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Lithuania's General Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday sent a case on planned terrorist acts to the Vilnius Regional Court. Six defendants are charged with running an organised terrorist group, recruitment, financing, travel for terrorist purposes and preparing a terror attack.
Investigators say the group planned to kill at least two people in Lithuania because of their political views and public activity. The targets included activist Valdas Bartkevičius, while another planned victim had criticised Russia's current leadership and helped Ukraine with humanitarian support. The case was split from a broader 2025 investigation in which 14 people now face suspicions, and the file runs to 51 volumes.
In domestic politics, Egidijus Kūris questioned whether Seimas impeachment votes on stripping an MP of a mandate should remain secret. He said the current statute still allows secrecy, and any change would require the parliament to amend its own rules or pass fresh legal changes.
Lithuania also kept its line on Belarusian potash transit through Klaipėda over the past day. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told LRT that the United States should not push Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Latvia to help Alexander Lukashenko while repression continues and political prisoners remain jailed.
Late attention focused on a flight from Vilnius after an aircraft crossed into Belarusian airspace. Reports also said Danyla Smirnov, who had studied in Lithuania, was killed in Ukraine shortly before he was due to become a father.
sources: vz.lt, delfi.lt, lrt.lt, 15min.lt, lrytas.lt, tv3.lt
Impeachment is a constitutional procedure for removing an official or stripping a mandate after a grave breach of the constitution or a broken oath. In Lithuania, the Seimas applies it under special parliamentary rules shaped by Constitutional Court doctrine.
Lithuania’s prosecutors sent a terror-related case to the Vilnius Regional Court on Sept. 2, charging six people with offences including running an organised terrorist group and preparing a terror act. Investigators say the group planned to kill at least two people in Lithuania because of their political views and public activity, including activist Valdas Bartkevičius. The case was split off from a broader probe launched in 2025, where 14 people now face suspicion over terror-related and other crimes. The main suspects were detained on March 12, 2025, and the file spans 51 volumes. (lrt.lt)
Why it matters
The case goes directly to the safety of public figures who support Ukraine or criticise the Kremlin. It also shows the investigation has moved from covert policing to a court process that could end in long prison terms for the accused. (lrt.lt)
Who benefits
The prosecutors, the State Security Department and protected public activists stand to gain, while the defendants and any linked networks lose. (lrt.lt)
What's next
The next thing to watch is when the Vilnius Regional Court sets a hearing and begins examining the indictment. (lrt.lt)
A criminal case over an attempted terror attack in Lithuania was handed to the Vilnius Regional Court on Wednesday, with six defendants now before judges. Prosecutors say the group was organized and aimed to kill at least two people for their political and social activity, including one critic of Russia's current leadership and another person helping Ukraine. The case also includes charges over recruitment, financing, travel for terror purposes and preparing the attack. The probe began after a Russia-born resident of Lithuania found a tracking device in his car in early 2025. (lrt.lt)
Why it matters
The case affects people in Lithuania who speak out against Russia or raise aid for Ukraine. If proven, it will sharpen the focus on counterintelligence work against hostile covert activity and surveillance of civilians. (lrt.lt)
On September 2, 2026, E. Kūris questioned whether impeachment votes in the Seimas should remain secret, even though the current statute still allows it. His remarks revived a debate that has followed earlier impeachment ballots, where secrecy left it unclear how individual MPs voted on stripping a mandate. The issue goes to the core of the procedure, because impeachment in parliament decides a seat, not just a political preference. Any move away from secrecy would require the Seimas to change its own rules or back fresh amendments.
Why it matters
Secret ballots affect voters’ ability to see how their MPs act on stripping a colleague’s seat. They also shape the arithmetic inside the chamber, because the voting method changes how hard it is to build a majority for impeachment.
Vilnius and Washington are again at odds over Belarusian potash transit through Lithuania to Klaipėda, with US envoy contacts and back-channel pressure now part of the dispute. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told LRT that the US should not push Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Latvia to soften policy just to help Alexander Lukashenko, who has not freed all political prisoners or stopped repression. Washington has already lifted sanctions on Belarus's potash sector this year, while Lithuania has kept the transit shut. EU sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers run until the end of February 2027, which leaves the next move dependent on Brussels and the frontline states, not Washington alone. (lrt.lt)
Why it matters
Lithuania's port, rail and logistics sectors could either regain transit revenue or see the current loss locked in, and the decision also cuts into border security policy toward Belarus. If the pressure works, the fertilizer trade chain wins; if not, sanctions hawks and regional security hardliners keep the upper hand. (vz.lt)
Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called Volodymyr Zelenskiy's warning on Russian airspace an act of state terrorism and, after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, said Russia's military had been told to prepare mass strikes on Ukraine's energy sector. Andriy Kovalenko rejected the charge and said it was strange to hear terrorism accusations from the state that started the war against Ukraine. In his evening address on Monday, Zelenskiy said airlines and insurers should factor in the growing risk over Russia, and Kyrylo Budanov said Ukrainian drones and missiles would increasingly operate over Russian territory because Russian airspace was no longer safe.
Russian drones struck a university in Kyiv on Tuesday while lectures were under way, and Zelenskiy said 160 students were in a shelter at the time. In the same wave, Ukrainian air defences shot down five ballistic missiles, five Kalibr cruise missiles, two Banderol missiles and 187 drones. At least 12 people were killed in eastern Ukraine in that assault, including one Indian citizen. Zelenskiy on Tuesday urged partners to strengthen Ukraine's air defences and tighten sanctions on Russia.
Russian strikes hit Odesa overnight into Tuesday, damaging a 24-storey apartment block where flats from the 17th to the 23rd floors were wrecked. Eight people were injured, including a child, and the attack also damaged cars, a business centre facade and offices where fires broke out. Ukraine's grid operator said the strike also hit energy infrastructure in the wider Odesa region, cutting power in parts of southern Ukraine. In the Kharkiv region, thousands lost power and air raid alerts remained in force across several regions.
Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday said Germany deserved a direct strike on companies making military equipment for Ukraine and singled out Berlin. Germany blamed Russia for the Leipzig-Halle airport drone incident, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Monday that the operation was carried out on instructions from Russian state agencies.
Emmanuel Macron said the Leipzig attack was proof of Russia's hybrid war against Europe. Ukraine also told the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace is unsafe, while Russia lost more than 40,000 troops on the Ukrainian front for a second straight month.
sources: lrt.lt, 15min.lt, delfi.lt, vz.lt, tv3.lt
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a Eurasian political and security grouping that includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan and several Central Asian states. It serves as a platform for regional security coordination, diplomatic signalling and economic cooperation.
Russian drones struck a university in Kyiv on September 2, while lectures were under way. Zelensky said 160 students were in a shelter at the time. Overnight strikes also hit Odesa, where a residential building and city infrastructure were damaged and five people, including a child, were hurt. In Kharkiv region, thousands lost power and air alerts remained in force across several regions.
Why it matters
Students in Kyiv, residents in Odesa and power users in Kharkiv region are the immediate losers as the war hits schools, homes and utilities. The longer air defences remain stretched, the more often universities, hospitals and basic services have to function under shelter conditions or with disrupted supply.
Who benefits
Russia’s military campaign gains leverage by targeting civilian infrastructure, while universities, city utilities and residents in southern and north-eastern Ukraine bear the damage.
What's next
The key next step is whether Ukraine’s partners move in the coming days on extra air-defence systems and tighter sanctions on Moscow, as Zelensky again demanded.
On September 2, 2026, Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, hit back at Vladimir Putin’s criticism and said it was odd to hear terrorism claims from a state that launched the war against Ukraine. His remarks came after Putin attacked Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that Ukrainian drones are making Russian airspace dangerous for civil aviation. In a video address the previous evening, Zelensky said airlines and insurers should factor in the growing risk over Russia. Kovalenko said Moscow’s reaction showed it fears those measures.
Why it matters
Ukrainian drone strikes could force airlines and insurers to reassess any traffic over Russia, raising costs and route risk for carriers and passengers. If operators pull back, Russia’s civil aviation sector faces more disruption and higher insurance pressure.
Russian strikes hit Odesa overnight into September 2, damaging a 24-storey apartment block and injuring eight people, including a child, local officials said. (marketscreener.com) Apartments from the 17th to the 23rd floors were damaged, while cars, a business centre and office space were also hit. (marketscreener.com) Ukraine's grid operator said the assault also struck energy infrastructure in the wider Odesa region, cutting power in parts of the south. (marketscreener.com)
Why it matters
For residents, the strike means injuries, destroyed apartments and the prospect of displacement while a high-rise block is repaired. (marketscreener.com) Local businesses and utilities now have to deal with building damage and outages at the same time. (marketscreener.com)
Dmitry Medvedev on September 2 called for a direct strike on companies making military equipment for Ukraine and singled out Berlin after Germany blamed Russia for a drone incident at Leipzig airport. German investigators found a drone with explosives and a detonator at Leipzig-Halle airport on August 4, followed by two more unidentified flying objects. On September 1, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the operation was carried out on instructions from Russian state agencies. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also said Germany will close Russia's last consulate in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin from September 18.
Why it matters
German defense firms and transport hubs are now openly in the line of fire in Moscow's rhetoric. That raises security pressure on Berlin and could drive tighter protection around factories, airports and diplomatic sites.
On Sept. 2, Vladimir Putin denounced Volodymyr Zelensky's warning on Russian airspace as an act of 'state terrorism' after a press conference following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Zelensky had said on Sept. 1 that Russian skies would become de facto closed to civilian aviation because of the number of Ukrainian drones and the risk to airlines and insurers. Putin also said Russia's armed forces had been told to prepare mass strikes on Ukraine's energy sector. The exchange came as both sides signalled a sharper phase of aerial warfare. (lrt.lt)
Why it matters
Airlines, insurers and airports face higher costs and harder route decisions if Russian airspace is treated as unsafe. Ukraine's power grid now faces the risk of another wave of strikes just as the country heads toward colder months. (lrt.lt)
On September 1 in Kyiv, Kyrylo Budanov said Ukrainian drones and missiles would increasingly operate over Russian territory and that Russian airspace was no longer safe. He tied the message to an overnight Russian strike in which Ukrainian air defenses shot down five ballistic missiles, five Kalibr cruise missiles, two Banderol missiles and 187 drones. The Ukrainian presidential office separately said Russian airspace was effectively closing because of the war Moscow started. The same wave of attacks killed at least 12 people in Ukraine, including one Indian citizen.
Why it matters
For Ukrainian civilians, the message lands against a backdrop of repeated strikes on homes, transport hubs and energy infrastructure. For Russian aviation and civil air traffic, the warning raises the cost of flying through Russian airspace as Kyiv explicitly targets the risk for carriers and insurers.
Nepal said floods and landslides along the Tibet border have killed 1,114 people and left 3,916 missing. Rescue teams are still searching blocked roads and hydropower tunnels, although some tourists who had been listed as missing have now made contact.
Iran said overnight it had begun strikes on U.S. bases and assets across the region after American attacks on southern Iranian provinces. Iranian officials now say the U.S. strikes killed at least 15 people, up from earlier reports of at least five dead and more than 50 wounded, including people at a wedding gathering in Hormozgan province. Jordan said it intercepted 10 ballistic missiles, while Bahrain and Kuwait activated air defences against drone and missile threats. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, after a separate tanker reported three hits from unknown projectiles off Oman over the weekend.
U.S. Central Command said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iranian targets yesterday. U.S. media reported today that Washington has been hitting Iranian missile launchers near the waterway since Sunday because Tehran was preparing to use mines to block shipping. In Asia, Donald Trump cut the scale of joint drills with South Korea and then scrapped the planned Ssangyong amphibious exercise, while Seoul’s intelligence service says signs of a U.S.-North Korea channel are visible. Trump also says Kim Jong Un replied to his outreach and that another meeting could happen at any time.
In DR Congo, the Ebola outbreak has killed 3,007 people and infected 6,186, according to health ministry data published today. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine, six provinces are now affected, and authorities are vaccinating health workers and close contacts as they try to contain the spread. In markets, investors have returned to a stock up about 15,000% over the longer term, with some now calling it cheap as earnings and cash flow look stronger than previously assumed.
Tehran threatened to harden its strategy after a US strike in Iran killed four people at a wedding. In Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not back down during a visit to the enclave.
sources: lrt.lt, 15min.lt, tv3.lt, vz.lt, delfi.lt, lrytas.lt
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea passage linking the Gulf to the Arabian Sea between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. A large share of the world’s oil and liquefied gas exports passes through it, making disruptions there globally significant.
DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak has now killed 3,007 people, with 6,186 confirmed cases, according to government data published on Wednesday. The virus is spreading in the northeast and six provinces are now affected, while authorities say the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sept. 1 that tracking transmission chains remains the biggest challenge. Congo has started vaccinating frontline workers and close contacts in Kisangani as it tries to slow the outbreak. (apnews.com)
Why it matters
Hospitals, frontline health workers and families caring for patients at home are bearing the brunt of the outbreak in eastern Congo. The longer contact tracing lags, the harder it is to contain transmission in areas where state and health-system capacity is already thin. (who.int)
Who benefits
Vaccine suppliers and aid agencies gain new doses and funding, while hospitals, schools and local communities in the affected provinces absorb the losses. (apnews.com)
What's next
Congo health officials are due to publish the next outbreak update on Sept. 2, which will show whether vaccination and contact tracing have slowed new infections. (sante.gouv.cd)
In the past two trading sessions, a stock that has climbed about 15,000% over the longer term has been back in focus as investors start calling it cheap. The shift is being driven by a debate over whether earnings and cash flow have caught up with the share price, not by a new business pivot. Traders are now asking whether the current valuation still leaves room for upside or already discounts the full growth story. The next test will come with the company’s next trading update and fresh analyst calls.
Why it matters
The debate matters for growth-stock investors because a valuation can reset fast even after a huge rally if earnings forecasts keep moving. If the market decides the stock really is cheap, long-only funds and retail buyers win; if not, late entrants take the hit.
Nepal’s disaster agency said on September 2 that floods and landslides along the Tibet border had killed 1,114 people and left 3,916 missing. Rescue crews are still combing blocked roads and hydropower tunnels, where workers are feared trapped after the floods ripped through mountain valleys. Officials also said some tourists previously listed as missing had made contact. A week after the disaster, the search is turning into a recovery operation as access remains cut and debris keeps shifting.
Why it matters
The missing include hundreds of foreign visitors and hydropower workers, so the shock hits Nepal’s tourism and energy sectors as well as local rescue teams. The longer roads and tunnels stay blocked, the more villages remain cut off from supplies and the harder it gets to restart work.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had begun strikes on U.S. bases and assets across the region after American attacks on southern Iranian provinces earlier in the day. Iranian officials said the U.S. strikes killed at least five people and wounded more than 50, including at a wedding gathering in Hormozgan province. Jordan said it intercepted 10 ballistic missiles, while Bahrain and Kuwait activated air defenses against drones and missile threats. U.S. Central Command said it had completed the latest wave of strikes on Sept. 1. (english.news.cn)
Why it matters
Oil markets and Gulf airspace are already being disrupted, with Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait scrambling to intercept missiles and drones and Brent crude climbing to $95.52 a barrel. The longer the strikes spill beyond Iran and U.S. targets, the greater the risk to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and to regional air travel. (aljazeera.com)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Sept. 2 that two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The statement comes as the U.S. has widened strikes around the waterway, saying Iran was preparing to use mines to choke off shipping. UKMTO also logged a separate tanker attack on Aug. 31 off Oman, where a vessel reported being hit by three unknown projectiles. The flare-up follows a month of relative calm in a corridor that carries a large share of the world’s oil trade. (english.news.cn)
Why it matters
Oil markets care because the Strait of Hormuz is back under direct pressure. Any fresh attack there can lift shipping insurance, raise freight costs and disrupt crude flows into Asia and Europe. (apnews.com)
Donald Trump cut the scale of joint drills with South Korea on Aug. 17-21 and then scrapped the planned Ssangyong amphibious landing exercise for September. North Korea has called the Sept. 7-11 Freedom Edge drills near Jeju a threat, while Seoul’s intelligence service said signs of a U.S.-North Korea channel are visible. Trump says Kim Jong Un has responded to his outreach and suggests another meeting could happen at any time. (archyvai.lrt.lt)
Why it matters
South Korea’s military and U.S. allies in Asia face fewer joint exercises and more doubt about deterrence, with 28,500 American troops still stationed on the peninsula. Japan and Australia may have to lean harder on their own regional security role if Washington keeps courting Pyongyang through drill cuts. (lrt.lt)