12 June 2026

Lithuania’s Interior Ministry on Thursday tightened protection at key infrastructure sites nationwide after warning that Russia could be planning provocations against targets in the Baltic states. The measures were expanded with the Public Security Service after recent drone incidents in the region, with the focus on the most vulnerable sites and faster response.

In the Mantas Sadauskas murder case, prosecutors on Friday asked Panevezys District Court to extend the detention of Justina Gaigalaite, the former spouse suspected in the killing, to three months. They made the same request for Vilius Solkanas, whom investigators view as an alleged accomplice. A third suspect remains in the case over illegal weapons possession, and the investigation covers murder, unlawful detention and weapons offences. Prosecutors had already asked on Thursday to keep three suspects in custody, while Ilja Solkanas has been released on a 5,000-euro bail.

In Vilnius today, police, firefighters and bomb disposal teams sealed off part of a central street near a bank after a suspicious object was left there and checked as a possible old explosive device. Pedestrians and customers were rerouted while specialists inspected the area. In Zarasai district on Thursday, a munition found during property clearing triggered plan Sky, with the area kept closed until army specialists confirm it is safe.

Panevezys city and district are pressing ahead with a new free economic zone of about 300 hectares because the existing Panevezys FEZ is nearly full. Local officials are targeting roughly 3 billion euros of private investment and up to 7,000 jobs, although the final layout still depends on zoning and government approval. Coalition strains also resurfaced after Laurynas Vaitiekunas criticized ties with Nemuno Ausra and Remigijus Zemaitaitis, while the transport minister separately promised a new highway on a road associated with repeated deadly crashes.

Late on Friday, about 900 ESO customers in Lithuania still had no electricity after the storm. Forecasters also warned that another stormy cyclone system is approaching the country.

Russia launched 117 attack drones at Ukraine overnight from three directions in Russia and from occupied Crimea, and Ukraine’s air force said 102 were shot down or suppressed. Impacts were recorded at seven locations, a woman was killed in a Russian drone strike in Sumy region, and another person was killed in a separate attack in northeastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces also destroyed a Russian Black Sea Fleet reconnaissance vessel.

Ukrainian drones over the past day struck two Russian oil and petrochemical sites, and a fire broke out at one of southern Russia’s biggest fuel plants. A day earlier, drones hit the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar region, which processes about 6.25 million tonnes of crude a year. Ukraine today again urged civilians to leave occupied territory quickly, and Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk warned residents not to rely on occupation authorities.

Donald Trump said today the United States had ended the war with Iran. Marco Rubio said talks in Qatar could still seal a ceasefire and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. Central Command said earlier it had shot down two Iranian attack drones over the strait as they headed toward shipping lanes and Gulf allies. Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Trump had promised to include nuclear restrictions in any future U.S.-Iran deal.

EU officials said today that Chinese instructors had secretly trained Russian troops at six military bases and that some later returned to fight in Ukraine. Andrius Kubilius said Europe would need far greater resources for its own defence as the United States shifts more of the burden to allies. Ukraine is already testing its first humanoid robots for military tasks, while Europe’s “drone border” idea is fading under cost, scale and technical limits.

EU member states agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, with the formal launch set for Monday. At the same time, Vladimir Putin threatened to intensify strikes on Ukraine as Russian pressure around Kostiantynivka increased and supply routes to the city came under threat.

SpaceX opened trading in New York at $135 a share, quickly jumped 11% and reached a market value of about $1.96 trillion. The company raised $75 billion in the biggest IPO on record, and the surge pushed Elon Musk’s stake high enough to make him the first trillionaire.

BBC and Mediazona said today that at least 200 Russian soldiers killed in the war with Ukraine were under 18 when the full-scale invasion began in 2022. That figure sits inside a wider open-source count of more than 100,000 identified Russian war dead. In Moscow, finance officials warned Vladimir Putin that war spending has driven the federal budget deficit to an unsustainable level even as the defence ministry demands more money.

India drew attention over the past day after an unexpected claim that some purchases of Russian oil were made at Washington’s request. Iran said it would not yield control of the Strait of Hormuz, and a strike on Kuwait airport damaged radar equipment and injured people. The World Health Organization said Ebola is spreading into new regions of Congo.

In Miami, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opened with Boca Juniors and Benfica drawing 2-2 in a match that produced three red cards. Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker said today that Carlo Ancelotti has brought calm and belief before tomorrow’s opener against Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Vladimir Putin said more than 700,000 Russian troops are now fighting in Ukraine. Separately, reports said it was confirmed that China funded Russian soldiers.