29 May 2026

Jevgenijus Suklinas has died at 41. The former canoeist, 2012 London Olympic silver medallist and Lithuanian MP entered parliament in 2024 after a decade in Visaginas politics. Lithuania’s election commission said a by-election will now be needed in the Nalsia North single-member constituency, which covers Visaginas and the Zarasai district, and must now set the timetable.

Lithuania’s defence establishment says the main threat from Russia is not a ground assault but drones and other airspace violations. Defence minister Kestutis Budrys said today that drone incidents are part of systemic threats. Authorities also issued guidance today on what people should do if they receive an air-raid warning during public events. Military exercise Freedom Shield 26-I has begun in Pabrade with about 2,900 troops, including units from the first German brigade.

Parliament’s National Security and Defence Committee is holding a closed session today over data stolen from the state-run Registru centras. Patria said it would expand armoured vehicle manufacturing in Lithuania with about 20 local companies in the supply chain. Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics in Vilnius bought shares in the US-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Powder for €1.5 billion last September, a deal that strengthens the Lithuanian unit’s weight inside the group.

Achema Group said last year’s revenue rose 11% to €1.1 billion. Lithuania’s Prison Service today resumed the search for a convict who failed to return to the Pravieniskes open colony and is checking his movements, contacts and possible routes. Kaunas police issued an urgent appeal today after a 10-year-old disappeared on the way home from school. Scrutiny is still growing over the alleged abuse of 140 Filipinos at two Lithuanian poultry farms.

Experts warned that the data stolen from Lithuania’s Centre of Registers pose a very high risk, saying the leaked information could be used for identity theft and other fraud. After the drone incident in Romania, Linas Linkevičius said rhetoric alone on Russian drones is not enough and called for a concrete response.

Volgograd was hit by an overnight drone strike that set fire to Lukoil’s refinery, one of the main fuel producers in southwest Russia. Any repair work or safety checks that slow the plant would add strain to a Russian refining system already hit repeatedly in recent months.

Kyiv said on Friday that Russia was laying the groundwork for a new round of strikes, while Belarus reported 116 attempts by Ukrainian drones to cross its border over the past week. Analysts say Moscow may be preparing to use Belarusian territory to target logistics routes in western and northwestern Ukraine. In Romania, a drone crash sparked a fire and injured two people. Ukraine also urged its UN partners to increase support for its air defence tenfold.

At Pabrade training ground, Germany’s 45th Armored Brigade Lithuania began its first Freedom Shield 26-I exercise today. The drill involves 2,900 troops and about 800 vehicles from seven NATO countries, using drones, mortars, artillery, attack helicopters, tanks and armoured infantry vehicles. Estonia’s foreign intelligence chief Kaupo Rosin said this week that Moscow is deliberately keeping the Baltic region guessing and is leaning more on political proxies and public messaging.

Poland on Friday extended its reduced diesel excise duty until June 15, keeping fuel tax relief in place through the start of the summer travel season. In Brandenburg near Berlin, a major forest fire is now contained, but officials are still watching for flare-ups near nearby villages.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia could launch a massive strike on Ukraine within the next two nights, as air-raid warnings were issued over a cruise missile threat. At the same time, Politico reported that Ukraine had blocked Russia’s land corridor to Crimea.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed or wounded an average of 11 children a day over the past week, according to UN data published today. Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Israeli troops had crossed the Litani River in southern Lebanon, and the military confirmed a ground operation in Dibbine near Marjayoun.

Direct military talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials opened in Washington today, even as strikes continued to hit residential areas and civilian roads in southern Lebanon. The UN has called for tighter protection of civilian sites as Lebanon’s health system faces a steady flow of casualties.

In Ukraine, after a warning from the US embassy in Kyiv, Russia launched about 600 drones and 90 missiles in one night, including Oreshnik missiles. The attack killed at least four people in Kyiv and wounded more than 80, while Ukrainian and US analysts later said two Oreshnik missiles may have been used in a single strike.

A new UN annual report has placed Russian and Israeli security forces on its blacklist for conflict-related sexual violence for the first time. Investigators verified 310 such cases this year in Russia and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, and 13 cases involving Palestinians detained by Israeli forces.

Guatemala and the United States have agreed to carry out joint strike operations against drug traffickers on Guatemalan soil. The deal gives US personnel a direct operational role alongside Guatemalan forces in border zones and jungle corridors.

FIFA is already turning the 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium into a broader entertainment event. Organisers said the halftime show will feature Madonna, Shakira and BTS, while Gianni Infantino said Times Square will host events during the final weekend.

China completed another crewed mission as three taikonauts returned safely to Earth after seven months in orbit. Late developments were also marked by Iran’s message to Washington: Tehran said concessions are secured by missiles, not negotiations.