2 June 2026

Archived edition

Lithuania

Summary

Robertas Kaunas said on Monday he had assurances from Washington that US troops will return to Lithuania and said Vilnius is taking part in talks on possible nuclear deployments in Europe. After the Financial Times report, the defence minister noted that Lithuania’s constitution bars weapons of mass destruction, meaning any concrete plan would trigger a legal and parliamentary fight.

Border guards in the Salcininkai district on Monday found a crashed drone carrying Belarusian cigarettes. The State Border Guard Service said officers had first heard the drone late on Sunday near the Purvenai border post, tracked it on video and used anti-drone equipment. In the same wider area, investigators this week detained 27 suspects in a contraband case, including 13 officers, and found thermal imagers, drones, GPS transmitters and radio gear in searches across six municipalities.

Kaunas Akropolis shopping centre was evacuated on Monday, with people told to leave their cars as well. Lithuania’s election commission revoked Jevgenijus Suklinas’s parliamentary mandate. The foreign ministry also rejected fresh Russian criticism directed at Lithuania.

In business, Prime Prometics said 2025 revenue topped 101 million euros, more than doubling in a year, while e-commerce company Varle reported revenue of more than 104 million euros and profit up by nearly 50%. Eurostat data showed Lithuania’s annual harmonised inflation rate rose to 5.1% in May, the second-highest in the EU after Estonia, while Elektrum Lietuva said record solar output cut electricity prices by 23%.

Late attention focused on the death of a 40-year-old Lithuanian MP. Germany’s brigade was also reported to have moved to Lithuania for training on the country’s ranges, while Politico named Virginijus Sinkevičius among the candidates to lead the Greens in the European Parliament.

sources: vz.lt, lrt.lt, delfi.lt, tv3.lt, 15min.lt, lrytas.lt

US considers deploying nuclear weapons; Kaunas says Lithuania is not standing aside.

On June 2, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told LRT he had assurances from the United States that American troops will return to Lithuania and said Vilnius is not sitting out talks on possible nuclear deployments. His comments followed a Financial Times report that Washington is weighing nuclear weapons for several additional NATO countries in Europe. Lithuania’s constitution currently bars the deployment of weapons of mass destruction, so any concrete plan would force a legal debate in parliament.

Why it matters

If Washington and NATO move from talk to a concrete deployment plan, Lithuania’s parliament would face pressure to revisit the constitution. That would matter across the region because it would redraw the lines of nuclear deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank.

sources:tv3.lt

Politics

Border guards found a crashed drone from Belarus

Border guards in Lithuania’s Šalčininkai district found a crashed drone on June 2 carrying Belarusian cigarettes, the State Border Guard Service said. Officers first heard the drone late on Sunday in the Purvėnai border post area and later tracked it on video as it flew toward the state frontier from inland Lithuania. Border guards used anti-drone equipment and returned to the area in daylight to search it again.

Why it matters

Drone-smuggling forces Lithuania’s border guards to spend more time on detection and jamming instead of routine patrols. It also raises the operational burden on communities living near the Belarus frontier, where searches and surveillance are becoming more frequent.

sources:delfi.lt

Economy

Prime Prometics continues to double revenues, surpasses €101 million, strengthening its lead in the global pro-age beauty segment

Prime Prometics said its 2025 revenue topped €101 million, more than doubling again in a year. The Riga-based beauty company focuses on products for women over 50 and positions itself in the pro-age segment rather than anti-ageing. The latest result marks another sharp step up from the more than €48 million it reported for 2024, and points to further expansion in 2026.

Why it matters

Demand for beauty products aimed at older women shows the market is moving away from generic anti-ageing claims toward more specific solutions for mature skin and hair. That gives rivals more incentive to build similar lines and raises the profile of Baltic consumer brands in global e-commerce.

sources:vz.lt

Economy

Annual inflation in Lithuania in May – second highest in the EU

Lithuania’s harmonised annual inflation rate hit 5.1% in May 2026, the second-highest in the EU after Estonia, according to Eurostat data released in June. That was up from 4.4% in April, with services and energy-related items doing much of the pushing. The next reading, due later in June, will show whether May marked the high point for this year’s price surge.

Why it matters

High inflation erodes household purchasing power, especially for workers and pensioners whose incomes are not keeping pace with services. It also raises costs for employers, who face wage pressure, and for businesses that must keep rewriting price lists.

sources:vz.lt

Crime

The contraband ties of Šalčininkai — a blow to the system: officers to be sent from district to district

This week investigators detained 27 suspects in a contraband probe in the Šalčininkai area, including 13 officers accused of abusing their positions and helping an organised criminal group. Searches turned up equipment used to move illicit cargo, among it thermal imagers, drones, GPS transmitters and radio gear. The case spans Šalčininkai, Vilnius, Varėna, Druskininkai, Alytus and Lazdijai, and is now forcing police to rethink how they patrol and respond along the border.

Why it matters

For people living near the border, it points to tighter checks and deeper internal scrutiny of the institutions that were supposed to stop the smuggling networks. Local police and border guards may end up relying more on outside reinforcements, because some officers are now suspected of working against their own service.

sources:lrt.lt

Politics

Tamašunienė criticized for court rulings: this is a homophobic stance

Justice Minister Rita Tamashuniene came under fire on June 1, 2026, after her ministry appealed court rulings ordering the registration of partnerships. The Lithuanian Human Rights Center called that line homophobic, while the ministry says it is trying to clear up legal gaps and assess whether the registry system can actually carry out such rulings. The dispute follows last year’s Constitutional Court decision that Lithuania’s failure to legalise same-sex partnerships breaches the constitution, and the ministry is now preparing registry changes to make court-ordered registrations possible.

Why it matters

The fight directly affects couples who already have court rulings but still cannot have those partnerships entered into the state registry. If the ministry’s fixes stall, each case will likely keep heading back to court.

sources:lrt.lt

Europe

Summary

Kyiv was hit by another massive Russian attack, with at least nine people killed and about 90 injured after part of a nine-storey apartment block collapsed in the Podilskyi district. Ukraine said Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles overnight, striking several cities and energy infrastructure. Thick smoke hung over the capital, and mayor Vitali Klitschko said 58 people were injured in Kyiv alone. Ukrainian officials said the barrage also included ballistic missiles.

In Dnipro, Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least seven people, damaged apartment blocks and other infrastructure, and left rescue teams searching through rubble. Poland scrambled fighter jets over the past day, raised the readiness of ground-based air defences and tightened surveillance in the east. Ukrainian drones also struck two specialised Russian aircraft, while a separate attack sparked a fire at a Russian oil refinery. Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukrainian intelligence sees two likely scenarios for Russia’s next large-scale strike: another wave of missiles and drones, or attacks focused on energy and transport assets.

Ukrainian authorities are also carrying out urgent evacuations from threatened areas, with thousands of residents being moved from frontline zones. In Brussels, EU governments agreed a migration reform over the past day that opens the way for return centres outside the bloc. Britain barred two US political commentators from entering the country. Croatia is preparing rules that would let local authorities restrict alcohol sales in resort areas because of problems linked to drunken tourists. France said it would not supply Israel with offensive weapons.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in the evening that Russia could launch another mass attack on Ukraine overnight. At the same time, Kyiv said Ukrainian forces shot down more than 57,000 Russian missiles and drones in May.

sources: lrytas.lt, delfi.lt, 15min.lt, vz.lt, lrt.lt, tv3.lt

War in Ukraine: another massive Russian attack in Kyiv leaves dead and dozens injured

On May 14, a Russian drone-and-missile barrage on Kyiv killed at least nine people and injured dozens, including a 12-year-old girl. Ukrainian officials said one nine-storey apartment block in Darnytsia was flattened, and rescue teams spent the day digging through rubble for survivors. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia also used the hypersonic Oreshnik missile, underlining how the capital is now being hit with a wider mix of long-range weapons.

Why it matters

For Kyiv residents, the attack means more deaths in apartment districts and a greater reliance on shelters and emergency response. Strikes on homes and city infrastructure also stretch rescue crews, who have to work through rubble while searching for people still missing.

sources:lrytas.lt delfi.lt

Politics

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 656 drones and 73 missiles

Russia launched a large overnight strike on Ukraine, with LRT reporting at least nine dead and 64 injured in Kyiv after part of a nine-storey building collapsed in the Podilskyi district. Ukrainian officials said the assault hit several cities, and President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on May 29 that intelligence pointed to a fresh large-scale Russian attack. It follows another heavy Russian barrage on May 25, underscoring how quickly Moscow has returned to sustained air strikes.

Why it matters

For Kyiv residents, the immediate danger is not abstract: apartment blocks are being hit and people are still being pulled from rubble. The scale of the attack also forces Ukraine’s air defences to split limited interceptors across multiple cities at once.

sources:15min.lt delfi.lt

Politics

Russia prepares for a new strike: two likely mass-attack scenarios named

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on June 1 that Russia is preparing another large-scale strike, with Ukrainian intelligence seeing two main scenarios: a wave of missiles and drones, or hits focused on energy and transport assets. The warning came after Russia fired a record 90 missiles and 600 drones at Ukraine in May, and its latest major assault hit Kyiv and Odesa region hardest. The immediate risk is more strain on air defences and fresh pressure on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.

Why it matters

Ukrainian civilians would feel the effects first if strikes again target power nodes, communications and rail links. Large salvos leave local authorities and emergency services only a narrow window to prepare shelters, evacuations and rapid repairs.

sources:tv3.lt

Politics

Kiev submerged in smoke during bloody attacker’s strike

Russia launched a large-scale air assault on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on June 2, 2026, sending a thick plume of smoke over the capital as residents ran for shelters. Across Ukraine, at least nine people were killed and 105 wounded, while Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people died in the capital and 58 were injured. City officials are still assessing the damage, and local authorities said the strike involved ballistic missiles.

Why it matters

For Kyiv residents, it means another night of alarms, shelters and disrupted daily life, with strikes reaching civilian areas and officials still assessing damage. Civilian injuries and citywide repairs immediately strain emergency services, hospitals and transport.

sources:tv3.lt

Politics

Russia strikes in Ukraine kill at least seven people

At least seven people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on June 2, local officials said, with dozens more wounded. In Dnipro, apartment blocks and other infrastructure were damaged as rescue teams searched through rubble for survivors. Ukrainian authorities said the attack involved missiles and drones, and the full toll was still being checked.

Why it matters

The strikes leave residents in Dnipro and other hit cities without homes and disrupt power and utility services. They also stretch hospitals and rescue crews, who must treat the wounded while searching for people still trapped under debris.

sources:15min.lt

Politics

Reacted swiftly: Poland activated fighters during mass Russian attack

Poland scrambled fighters overnight on June 1 as Russia launched a mass strike on Ukraine, hitting energy infrastructure with drones and missiles. The Polish military also put ground-based air defences on higher alert and tightened watch in the east of the country. Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions reported damage to civilian infrastructure, while Warsaw moved to keep the assault from spilling closer to NATO territory.

Why it matters

Ukraine’s energy grid is under another round of pressure, with strikes on power facilities directly affecting supply and repairs. For people near Poland’s border, it means tighter airspace surveillance, and for NATO allies it is another readiness test on the alliance’s eastern flank.

sources:tv3.lt 15min.lt

World

Summary

Ukraine said a major Russian missile and drone attack killed at least 11 people and wounded more than 100 today. The overnight strikes hit Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro, damaging apartment blocks and setting off fires at several sites. In Kyiv, an apartment building caught fire and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said rescue crews were working in several districts.

In Lebanon, Israeli strikes near a hospital killed four people and wounded 127. Israel’s military also told residents of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon today to leave their homes before planned strikes on Hezbollah targets. Lebanon’s health ministry had already reported fatalities from earlier Israeli attacks in the south, and civil defence teams from the Tyre area moved to Sidon after previous evacuation orders. In Gaza, three Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli attacks.

The World Health Organization said suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo fell from 906 to 116 after field teams and lab testing narrowed the list of alerts. WHO said the earlier figure had been inflated by broad surveillance and unconfirmed reports from several health zones in the country’s east. The agency still treats the outbreak as an international health emergency and is now focusing on contact tracing, isolation and targeted vaccination.

At the UN Security Council, at least 13 states demanded Russia be held accountable after a drone hit an apartment block in Romania’s Galati and wounded two people. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the aircraft was a Russian-made Geran-2, while NATO and the European Union are coordinating extra air-defence measures with Bucharest. In northern Iraq, one US soldier and one British soldier were killed during exercises, and both militaries opened inquiries. In Taiwan today, two people were killed in a training aircraft crash.

Donald Trump said talks with Iran are continuing and dismissed reports that dialogue could be cut off. Marco Rubio said a new US arms sale to Taiwan is still under consideration and that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive and becoming more involved in running the country.

sources: tv3.lt, delfi.lt, 15min.lt, lrytas.lt, lrt.lt, vz.lt

War in Ukraine. Large Russian attack: at least 11 killed, about 100 injured

A major Russian missile and drone attack on June 2 killed at least 11 people across Ukraine and wounded more than 100, Ukrainian officials said. The overnight strike hit Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro, where apartment blocks were damaged and fires broke out at several sites. In May, Russia launched a record 8,150 long-range drones into Ukraine, underlining the scale of the air war now underway.

Why it matters

Ukrainian civilians are again bearing the brunt in cities where strikes flatten apartment buildings, trigger fires and leave rescuers digging through rubble. The scale of the attack increases pressure on Kyiv to secure more air-defence missiles from the U.S. and European allies.

sources:lrt.lt

Politics

Russia conducts brutal attack: missile strikes shake Kyiv

A Russian overnight strike set an apartment building in Kyiv on fire, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said rescue crews were working in several districts. The capital came under attack from missiles and drones, while other Ukrainian cities were also hit in the same wave. Ukrainian officials were still assessing damage and casualties as daylight broke.

Why it matters

Kyiv residents again faced strikes in residential areas, where fires, power cuts and fresh evacuations can follow within minutes. Repeated attacks on the capital also stretch rescue services, medics and air defences that must protect other cities at the same time.

sources:tv3.lt delfi.lt

Politics

Dozens of UN states condemn Russia over drone incident in Romania

At the UN Security Council on June 1, at least 13 states demanded that Russia be held accountable for the drone that hit an apartment block in Romania’s Galati on May 29 and wounded two people. Romanian President Nicusor Dan later said the aircraft was a Russian-made Geran-2, citing debris marked in Cyrillic and a technical analysis of its components. NATO and the European Union have already pledged close coordination with Bucharest, while Romania is weighing extra air-defence measures along the border with Ukraine.

Why it matters

For people in Galati, the incident means a higher risk of air-raid alerts and evacuations close to home. For Romania and NATO, it sharpens pressure to speed up surveillance and interception coverage on the alliance’s southeastern flank.

sources:15min.lt

Politics

During exercises in Iraq, US and UK soldiers were killed

One US soldier and one British soldier were killed during exercises in northern Iraq. UK Defence Secretary John Healey and the US military said the deaths happened in an accident during training, but gave no further details. Both services have opened inquiries into what went wrong at the drill site.

Why it matters

The deaths hit the US-led coalition’s training mission in Iraq, where British and American troops work alongside Iraqi forces. Incidents like this usually trigger a safety review and can pause parts of the exercise programme until the cause is known.

sources:lrt.lt lrytas.lt delfi.lt

Politics

Israel orders Nabatieh, Lebanon residents to evacuate

On June 2, 2026, Israel’s military told residents of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon to leave their homes before planned strikes on Hezbollah targets. Lebanon’s health ministry had already reported fatalities from Israeli attacks in the south, while civil defence teams from the Tyre area had moved to Sidon after earlier evacuation orders. The warning shows Israel is again widening its pressure campaign in the south after ceasefire violations and weekend strikes.

Why it matters

For people in Nabatieh, the warning means another displacement wave and fresh strain on hospitals, shelters and municipal services already absorbing evacuees from other parts of the south. If the strikes continue, the risk will spread to nearby towns where daily movement and aid delivery are already under pressure.

sources:15min.lt

Health

WHO: suspected Ebola cases declined from 906 to 116

WHO said suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo fell from 906 to 116 as field teams and lab testing narrowed the list of alerts. The agency said the earlier figure had been inflated by broad surveillance and unconfirmed reports from several health zones in the country’s east. WHO still treats the outbreak as an international health emergency, with the next phase focused on contact tracing, isolation and targeted vaccination.

Why it matters

For people in eastern Congo, the drop means fewer unnecessary isolations and a tighter focus on the villages and clinics where infection is actually confirmed. The faster authorities separate true cases from alerts, the lower the risk of spillover into crowded hospitals and nearby provinces.

sources:lrt.lt