Amid an increase in incidents in European countries, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) has warned businesses and organisations supporting Ukraine to heighten their vigilance, warning them about potential provocations and advising them to strengthen their fire safety measures.
The NKVC, the Fire and Rescue Department, and the Police Department have met with retailers, shopping mall managers, and their associations to identify potential risks as a precautionary measure.
“The threat level is quite high. We urge the public to remain vigilant,” Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the NKVC, told reporters on Friday.
“We have [...] provided recommendations to both businesses and security services responsible for the safety of specific sites. The work is ongoing. We [...] recommend raising the level of alertness and vigilance in public sites,” he said.
According to Vitkauskas, potential targets could include retail-related companies, warehouses and companies with links to aid to Ukraine.
“The threat of arson, as observed in neighbouring countries, is also present in Lithuania. Therefore, we urge businesses and security services to be very vigilant, monitor the situation, and record any suspicious incidents,” he said.
A massive fire broke out in a shopping centre in Warsaw on Sunday. Police suspect arson in last week’s fire in the IKEA shop in Vilnius.
“Based on the pattern, the description of the facility and the materials present there, it could fall into the range we are discussing,” Vitkauskas said.
“The police are working intensively, and I hope the results of the investigation will be available in the near future,” he added.
The NKVC head said calls to carry out attacks are mostly distributed via the Telegram app, offering “easy work” for a fee. He added that no such calls have been detected in Lithuanian so far.
The official said that, based on information from other countries, such incidents usually occur at night, so vigilance must be maintained around the clock.
The perpetrators of the attacks, he said, are usually foreign nationals who come specifically to carry out provocations.
“But this doesn’t mean that this isn’t going to change shortly,” he added.
Vitkauskas said such incidents in other countries follow a common pattern where the perpetrators try to get inside the building, find places most likely to catch fire, and identify and disable security systems.
“These patterns are quite similar. How they will change and transform is hard to predict,” he said.
Recommendations focus on fire risk
The NKVC’s recommendations emphasise the importance of preventive measures to avoid fire risks or mitigate their consequences in shopping and entertainment centres.
“We urge facilities to check their fire safety systems, to maintain them and provide increased protection, to provide instruction and training for staff, to organise drills, and to make sure that facilities have sufficient fire-fighting equipment and that staff know how to use it,” the document says.
The NKVC also recommends checking escape routes and making sure that former employees have returned their access permits.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
