27 June 2026

Lithuanian intelligence said today there are no signs Russia is preparing a direct attack on the Baltic states, but the risk of sabotage and subversion remains high. The assessment says Moscow is still tied down in Ukraine, yet it could mount isolated hybrid attacks on infrastructure, transport and public facilities, and within a few years could rebuild enough strength for a limited conflict on NATO’s eastern flank.

In Marijampolė municipality, police and bomb disposal teams were sent to a gas station today after a report that an explosive device had been planted there. The alert is being checked under Lithuania’s Shield emergency protocol, and if no threat is confirmed investigators will move to identifying the caller and assessing a false-report case.

President Gitanas Nausėda travelled to Gdańsk yesterday for the Ukraine Recovery Conference and a meeting of NATO’s eastern flank leaders. At home, Nausėda has over the past two days nominated Social Democrat leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius for prime minister, while the Democrats have put forward three ministerial candidates as a new coalition replaces the previous majority after disputes over partners and portfolios. In finance, banks posted €282 million in first-quarter profit, up 5.5% from a year earlier.

In Vilnius, investigators are handling a €1.8 million embezzlement case involving a company, which police describe as one of Lithuania’s biggest fraud cases in years. Officers are tracing the money flow, looking for possible accomplices outside the company and have not named any suspects publicly. In healthcare, patients were reminded today that reimbursed prescription medicines can be collected in instalments rather than paid for in full at once.

An 18-year-old Lithuanian was selected in the NHL draft, a landmark moment for the country’s ice hockey. In Finland, Rugilė Miklyčiūtė improved Lithuania’s pole vault record again.

Ukraine struck a military-industrial plant in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky in Russia’s Rostov region over the past 48 hours, hitting a site that makes solid fuel for ballistic missiles. Overnight Russian strikes into June 27 killed at least one person in Ukraine’s Sumy region and set homes ablaze in Kyiv in a fresh ballistic missile attack. Ukraine said it shot down 113 Russian-launched drones over the past day. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy renewed his call for more air defence systems after the latest strikes.

In Brussels on Thursday, EU ambassadors again failed to agree a new sanctions package against Russia after a full day of talks. Several member states resisted a ban on Russian cod, while others opposed adding Moscow Patriarch Kirill and travel curbs for Russian war veterans. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv would step up long-range strikes inside Russia.

Russia said its air defences intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in one day, while Ukraine struck an industrial facility in Russia’s Volgograd region again overnight. In Russian-occupied Crimea, authorities declared a state of emergency after Ukrainian attacks, with fuel shortages and power cuts reported. Ukraine also said Russia lost 1,350 soldiers in one day.

At the World Cup, Spain beat Uruguay 1-0 today to move top of Group H. The result also sent England into the knockout stage before its final group match. Cape Verde stayed unbeaten over the past 24 hours and remained in contention for the last 16 in its debut tournament. Belgium crushed New Zealand to finish top of Group G.

Israel carried out fresh strikes in southern Lebanon. Seven civilians were wounded after Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Kherson region. The EU and Ukraine will launch dual-use technology programmes worth €343 million.

U.S. Central Command said today it struck Iranian missile and drone depots and coastal radar sites in the Sirik area and on Qeshm island. Washington tied the action to the attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media said yesterday that explosions hit the southern coast after an earlier U.S. strike on similar military positions. Tehran says Washington breached the June 14 ceasefire agreement, which included a pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. The Revolutionary Guards said over the past day they had taken retaliatory steps, and drone activity against Bahrain and another vessel was reported on Saturday morning local time. One of the other major security developments was a strike on one of Russia’s most important military plants.

In Venezuela, the death toll from twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes rose to 920 by this morning, with more than 50,000 people still missing. La Guaira state near Caracas remains the hardest-hit area, with teams from at least 17 countries joining the search and the United States sending 250 rescuers, including dog units. Afghanistan was also rocked by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake.

At the World Cup, Cape Verde reached the knockout stage for the first time after a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, becoming the smallest country ever to do so. France routed Norway over the past day with Ousmane Dembele scoring a hat-trick, Senegal beat Iraq after a red card changed the match, and Uruguay went out after a goalkeeper error.

In Venezuela, the death toll from the earthquakes rose to 1,430, with nearly 7 million people affected. Israel's defence minister ordered the military to prepare for a prolonged stay in Lebanon as new Israeli strikes were reported in the south of the country late in the evening.