12 May 2026

Vilnius Regional Court on Sunday kept Vilius Karalius in custody after the convicted cigarette-smuggling and corruption figure sought early release. Lithuania’s Supreme Court has left his 13-year prison sentence in force, and the ruling keeps him behind bars until the next procedural stage.

Northern European military chiefs met in Vilnius on Tuesday to discuss European security, NATO defence planning, regional exercises and air defence. Army chief Raimundas Vaiksnoras said Lithuania could easily host more than 1,000 additional U.S. troops because it already has the infrastructure and logistics in place. Presidential adviser Asta Skaisgiryte said Vilnius is focused on preventing any reduction in the U.S. military footprint in Europe, while Lithuania is also preparing 750 million euros of military infrastructure investment and hoping to launch joint defence production with Ukraine soon.

In domestic politics, three Ignalina district councillors — Justas Rasikas, Juozas Rokas and Jonas Baltakis — have been sent to court on fraud and document falsification charges. Investigators say they may have unlawfully taken nearly 17,800 euros from the municipal budget through council expense claims, and a final conviction would cost them their seats. MEP Dainius Zalimas has kept up his attack on the draft LRT law, saying it would lower the threshold for dismissing the public broadcaster’s director, introduce a secret ballot and remove the duty to justify dismissal in the public interest.

Lithuanian Railways reported record revenue of 517 million euros. In Panevezys, a woman was admitted to hospital after being beaten and, police said, drugged. Thousands of residents also faced disruptions to electricity, communications and water supplies over the past day.

Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Lithuania’s proposal to send troops to the international mission in the Strait of Hormuz is not symbolic and that the military is ready. Late in the evening, reports also confirmed the death of opera soloist Dalia Kuzmarskyte after she remained in a coma.

Kyiv came under another overnight Russian missile and drone attack, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow launched more than 200 long-range attack drones. Ukraine’s air defences said they shot down 192 Russian drones, as attacks resumed across the south and east after Moscow’s May 8-9 truce expired. At least one person was killed in eastern Ukraine over the past day, and strikes in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions on May 10 wounded at least six people.

Kyiv says Russia has now effectively ended the partial ceasefire, while broader ceasefire talks have barely moved since February. The Institute for the Study of War said Russia is increasingly worried about Ukraine’s expanding drone capabilities near occupied Mariupol, and reports linked to Azov units there triggered visible alarm in Russia’s information space. The Kremlin also acknowledged that combat operations in Ukraine had resumed after the truce.

In Moscow, the finance ministry cut its 2025 GDP growth forecast today to 1.5% from 2.5%. Russian officials are also weighing a rise in VAT to 22% next year as the wartime economy loses momentum and the budget gap widens. US special operations exercises began today across the Baltics and other parts of Europe, with US Army Europe and Africa saying the drills would test rapid deployment and allied coordination. Between May 4 and 10, NATO jets in the Baltics were scrambled three times from Latvia and twice intercepted aircraft that had breached flight rules.

Russia tested a long-range missile after a nuclear arms treaty with the US expired. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced a targeted mobilization. The EU is preparing talks in Brussels with Taliban representatives on deportations from Afghanistan.

Washington is weighing renewed military action against Iran today after ceasefire talks stalled. Donald Trump met his national security team yesterday, Iran warned today that any new strikes would trigger a long response, and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to commercial shipping.

The United States imposed sanctions over the past day on 12 entities tied to Iranian oil sales to China. Oil prices jumped after Trump’s latest warnings about possible new military operations. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the United Arab Emirates is considering covert involvement in operations against Iran, including possible use of Emirati territory. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a House panel today that the Pentagon has plans to escalate, pull back or shift forces if needed in the U.S. conflict with Iran.

Seven people were killed yesterday in a suicide bombing near a security post in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Investigators linked the attack to Taliban militants active in the area, and security forces are searching for possible accomplices. China recorded 6.1 million marriage registrations in 2025, down 20.5% from 2024, even after Beijing expanded matchmaking drives and tightened online content controls.

In the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals, Cleveland beat Detroit 116-109 at home on May 9 to cut the series deficit to 2-1. Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and became the third-fastest active player to reach 2,000 career playoff points, doing it in his 73rd game.

In a world first, a man’s fertility was restored using testicular tissue that had been removed and frozen in childhood. Vladimir Putin said Russia would deploy a new Sarmat intercontinental nuclear missile this year.