Vilnius has not yet presented the city’s evacuation plan. Mayor Valdas Benkunskas says the plan is now being finalised and coordinated by ministries.
Benkunskas notes that the plan envisions the main evacuation of Vilnius by road and rail, while Neris River is being considered as an additional option.
However, Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė sees no need to use the country’s inland waters for military mobility.
“As far as inland waters and the use of inland waters for military mobility is concerned, the possibilities of their use are limited, and we do not see any such need. Of course, this does not prevent municipalities from assessing all possibilities in their evacuation plans,” the minister said.
Vilnius says it has finalised its new evacuation plan, which is now being coordinated by ministries. The main evacuation would be by rail, the mayor notes.
“In terms of evacuation, as I have repeatedly said, the Neris River could be a fourth or fifth option, evacuating a small group of people from the city if certain conditions are met,” Benkunskas said.
“For example, we could put some patients with mobility problems on the boats that are now moored on the banks of the Neris,” he added.
The biggest worry in case of evacuation in Vilnius would be congestion. According to Benkunskas, there are five projects in the pipeline that would increase traffic capacity.
“We have been talking about this for several years, but not much has changed in practice. The main reason is that we don’t believe that the threat is real, but the threat is real, and it can only be avoided if we are really prepared,” noted Darius Antanaitis, a retired major and defence expert.
Vilnius District Mayor Robert Duchnevič notes that some of the district’s residents would evacuate through the capital. The municipality is also finalising its evacuation plan.
“We are the municipality that is closest to the risk zone, the border with Belarus. We also have densely populated settlements, where the need for evacuation and other movement points is very important,” Duchnevič said.
According to Antanaitis, evacuation plans must include information groups for people and the acquisition of cars with loudspeakers.
“The city is ready for life but it also needs to be prepared for emergencies, not only war, plague but also the Astravyets nuclear power plant, which could explode at any moment. You have to be prepared, but it is impossible to be absolutely prepared and anticipate everything,” the retired major said.
The Interior Ministry is also working on finalising the national evacuation plan, which it expects to present in a few months.
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