15 October 2026

Lithuania wrapped up the Perkūno griausmas 2026 defence drills in Kaunas today, one of its biggest national exercises this year. The month-long exercise tested war plans, command posts and coordination between the armed forces, state institutions, municipalities and NATO allies. Up to 2,400 active reserve troops were called up in September and October, while more than 5,000 reservists were contacted to update records. Response teams also worked with NATO command elements in Brunssum, Brussels and Stavanger, and the exercise was linked to Steadfast Duel 2026.

The Seimas is swearing in Kęstutis Masiulis today to replace Agnė Bilotaitė after the Central Electoral Commission ended her mandate yesterday. Bilotaitė stepped down for personal reasons after serving in parliament since 2008. Masiulis returns as the top remaining Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats candidate on the party list, so the opposition seat is filled without a by-election. Lawmakers also approved rules for how parliament and the state would operate during mobilisation or martial law, including a provision that the commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces would be responsible for government security under martial law.

Reports of a suspicious object over Kaunas were traced to aircraft taking part in the city’s aviation festival, not drones. The National Crisis Management Centre said crews were identified by aircraft numbers and flight paths. Kaunas Akropolis said tenant turnover rose 15% in the first three quarters of 2026, while about 20% of its leasable area is due to be renewed this year. More than 20 stores have already been refreshed, new tenants are due in the fourth quarter, and the official Kaunas Zalgiris store will move to a larger site.

The government’s draft budget for next year allocates 5% of GDP to defence, or more than 4.8 billion euros. It also projects a deficit of 3.8% of GDP and includes roughly 7.5% pay rises for teachers, cultural workers and uniformed officers.

Ukraine’s navy said it struck the Borisoglebsk airfield in Russia’s Voronezh region overnight and destroyed six Su-34M bombers. The attack used Neptune cruise missiles and triggered repeated explosions and a fire at the base. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in London that Vladimir Putin was now “laughing” after a U.S.-Russia deal on Russian diesel. In an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored, the Ukrainian president said sanctions relief left Kyiv feeling betrayed even as Russia kept striking Ukraine’s energy system. The comments came on the same day he was received in Downing Street.

Ukraine’s front units have been under severe strain for months, with shortages of personnel and supplies now hitting line-holding capacity. Soldiers have described hunger, exhaustion and poorly trained recruits, pushing Kyiv to accelerate mobilisation, improve rotations and strengthen logistics. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian attacks from last night into this morning killed two people and wounded three after more than 10 strikes across several districts. Officials said private homes caught fire in the attacks. Regional authorities had already reported another death from separate shelling the previous day.

Poland scrambled military aircraft and sent alerts to residents in the Lublin and Podkarpackie regions after Russian strikes hit western Ukraine. The warning was lifted about 30 minutes later once officials said there was no threat to Polish territory. Experts interviewed in Riga said a direct Russian attack on the Baltic states remains highly unlikely in the near term. Tomas Rostokas said Moscow’s message is aimed at the West, while Loreta Bērzina-Čerenkova said drone incidents are intended to intimidate the public.

President Gitanas Nauseda urged European leaders to pay more attention to the EU's eastern border regions. Separately, British media reported the UK will send additional missiles to Ukraine, as the defence secretary called on Washington to keep backing Kyiv.

The U.S. military has drawn up strike plans against Iran that include the 13-tonne GBU-43/B for energy and nuclear sites. It would be the first use of the Pentagon’s largest non-nuclear bomb in the Iran war, even as military officials question its strategic value.

In Washington, Donald Trump announced what he called an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and a deal on Russian diesel supplies, but Kyiv said the same day that strikes on energy sites were still continuing. Trump administration officials also threatened to freeze the PURL weapons pipeline unless Ukraine stops hitting Russian refineries and other energy infrastructure. U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said he knew of no formal program change, but he acknowledged the PURL channel is under strain and air-defence availability remains short. The White House is also weighing partial sanctions relief for some shadow-fleet tankers, and Brent fell by more than 1% on expectations of extra shipping capacity.

Israel’s COGAT said on Thursday that commercial goods were no longer entering Gaza after local merchants suspended coordination for shipments. Humanitarian aid is still allowed through the UN and other agencies, but the private trade channel for fruit, winter clothing and other civilian goods has effectively been shut. North Korea said it tested two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles off its east coast on Oct. 14, with senior officers including Kim Jong-sik and Jang Chang-ha observing.

In Pakistan, 28 children were killed when a school roof collapsed. In the United States, a coach in a case that shocked gymnastics was sentenced to 90 years in prison for secretly filming minors.

A Houthi attack on the presidential council building in Aden killed four people. Other late headlines were dominated by unverified claims about possible back-channel US-Russia arrangements over Ukrainian territory.