Lithuania plans evacuation route to Poland in case of military attack
The order of evacuation will depend on the location and scale of the threat (photo: migracija.lt)
Lithuania has prepared a plan to evacuate Vilnius residents in the event of a military threat or major crisis. One of the three main evacuation routes from the capital would lead toward the Polish border, Polskie Radio reports.
The authorities of Poland's Podlaskie Voivodeship are already preparing the region for a possible role as a transit corridor for residents of the Baltic states.
According to the plan, the order of evacuation will depend on the location and scale of the threat. In addition to Poland, routes to the north and west of Lithuania are also planned.
Žygimantas Solovjovas, a representative of the Civil Protection Department of the Vilnius City Municipality, said that the authorities presented the updated evacuation plan a year ago.
"One of the evacuation routes from the capital should lead to Poland," he said.
At the same time, the evacuation should begin before an immediate threat emerges. Vilnius residents are advised not to expect that they will be able to leave the city during an attack.
"Vilnius residents should not expect that during an attack they will leave the city using one of the evacuation routes," Solovjovas stressed.
In the event of a direct attack, people should take shelter.
According to the city administration representative, one of the goals of the plan is to prepare residents for the fact that evacuation must be an organized and controlled process.
Poland prepares transit corridor
Poland's Podlaskie Voivodeship has been included in the regional evacuation planning system for the Baltic states. Local authorities are taking part in preparing emergency response plans.
Polskie Radio noted that the decision is linked to the war near Poland's eastern border and the risk of further escalation.
Therefore, this is not a current evacuation of Vilnius residents, but a scenario prepared in advance for a military threat or large-scale crisis.
Last year, it was predicted that Russia could attack one of the NATO countries after signing a peace agreement with Ukraine.
Although the war in Ukraine is still ongoing, expectations of an invasion by the aggressor country have recently been growing in Europe. At the same time, Moscow insists that it does not intend to attack.
