Poland and Lithuania are developing a joint contingency plan that could facilitate the evacuation of residents from the Baltic region into Poland in the event of a major security crisis,
Lithuanian officials said.
The proposed arrangements are being examined as part of Lithuania’s annual mobilisation exercises, which this year place particular emphasis on cooperation with Poland and the ability to move civilians across the countries’ shared border.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, said officials from both countries were reviewing the legal procedures, transport logistics and available infrastructure needed to organise a cross-border evacuation. The plan is expected to be completed after the two governments agree on the final arrangements.
The initiative coincides with a large-scale Lithuanian exercise running through October 2. The drills are designed to test the country’s ability to respond to a range of emergencies, including military aggression, cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation campaigns and disruptions to energy and communications networks.
Vitkauskas highlighted the strategic importance of the Suwałki Gap, the narrow land corridor linking Poland with Lithuania between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. The area is regarded as a key connection between the Baltic states and the rest of NATO territory.
A Polish delegation of about 20 officials representing several institutions is due to visit Lithuania to assess existing procedures and identify shortcomings before the joint evacuation framework is completed.
The wider mobilisation exercise involves about 3,000 officials and representatives of government institutions, municipalities, businesses and non-governmental organisations, as well as around 1,000 volunteers.
Practical evacuation exercises are scheduled to take place in ten Lithuanian municipalities, including Vilnius and communities close to the Belarusian border. The scenarios will examine how authorities could respond to a hypothetical military attack from the east and organise the movement of civilians to safer areas.
Other stages of the exercise will focus on threats to critical infrastructure. Drills planned for Tuesday will simulate incidents involving energy facilities and undersea communications cables, while a separate mobilisation exercise is scheduled for Wednesday.
The Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union is also conducting exercises near the Polish border in the Lazdijai area. Participants are practising the protection of strategic facilities, maintaining public order, controlling traffic, conducting reconnaissance and evacuating wounded people.
The joint planning reflects a broader effort by Poland and Lithuania to strengthen their ability to coordinate civilian protection and emergency responses in a region that has faced heightened security concerns since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Photo by Jon Worth, Wikimedia commons.
