LRT English Newsletter – March 27, 2026.
A drone entered Lithuania in the early hours before crashing and exploding in a lake near the border with Belarus. First, many were quick to point at the recorded lawn mower-like sound, saying this was probably a Shahed-type drone.
However, quickly thereafter, the authorities said the object was a stray Ukrainian drone that veered – or was diverted – off course during attacks on Russia.
Just a day later, the same happened in Estonia and in Latvia. While the two Baltic countries registered the airspace violations, the Lithuanian authorities were alerted only by a person living in the sparsely populated area who heard the explosion.
Two nights, at least three drones, hitting all three Baltic states – this smelled fishy to many, who started delving into theories that the Ukrainian-origin story was a cover-up and the incidents were, in fact, probing Russian strikes. We have nothing to indicate that was the case, however.
We do know for sure that Ukraine has been hitting Russian Baltic ports – hard. Baltic officials stressed Russia’s initial invasion was the reason for the spillover and did not criticise Ukraine for the incidents.
But political opposition, experts, as well as politicians in power, were unanimous in one thing across the three Baltic states – air defence is in a sorry state. Lithuanian officials said new purchases to detect and counter drones have been delayed due to the Iran war.
LRT PROTESTS ARE BACK
We said the governing coalition would go further than just easing the rules for dismissing the director general – and they did. Following protests in December last year, the parties in power created a working group to draft amendments to the LRT. The end result was worse than the changes originally proposed last year and would impact editorial independence. Brussels is also asking the government for an explanation.
ARMY GROUNDS
The parliament voted in favour of establishing a new training area on the edge of the so-called Suwalki Gap. The only MPs to vote against were the coalition partners, including the populist Nemunas Dawn. Previously, social democrats who make up the majority of the coalition said their partners voting against the plans would be a red line. Earlier, Poland rejected Lithuania’s proposal to have the project become a joint venture.
HUNGARY, RUSSIA, LITHUANIA
A bombshell LRT investigation dropped this week, revealing how the former culture minister from the Nemunas Dawn party has an interest-free loan from a Russian individual, as well as links to other individuals that have connections to business in Belarus and Russia. Mind you, he revealed the connections himself to a civic activist-cum-prankster, who posed as an adviser to Hungary’s foreign minister, but the LRT Investigation Team dug deeper.
In related news, head of the party Remigijus Žemaitaitis is under investigation by the police for calling Lithuania’s independence from the Soviet Union “a coup”.
TAIWAN DOUBTS
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė made another statement regarding the country’s relationship with Taiwan, saying that allowing the self-ruled island to open trade office brought no benefits. She also said the de-facto embassy could bear the name Taipei, like in other EU countries. The president disagreed, however, saying that the issue was settled and Lithuania was not considering renaming the office.
TRUCKS ARE BACK
Lithuanian-owned trucks are now being allowed to leave Belarus after the US envoy had a chat with Alexander Lukashenko. The next question is who will pay for the whole thing – the hauliers themselves, Vilnius, or Minsk?
ECONOMY UPDATES:
– Inflation is looking bad.
– Fuel prices are looking bad.
– The pay gap with the rest of the EU is narrowing.
– Ryanair is expanding operations in Lithuania.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– Lithuania is eyeing new ways to keep the US engaged. This time it’s Cuba.
– Is Lithuania’s music industry getting better?
– A minor was detained for spraying “Vilnius is ours” graffiti in Cyrillic. Recall, the intelligence services previously warned of the Belarusian KGB attempting to hire people for such things.
– The Year of Lithuania in Germany is coming.
– Don’t forget to move your clocks one hour forward this weekend.
– And farewell, Galdikas. You will be missed.
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Austė Sargytė
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