children or staff were inside. Moscow said it had intercepted more than 300 Ukrainian drones over the past day. Vladimir Putin said yesterday he would meet Zelenskiy only in Moscow, while Ukraine continues to insist on a neutral venue.

Germany’s defence industry has expanded artillery shell output enough that it may now overtake the United States, with Rheinmetall at the centre of the build-out. Earlier reporting said new and expanded German lines can produce up to 75,000 rounds a year, while wider western European capacity is already measured in the hundreds of thousands.

Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna yesterday rejected calls to discuss Europe’s future security with Vladimir Putin. The European Parliament has in the past day pushed forward another review of vehicle inspection rules that could affect drivers across the EU. In Northern Cyprus, a cheaply bought property was revalued at more than 300% above its purchase price, but pre-1974 ownership claims still pose a major legal risk.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had rejected a ceasefire proposal and was continuing its strikes, while Ukraine expects a new Russian offensive this summer. Poland also reported an unprecedented rise in hybrid attacks since 2024.

Donald Trump warned Iran today that if it does not accept a peace deal, the United States will bomb on a much larger scale. Marco Rubio said after a call with Sergei Lavrov that the offensive phase of the war with Iran had ended, but U.S. warships are still escorting commercial shipping and allied convoys through the Strait of Hormuz. Two days ago, U.S. forces destroyed six Iranian small boats and shot down missiles and drones in the choke point, while Washington is tying a ceasefire to the reopening of the waterway. China today called for the Strait of Hormuz to be fully reopened as soon as possible.

French shipping group CMA CGM said its cargo ship CMA San Antonio was damaged in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday and crew members were injured in a strike by an unidentified projectile. Shipowners are reassessing insurance, risk and escort requirements on one of the world’s most sensitive sea lanes after the route had only just reopened under a U.S.-escorted corridor. In southern Lebanon, four people were killed in Israeli strikes today even though the November 2024 ceasefire still formally holds. Beirut is pushing for a broader truce extension and for Israeli forces to leave southern areas where they remain deployed, and the United Nations today demanded the immediate release of Gaza flotilla activists.

In Seoul, a rally in Samsung Electronics shares today pushed the company’s market value close to the $1 trillion mark for the first time. In April, Samsung reported a 755% jump in first-quarter operating profit to a record 57.2 trillion won, while the AI boom kept driving global stock markets to fresh highs over the past day. In Iran, a fire at the Arghavan shopping centre in Andisheh killed eight people and injured 40 today. In health news, a cruise passenger case confirmed human-to-human transmission of anopheles hantavirus.

Late in the evening, the main developments centred on tensions involving the US and Iran: the US military said a warplane stopped a ship trying to breach Iran’s port blockade, and a dangerous shooting incident occurred off Iran’s coast. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ready for all scenarios regarding Iran.