Lithuanian capital Vilnius unveils invasion evacuation plan

Felnis officials, the capital of Lithuania, revealed the evacuation plan that will be used in the event of the city’s invasion.

It determines how 540,000 city residents will be left if they are close to the enemy forces.

The deployment of the plan comes amid increasing concerns about Russia’s military ambitions in the region, in light of the continuous conquest of Ukraine.

Lithuania, along with his colleagues in the Baltic countries Estonia and Latvia for a long time, warned of the threat of Russian aggression and has invested greatly in defense in recent years.

Vilnius is located near the 679 km (422 miles) border, which Lithuania shares with Belarus, a strong Russian ally.

Belarus hosts thousands of Russian forces and has been used as a starting point for the failed February 2022 attempt to capture the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

Lithuania – a member of the NATO Military Alliance – also shares within the limits with Kalinese, a Russian average that is largely detailed on the Baltic Sea.

The evacuation plan, which was unveiled on Wednesday, sets 150 roads from Vilnius and the appointment of neighborhoods with specific evacuation points, the Lituanian LRT public.

The residents will be informed of the evacuation with the warnings of SMS and zeroes, with a system dedicated to the application under development as well.

The plan calls for expanding some roads and a bridge to allow the safe and fast flow of people outside the city.

The mayor of Valnas Valdas Penkoncasas confirmed that any evacuation will be the last resort in the event of the failure of the military defense of the city.

He said that publishing the plan should not cause “panic” and stressed that it does not mean an increase in a threat.

The plan includes elements on how Ukraine responds to the invasion of Russia, especially the ways in which Kiev holds the first days of full invasion.

The officials said the Vilnius plan was developed primarily with an invasion in mind, but they said it could also be published in the event of a natural disaster, nuclear attack or a major collapse of the basic infrastructure.

Lithuania was previously part of the Soviet Union and declared independence in 1990, after which it sought closer relations with Western Europe, including joining the European Union.

He was a voice supporter of Ukraine, and like its neighbors in the Baltic, repeatedly warned of the threat that the Kremlin’s expansionist ambitions in the region could pose.

Belarus and Russia are scheduled to carry large -scale military exercises in September, which could see the forces stationed near the Lithuania border.

Military strategists have long considers the so -called suwałki gap – a narrow extension along the Lithuania border, which extends between Kaliningrad and Bearus – a possible weakness in NATO defenses

Its occupation would cut the lands of land that connect Poland Politawania, and on the rest of the Baltic countries.