31 May 2026

Lithuanian air-defence crews are in the final phase of preparing a second NASAMS medium-range battery after equipment began arriving in April. In drills near Radviliškis over the past day, crews trained with Kongsberg instructors on launchers, fire-control centres and communications systems, with full assembly due by year-end.

In Singapore, Lithuania and 16 other countries signed a declaration on protecting submarine critical infrastructure. The defence ministry said the text commits partners to closer protection of strategic cables and pipelines and to faster, more flexible responses to hybrid threats, with defence minister Robertas Kaunas taking part in the talks. In Klaipėda, the government is being urged to grant state-importance status to KN Energies’ planned €300 million CO2 transshipment terminal. The company has already chosen a contractor for pre-design studies, and the status would shorten planning procedures and speed an investment decision.

A deputy finance minister warned of a visible risk that Lithuania could fail to meet EU and national fiscal-discipline rules. In domestic politics, the corruption case involving former directors of Šiauliai hospital was effectively closed after the Supreme Court declined to hear their appeals.

In sport, Lithuanian rowers won silver and bronze at the World Cup stage in Seville. Lithuania also named its men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball squads for the world championship in Warsaw, while Žalgiris face Lietkabelis today in the LKL semi-finals. Among lighter stories, Gintarė’s 6-kilogram weight loss in six weeks and the diet advice she is sharing with her mother drew broad attention.

Vilnius mayor Valdas Benkunskas said shelters must be opened within minutes and that up to 10% of the capital’s education institutions responded improperly during an air-raid alert. Five people were injured in a two-car crash in the Kaunas district.

Ukraine’s military intelligence said Russia stepped up strikes today on rail hubs, depots and communications infrastructure in several regions. Kyiv says the attacks are meant to disrupt army supply lines ahead of the summer phase of the war. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said intelligence still sees a risk of a major Russian strike on Kyiv. Since Friday evening, Ukrainian air defences have intercepted five Kh-101 missiles and 279 drones, while Russia launched about 1,900 attack drones, nearly 1,400 guided bombs and about 60 missiles over the past week.

Chernihiv region came under a fresh Russian drone attack today, causing casualties in a border area. Officials there have logged repeated strikes in recent days, including about 15 explosions in Chernihiv itself. Ukrainian police and security officials also pointed to Belarus as a possible staging ground for a new Russian assault. Russian attacks across Ukraine killed five people and wounded 37 over the past day.

Ukrainian strikes over the past day hit oil infrastructure in western Russia and occupied Crimea, setting one target ablaze. Another strike in the Saratov region hit a strategic Russian factory and sparked a fire there. Kyiv also reported strikes on a Russian oil pipeline and another oil facility. Separately, a drone hit the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and Moscow blamed Ukraine for the attack while Kyiv denied responsibility.

An extraordinary UN Security Council meeting has been called for Monday over the situation in Lebanon. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine has a window for talks with Russia until winter.

In Myanmar, an explosion at a building storing mining explosives killed at least 46 people on Sunday, including six children. Around 70 others were injured in Kaungtup village near the Chinese border, in an area controlled by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army.

Israeli troops seized Beaufort Castle and the surrounding ridge in southern Lebanon on Sunday. The advance is Israel’s deepest push into Lebanon in more than 25 years, after days of air strikes and street fighting near Nabatiyeh. Benjamin Netanyahu called the capture a turning point in the war with Hezbollah as Israeli forces press their ground operation toward the Litani River.

Washington is also dealing with a separate military constraint: replacing interceptor missiles used in recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran will take time. The Pentagon is juggling finite air-defence stocks across the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific, leaving Donald Trump to choose between sustaining pressure on Iran and preserving weapons needed to protect U.S. forces and allies.

In the eastern Pacific, U.S. forces struck another suspected drug-smuggling vessel over the past day, killing three people. The Pentagon said the operation was carried out by U.S. Southern Command and that no American personnel were injured.

At Macau’s Galaxy Arena, Song Yadong submitted former two-time UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo with a guillotine choke in the second round, 18 seconds before the bell. The result strengthens the Chinese bantamweight’s case for a title shot.

In lighter news, a so-called Blue Moon full moon drew attention today as the first calendar Blue Moon since August 2023. Astrologer Palmira said the immediate theme was strained relationships and urged people to avoid snap decisions during emotionally charged conversations.

Dozens were killed after an ammunition depot exploded in Myanmar. An Israeli strike in Lebanon injured 13 hospital workers.