Lithuania and Poland develop cross-border evacuation plan for crisis scenarios
Lithuania and Poland have identified additional border crossing points and begun work on a joint evacuation plan for a potential crisis. The move follows Lithuania's largest annual mobilisation exercise, which included Polish observers.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski announced on Monday that Lithuania and Poland have agreed on an action plan and identified alternative border crossing points for a scenario requiring mass evacuation. He made the statement to reporters at the Budzisko border crossing with Lithuania.
The announcement follows Lithuania's annual mobilisation exercise "Vytis Vault 2026" (Vyčio Skliautas), the largest such drill in the country, which included a mass evacuation component. Around 20 Polish representatives took part in the exercise.
Following the drills, both countries have begun intensive work on international evacuation plans. Kierwinski said Poland has already assigned tasks to several institutions, including the governor of the Podlaskie Voivodeship bordering Lithuania and the Border Guard.
Suwałki Corridor as the main route
The minister stressed that in a crisis, Lithuania would become a natural route for Baltic state citizens moving toward European Union territory, making advance preparation essential.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said the Suwałki Corridor could become the main route through which a million or more people would move during a crisis. He noted that if threats escalated to such a level, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians would share a single corridor toward the heart of Europe.
Katelynas emphasised that cooperation between the Baltic states and Poland on civil defence and security needs to keep strengthening, and that this process is already underway — Polish experts took part in Lithuania's exercise, offering their assessment and observations. During the drills, the Polish side identified the need for additional evacuation routes and border crossing points.
