1 June 2026

Russia renewed threats against the Baltic states today and reopened a case in The Hague over alleged violations of Russian-speakers’ rights. Political scientist Tomas Janeliūnas told LRT that Moscow is also accusing Lithuania and its neighbours of allowing Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks on Russia.

Lithuanian police said today they had received about 130 threatening emails about possible explosives in schools and other education sites, taking the total number of reports to 233. The National Education Agency said exams were continuing as normal, while police told schools to stay open, inspect their grounds and call 112 over any suspicious objects. Lithuania signed second-stage contracts for the Rūdninkai military camp today with Rudina and Merko statyba in a package worth about 950 million euros. The full 190-hectare project is close to 2 billion euros and must be ready for Germany’s brigade by the end of 2027.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said Ukrainian air defence specialists will arrive in Lithuania soon. Vilnius is hosting a NATO-Ukraine defence innovation forum today, while Ukraine’s prime minister is also in Lithuania for talks on bilateral cooperation and aid. A soldier who testified in the Valdemaras Rupšys dental implants case said the minister did not allow him to remain in the armed forces after giving evidence. The case centres on nearly 4,000 euros of implants paid for by the military, with prosecutors pursuing abuse of office, document forgery and fraud charges.

Lithuanian shooters returned from Hungary with one gold, two silvers and a bronze after four days of FITASC World Cup and Grand Prix competition. Federation chief Laurynas Jucius said the results would matter in selection for upcoming international events. In technology, 3RTechnology said yesterday that Nvidia would remain the dominant AI chip supplier for at least five more years, with Lithuania potentially able to buy up to 50,000 H100 chips over the next two years.

Lithuania's Foreign Ministry summoned a Russian embassy representative after what it called a Moscow attack on Lithuania, while Russia in turn summoned Lithuania's envoy over allegations of desecration of Soviet soldiers' graves. Separately, Lithuania's Prison Service said it had uncovered a fentanyl distribution network involving 16 suspects.

Russia struck several Ukrainian cities overnight into Monday with missiles and drones, wounding civilians and damaging residential areas. Air defences were active over Kyiv and other cities, and officials were still assessing the full toll early in the day. Separate Russian strikes over the past 24 hours also killed at least one person and injured dozens more across Ukraine, while Kharkiv was hit in a night attack.

Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children and is militarising some of them in occupied territories and inside Russia. Kyiv says about 2,000 children have been brought back, but thousands more remain under Russian control and are being pushed into youth structures and camps designed to erase their Ukrainian identity. In occupied Crimea, fuel sales were restricted today and a coupon system was introduced after logistics disruptions and shrinking petrol supplies. AI-95 shortages had already been reported on the peninsula because most fuel is delivered by road, a route exposed to Ukrainian strikes.

Moscow is also pairing talk of ending the war with unchanged conditions for any negotiations. Vladimir Putin said in Moscow that the war was moving toward an end but gave no timeline, while Russia’s foreign ministry repeated that there would be no ceasefire or talks unless Ukraine withdrew from Donbas. Europe’s security debate remains focused on nuclear deterrence, with NATO relying on US and UK arsenals and sharing arrangements in five European countries, even as experts argue that more warheads alone would not deter war.

Switzerland lost the ice hockey world championship final at home to Finland, extending its run of defeats in title matches. A false claim also spread over the past day that the wife of Ukraine’s defence minister had bought a €26mn yacht.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned late on of a possible massive Russian strike and said 15 Russian oil refineries had been damaged this year. A strike hit Russia’s Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea, killing 15 people. Lithuania will allocate €4m for solar power plants in Ukraine.

An Israeli strike in Lebanon killed eight people over the past day, and Beirut called it harsh Israeli aggression. Lebanon’s president said the country is under severe military pressure in the south. Israel’s defence minister said there would be no peace in Beirut if Hezbollah does not stop its attacks.

Kuwait said today that its air defences intercepted several missiles and drones over its airspace. The United States said it struck Iranian radar and drone-control facilities in southern Iran, including targets in Goruk and on Qeshm Island. CENTCOM said the strikes were self-defence after Iran shot down a U.S. MQ-1 drone. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had hit a base used by U.S. forces for attacks against Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday he will not resign, keeping Tehran’s leadership unchanged as the war that began on Feb. 28 continues. Talks in Qatar over the Strait of Hormuz, shipping and any withdrawal of U.S. forces remain deadlocked, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that no nuclear talks with Washington are taking place. The new U.S. and Iranian strikes have further clouded a possible ceasefire extension that officials had discussed only days earlier.

Oil jumped 6.5% on world markets as traders assessed risks to Gulf shipping and energy flows. In the occupied West Bank on Sunday, a car hit Israeli civilians near the Gush Etzion junction and injured two teenage girls, and the Palestinian health ministry identified the dead suspect as 31-year-old Amjad Jawad Abdel Fattah Natsheh.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to open “new fronts” after Israeli strikes in Lebanon, while a source close to Hezbollah said the group has not committed to ending attacks on northern Israel. In southern Lebanon, an Israeli strike damaged a hospital in Tyre, and the United Nations urged respect for the ceasefire and voiced strong concern over the situation.