21 July 2026

Deividas Matulionis, President Gitanas Nauseda’s national security adviser, said on Tuesday that NATO would send more capabilities to Lithuania, including air defence, if Russian provocations triggered a crisis. The presidency said it sees no direct military threat from Russia now, but warned of a higher risk of sabotage, false-flag operations and attacks on critical infrastructure. Lithuania’s armed forces will help guard the LNG terminal and other strategic sites in response to those warnings.

Lithuania has held live-fire training from UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for the first time. The first Black Hawks arrived in late 2025, and the military is continuing training with U.S. instructors and a simulator at the Air Force base.

Lithuania’s Constitutional Court in June struck down the automatic ban on parole for people jailed for sexual crimes against minors. The Justice Ministry wants tighter alerts for child protection officials and closer probation monitoring when offenders return to society. A bribery investigation into Lithuania’s conscription system has widened to more than 200 young men, and investigators have seized more than 30 phones, computers, watches and documents in more than 14 searches.

Eurostat said Lithuania posted the smallest general government budget deficit in the European Union. Housing affordability in Vilnius also remains under pressure, with residents saying home ownership has become unattainable for many.

Lithuania is urgently tightening security over the threat from Russia, citing a possibility of malign kinetic actions. The Justice Ministry is preparing to ask Belarus to transfer Antanas Kandrotas, known as Celofanas.