Lithuania works on national evacuation plan: Details

During a press conference, Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė said that the plan would be ready by early October. She said that each territorial unit has its own evacuation plan. However, Bilotaitė emphasized that the country needs a nationwide evacuation plan and must be prepared to implement it if necessary.

She also highlighted that cybersecurity has become a top priority due to the increase in cyberattacks.

"Today, civil protection is more relevant than ever. The war against Ukraine continues, and countries in our region are facing hybrid and disinformation attacks. Sabotage has become our new reality. It's important to note that we are on the front line, which is why civil protection has become a priority on our agenda," explained the Minister of the Interior.

Bilotaitė added that strengthening civil protection at the national level alone will not be enough. She mentioned that the government has decided to collaborate with other Baltic countries. Additionally, she said that these countries will seek funding from the European Union for the development of evacuation plans.

"Yes, this is very costly, but we must explore the possibility of pooling our efforts and securing the appropriate support from the EU... We call for a risk assessment at the EU level to better understand the threats and ensure civil protection measures," she said.

In mid-July, the Seimas approved a program for strengthening and developing civil defense. The initiative was launched by the Ministry of the Interior and includes the creation of new shelters, alert systems, a special mobile application, and funding of 285 million euros.

Lithuania also emphasized that it will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

The Lithuanian Minister of the Interior further said that the government needs to adapt civil protection to hybrid and military threats.

"We need to shift from civil protection to civil defense. Times have changed," she said.

During the press conference, the Latvian Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis announced that his country is working on creating safe shelters in underground buildings.

"There are currently about 5,000 underground buildings in Latvia. We aim to have these buildings ready to be used as shelters by November," he said.

According to Estonia's Deputy Minister of the Interior for Rescue and Crisis Management, Tuuli Räim, countries in the region must be properly prepared to protect and secure their populations in case of war.

"We must be ready for the worst-case scenario," she said.

The Estonian Deputy Minister also stated that at the beginning of 2024, the Estonian government approved a 4- and 10-year action plan for civil protection.

"We are prepared to inform the public through SMS messages and other channels," Räim added.

Belarus also recently moved military equipment to the border with Lithuania.

Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine signed security agreements with Lithuania and Estonia.