Lithuania warns of possible Russian attacks on critical infrastructure

On June 18, Vilnius deployed up to 30 troops to assist the Public Security Service at the Klaipėda LNG terminal, the LitPol Link electricity interconnection with Poland, a transformer substation in the Alytus district, the Kruonis pumped storage hydroelectric plant and the Klaipėda liquid energy products terminal. Lithuania had intelligence that Russia was planning attacks on infrastructure, and President Gitanas Nauseda warned that the threat could involve physical damage or attempts to halt key facilities. Nauseda said the signals came from intelligence services and did not identify a target, place or time, while stopping short of saying Lithuania itself was necessarily the intended objective.

Officials warned that Russia had been spreading unsubstantiated claims that Baltic states were allowing their airspace or territory to be used for Ukrainian strikes against Russia, and that Moscow could be preparing provocations against strategic sites. Lithuania’s military chief, Raimundas Vaikšnoras, said recent Russian rhetoric and airspace violations were meant to undermine public trust in the state and its institutions. The alliance launched Baltic Sentry in January 2025 after a wave of sabotage against critical undersea infrastructure. The mission uses frigates, maritime patrol aircraft and naval drones, and it was built after the Nord Stream sabotage in September 2022 and the creation of a Critical Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell in February 2023.

According to NATO, undersea cables carry an estimated $10 trillion in transfers every day and transmit about 95 percent of global data flows. Lithuania has focused on energy nodes, grid links and transport corridors that could be disrupted without a formal military assault.

Lithuania's finance ministry set the 2026 state budget defense spending at 5.38 percent of GDP, the highest level in the country's history, and the Seimas approved the budget with 80 votes in favor, 39 against and 7 abstentions. Poland has also warned that Western intelligence agencies are concerned about possible Russian attacks against Baltic territory and Polish interests.