17 June 2026

A gas pipeline breach in Alytus during works forced evacuations from two homes, with emergency crews shutting off the affected section and checking the area for leaks. Gas supply will resume only after repairs and safety inspections are completed.

At the Belarus border, Lithuanian officers turned away 12 irregular migrants in the past day. In a separate incident, another group of 12 prepared men tried to enter Lithuania at a non-designated point, but border guards stopped them and tightened surveillance.

Kęstutis Budrys held talks yesterday in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Middle East security and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Lithuania used the meetings to reiterate support for a two-state solution and to advance a cooperation declaration with the Palestinian side.

In business, Bentley Systems is expanding in Lithuania and will create more than 90 new jobs. A fund linked to Panattoni is scouting investments in Lithuanian industrial real estate and logistics assets, while the operator of Fortas and Etno dvaras is adding sites in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda after 14% revenue growth.

In Vilnius, Gilesta has started construction on one of the capital’s biggest education projects. A poll found that 70% of residents view the government’s handling of fuel prices negatively, while Talents for Tech secured €2.3mn from Google.org for free AI skills training.

In Šiauliai, police have launched a search for a missing minor. In politics, attention is turning to when the coalition agreement will be signed, while parliament is also weighing tighter limits on Russia- and Belarus-linked businesses at strategic facilities and a compensation system for damage caused by lawful military force.

Artist Skrepeckis, known for mocking the Russian regime, was shot dead in Vilnius, with investigators examining a possible Kremlin link. In a breakthrough in a high-profile case that has dragged on for nearly a decade, a millionaire banker has been arrested. Central Bank governor Gediminas Simkus said later in the evening that Lithuania's central bank had cut its economic growth forecast for this year.

Zaporizhzhia was hit again overnight, and regional governor Ivan Fedorov said people were wounded in the strike. The attack came less than two days after a separate Russian strike killed 12 people and injured 37 in the southern Ukrainian city. Ukrainian authorities are also expanding mandatory evacuations of families with children from frontline areas as shelling reaches more settlements.

A Ukrainian Su-24M frontline bomber crashed in Khmelnytskyi region yesterday, killing both crew members. The Air Force said the aircraft was on a combat mission, and investigators are examining what caused the crash. The Su-24M is one of the jets Ukraine uses to carry Storm Shadow cruise missiles, so the loss also trims Kyiv’s strike capacity against Russian targets. Over the past 24 hours, Ukraine also said it struck two Russian shadow-fleet tankers near Novorossiysk with sea drones and hit two bridges used by Russian forces to move equipment and supplies toward the southern front.

German Army chief Gen. Carsten Breuer said today it is still too early to talk about a turning point in the war, arguing that neither side has gained a decisive edge. He said the coming weeks will hinge on the pace of Western weapons and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine. Ukrainian military intelligence, meanwhile, says Russia may have been left with only three Oreshnik missiles after a strike near Bila Tserkva in late May, and that one launch in early June may have failed over occupied Donetsk.

Ukraine’s navy spokesperson said Russia is preparing in Crimea for a possible Ukrainian landing operation. Germany and Poland signed an agreement to deepen military cooperation, while the G7 pledged to continue backing Ukraine.

U.S. authorities on Monday charged two suspects accused of plotting a drone and explosives attack near the White House in Washington. Investigators said the alleged plan was driven by online radicalisation and targeted federal sites in the centre of the capital.

The G7 this week called for a stronger coordinated response to the Ebola outbreak in Congo and neighbouring states. U.S. health authorities announced a $500,000 aid package for the outbreak, declared on May 15 in northeastern Congo, which is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain. The World Health Organization says the virus may have been spreading before the first alerts, and the disease has already reached Uganda.

G7 leaders agreed in Kananaskis on Monday to tighten sanctions on Russia, targeting oil revenue and the shadow tanker fleet. The move is being aligned with a new EU package expected to tighten the Russian crude price cap and add energy-sector restrictions. The United Nations said over the past day that mines and unexploded ordnance contaminate at least 58 states and territories.

A final 335-page U.S. Coast Guard report on the Titan disaster set out a case for tighter oversight of deep-sea tourism after five people were killed in the 2023 implosion. SpaceX reached a $2.1 trillion valuation after its Nasdaq debut, one day after raising $75 billion in the biggest IPO on record. Norway's royal court said on Tuesday that Crown Princess Mette-Marit underwent a successful lung transplant in Oslo and will continue recovering in hospital.

Donald Trump said a US-Iran agreement on easing sanctions and limiting Tehran’s nuclear programme could be signed as soon as Thursday or Friday. In sport, Cristiano Ronaldo became a World Cup record holder, but his Portugal side were held in a surprise result by DR Congo.