28 June 2026

A Lithuanian soldier has been killed in Ukraine, the most consequential Lithuanian development of the past day. The case has sharpened attention on how directly Lithuanians are involved in supporting Kyiv.

President Gitanas Nausėda met eastern flank leaders in The Hague to align positions on higher defence spending, stronger air defence and a larger Allied presence in the region. Lithuania also signed a business partnership declaration with Ukraine and allocated €1mn to the programme. The government approved a humanitarian mission to earthquake-hit Venezuela. The plan sends up to 40 rescue and medical specialists and as much as 30 tonnes of humanitarian and medical supplies.

In health news, Lithuanian doctors again singled out liver cell cancer as one of the country’s deadliest diagnoses, with about 80 per cent of patients dying within five years. Primary liver tumours account for 75-80 per cent of liver cancer cases, and the main problem remains late detection. Police in the Kupiškis district are investigating an assault by a woman against a minor, a case that typically also triggers a child-protection assessment.

Smaller domestic stories include heat warnings and cultural events, including the Rose Code festival at Chaim Frenkel Villa. Lithuanian outlets are also following foreign reports of the death of a 28-year-old TV personality, though no official confirmation has yet been cited.

Lithuania recorded a record-hot day for June. Meanwhile, Social Democratic leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius said decisions on relations with China will be taken in the autumn, with several scenarios prepared to normalize ties.

Kyiv came under another overnight Russian ballistic missile attack, damaging several sites in the city and injuring at least two people. Ukraine also said it shot down seven Russian missiles and 125 drones overnight as heavy strikes continued on the capital and other regions.

In Zaporizhzhia, Russia dropped four guided aerial bombs on residential districts on Friday evening, killing one person and injuring 14. The attack set off fires and hit civilian buildings, with rescuers and medics deployed across the damaged areas.

Russia’s fuel crunch remained in focus after Ukrainian strikes on refining and logistics infrastructure. Earlier this month, attacks hit the Taneko complex in Nizhnekamsk and the Moscow refinery, which supplied up to 40% of the capital’s fuel, and Volodymyr Zelensky said today that Ukraine had struck refineries in two more Russian regions. Moscow has already imposed rationing and turned to Kazakhstan for extra supply.

Ukraine’s General Staff said on Saturday that Russia lost 1,250 soldiers in the previous 24 hours, along with 12 tanks, 28 armoured vehicles and 44 artillery systems. Kyiv’s running estimate of total Russian personnel losses since February 2022 rose to 1,020,010. The Baltic states urged Europe today to take stronger action over Russia’s war, and Ukraine said it had opened access to Russian weapons secrets that are now drawing interest from foreign governments.

In sport, Croatia beat Panama 4-3 at the World Cup on June 28 to reach the knockout stage, with the winner coming in the 89th minute. Luka Modric made his 200th appearance for Croatia in the same match. In France, about 1,000 excess deaths were recorded during the heatwave.

Authorities in Istanbul again banned the Pride march, and Turkish police detained dozens of people during the event. A heatwave hit central Europe, with temperatures in parts of Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic reaching about 41C.

The U.S. launched a second wave of strikes over the past day on Iranian military targets after an attack on a ship at sea. Central Command said the targets included surveillance infrastructure, communications systems, air defences, drone storage and minelaying capabilities, while Donald Trump said after the latest exchanges that he could “finish the job” and destroy Iran.

Iran retaliated early today with missile and drone strikes on U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. Both Gulf states said they intercepted incoming objects, and the new attacks cast deeper doubt on the interim Washington-Tehran deal reached only days ago while renewing concern over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Israel’s military also said it killed several armed men it described as terrorists during an operation in southern Syria.

In Venezuela, the death toll from twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes rose to 1,430, with more than 3,200 people injured. Rescue crews are still searching for survivors in La Guaira and other hard-hit areas, with teams from at least 17 countries taking part.

Russia’s nuclear-powered battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov has left Severodvinsk for final sea trials after nearly three decades of overhaul. If the trials succeed, it will return to service as one of the Russian Navy’s most heavily armed surface combatants. At the World Cup, DR Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in Atlanta for the country’s first ever win at the tournament and set up a knockout meeting with England, while Argentina finished the group stage with maximum points after Lionel Messi set another tournament record.

A wave of crime in Israel left five people dead. In south Lebanon, an Israeli soldier was killed, while the US struck Iranian missile and drone depots.