15 May 2026

Vilnius University professor Tomas Janeliūnas said today that Lithuania could be politically captured without a war. He said about a third of the public is inclined to believe conspiracy theories and roughly 400,000 voters could back anti-establishment candidates. Janeliūnas linked weak mainstream parties and fragile trust in government to the risk of a radical turn in the next election cycle.

In defence debate, Arvydas Pocius argued yesterday that Lithuania should make a drone barrier a core national objective. His model would combine reconnaissance drones, strike drones, air defence and artificial intelligence, with the next decisions centred on funding and deployment speed. President Gitanas Nausėda said today that Lithuania still has unfinished homework on air defence. He also said the country’s air space is a sacred security matter.

Gediminas Linkevičius said today that Vladimir Putin is a coward after Russia’s overnight missile and drone strike on Kyiv. At least 24 people, including three children, were killed in the attack. After a meeting with the US ambassador, Lithuania’s defence minister said today that Washington’s security commitments to Lithuania remain firm. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys delivered the same message today after talks with US officials.

In Vilnius, the Freedom Party held a rally outside the government building today in support of legal recognition for same-sex couples on International Family Day. Vilnius chief architect Laura Kairienė said today the city will have to give up some street space to buses and possible tram lines as car use keeps rising. Israeli media said today that Hamas circulated footage showing the body of a 28-year-old athlete killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, and her family is demanding the return of her remains.

A 25-year-old man was killed in Kaunas after trying to defend a stranger. In a Lithuanian resort, one body was recovered from the water and four people remain missing.

Kyiv was hit overnight by a major Russian drone-and-missile barrage that killed at least 24 people, including three children. Rescue teams recovered at least seven bodies from the rubble of a destroyed Soviet-era apartment block, and search and debris-clearing operations were still continuing on Thursday. Ukrainian officials said residential buildings were among the sites struck and that the attack set off multiple fires across several districts of the capital. Moscow said it had targeted military and energy facilities, but civilian buildings were among the damaged sites. Kyiv declared a day of mourning after one of the biggest attacks on the capital this week. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a residential building in Kyiv had been hit by a new variant of the Kh-101 missile.

Russia also said four people were killed in a city near Moscow by Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in The Hague that a special tribunal on the crime of aggression had issued “tickets to The Hague” for Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko and other Russian and Belarusian leaders. The tribunal is meant to pursue the crime of aggression through a separate legal route because the International Criminal Court cannot fully do so under its current jurisdiction.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday defended Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal after he waved a Palestinian flag during the club’s title parade. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz accused the 17-year-old of inciting hatred, while coach Hansi Flick said he did not like the gesture.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia could use Belarus to launch attacks on Ukraine or a NATO country. At the same time, Russia’s economy contracted for the first time in three years, marking a new economic cost for Moscow from the war.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates struck targets inside Iran on May 13, responding to earlier attacks on their own territory. U.S. officials said the UAE sorties were coordinated with Israel, as military action ran alongside a diplomatic push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump said in Beijing yesterday that Xi Jinping had offered to help end the war with Iran and restore shipping through Hormuz. The White House said both leaders agreed traffic must resume through the waterway, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil and gas cargoes.

Iran has heavily restricted movement through Hormuz since Feb. 28, prompting Washington to press Beijing to use its leverage over Tehran. China also called over the past day for shipping lanes to reopen and for ceasefires across the Middle East. Trump is also considering easing sanctions on Chinese firms that buy Iranian oil. He said tariffs were not discussed in his meeting with Xi, while stock markets rallied after the talks.

The World Health Organization said today that a new Ebola outbreak has been declared in the Bulape health zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The agency reported 10 cases and 3 deaths, making it the country’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since 1976. Health teams are tracing contacts, isolating patients and testing samples.

In India, storms and lightning killed at least 111 people across eastern and central states over the past day. Bihar and nearby states were hit hardest by sudden downpours, collapses and flash flooding. State authorities have started compensation payouts and issued fresh warnings as more heavy rain is forecast.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel now controls about 60% of the Gaza Strip. Israel also struck a target in Gaza that it said was linked to a Hamas leader, and three people were reported killed. The US said the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire has been extended by 45 days.