New US troops are already on their way to Lithuania as Vilnius draws up mass evacuation plans against Russian threat

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda confirmed on Tuesday that a fresh rotation of American troops is already heading to the country, and personally thanked President Donald Trump for the deployment. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius underscored the mood, telling the BBC that Lithuanians feel "constantly threatened" by Russia, with drones repeatedly entering Lithuanian airspace — including one brought down by NATO jets only last week.

Sinkevičius told the BBC that Lithuania has prepared contingency plans for a "variety of scenarios," among them moving elderly residents out of cities "smoothly" to prevent traffic gridlock during any evacuation.

Lithuania is also hardening a new power substation near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad against explosive drone attacks, wrapping transformers in concrete "sarcophagi" and deploying sensors to detect hostile tunnelling activity.

Sinkevičius pointedly told Britain it needs a "shift in the mindset" on defence — while noting Lithuania is "closer to the border and closer to the threat."