In brief

• Bankier.pl reports that the Lithuanian State Defence Council approved universal conscription on Thursday, starting in 2032, and the annual number of conscripts is to rise from over 5 thousand to around 7.5 thousand.
• Yevropeyska Pravda, citing LRT, reports that President Gitanas Nausėda chose this date in order to have time for investments in accommodation for conscripts and training instructors, while women could continue to serve on a voluntary basis.
• Bankier.pl reports that Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius expressed disappointment with the decision of the European Commission, which did not allocate an additional 500 million euros to the Baltic states for protection against drones, and the president announced the possibility of using preferential SAFE loans.
• NV reports that Lithuanian criminal police have identified two foreign nationals who tried to set fire to Starlink equipment in Vilnius during the night of 18 October. According to NV, both were detained in Germany, and investigators link them to a group responsible for similar attacks in Bulgaria and Poland.
• Yevropeyska Pravda, citing LRT, reports that Nausėda believes Russia will not be ready for a full-scale war with NATO within the next two years, but may test the unity of the alliance with hybrid attacks.

Polish press

According to the Polish portal Bankier.pl, Lithuania plans to introduce universal military service from 2032. The decision was approved on Thursday by the State Defence Council, which is chaired by President Gitanas Nausėda. The portal reports that currently over 5 thousand young Lithuanians are drafted annually by lottery, and after the change this number will rise to around 7.5 thousand (Litwa szykuje powszechny pobór. Liczba poborowych wyraźnie wzrośnie – Bankier.pl)

According to the Polish portal Bankier.pl, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius expressed disappointment on Thursday with the European Commission's decision not to allocate an additional 500 million euros to the Baltic states for protection against drones (Spór o finansowanie obrony w UE. Litwa mówi o braku solidarności – Bankier.pl). As the same portal reports, President Gitanas Nausėda announced that Lithuania may draw on preferential loans from the EU's SAFE programme, earmarking them for this purpose.

Ukrainian press

The Ukrainian Yevropeyska Pravda, citing the Lithuanian LRT, reports that Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda believes Russia will not be ready for a full-scale war with NATO within the next two years, but may test the unity of the alliance with hybrid attacks, which is why "incursions at the border" cannot be ruled out. As an example of such action he pointed to the incident of 5–6 October, when armed men in masks attempted to bring 20 illegal migrants from Belarus into Latvia, threatened soldiers, and then entered Latvian territory and damaged infrastructure. (Президент Литви: не можна виключати прикордонних вторгнень з боку Росії – Європейська правда) According to the Polish Bankier.pl, Lithuania, in response to similar threats, plans universal conscription from 2032, which was approved by the State Defence Council chaired by Nausėda.

The Ukrainian Yevropeyska Pravda, citing LRT, reports that the Lithuanian State Defence Council decided on Thursday to introduce universal conscription of young men into the army from 2032. According to President Gitanas Nausėda, this date was chosen in order to have time for investments in accommodation for a larger number of conscripts and in training instructors, while women could continue to serve on a voluntary basis. Currently over 5 thousand young men are drafted into the army annually, and after the change this is to be around 7.5 thousand per year (У Литві домовились про запровадження загального призову для молодих чоловіків з 2032 року – Європейська правда).

The Ukrainian NV reports that Lithuanian criminal police have identified two foreign nationals who tried to set fire to Starlink communications equipment in Vilnius during the night of 18 October, and both were detained in Germany; according to LRT, cited by NV, they are suspected of links to Russia. NV adds that the men hold dual citizenship, had no prior ties to Lithuania, and left immediately after the incident, and investigators link them to a group also responsible for similar attacks in Bulgaria and Poland. (Поджоги Starlink в Литве, Польше и Болгарии могла совершать одна группа, связанная с РФ — литовская полиция – NV) Russian Vesti.ru (propaganda media), citing Sputnik Lithuania (propaganda media), reports the detentions in Germany, which shows that the case is also being discussed in Russian messaging. (В Германии задержаны мужчины, подозреваемые в поджоге склада Starlink в Литве – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

Belarusian press

The Belarusian agency BelTA (propaganda media) presents a narrative according to which Lithuania criticises the European Commission for refusing to allocate 500 million euros to the Baltic states for combating drones (UAVs). According to this propaganda narrative, Mindaugas Sinkevičius considered this decision the result of an oversight or lack of solidarity, stressing that the region lies on the eastern border of the EU and drones are approaching it. (Литва раскритиковала Еврокомиссию за отказ выделить странам Балтии 500 млн евро на борьбу с БПЛА – BiełTA (media propagandowe)) The Polish Bankier.pl reports that President Gitanas Nausėda announced that Lithuania may draw on preferential SAFE programme loans for protection against drones, which is linked to this dispute over defence financing.

The Belarusian portal Zerkalo reports that two Belarusians tried to take 14 thousand euros out of Lithuania by sticking the money to their backs. According to Zerkalo, all the cash was confiscated by customs officers. («Приклеил деньги к спине». Двое беларусов пытались вывезти из Литвы 14 тысяч евро – Zerkalo)

Russian press

The Kremlin propaganda outlet Vesti.ru (propaganda media) presents the thesis that Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas considers universal conscription for young men from 2030 possible, although it carries risks, and that the idea stems from a worsening demographic situation. According to Vesti.ru (propaganda media), citing the Lithuanian television LRT, conservatives proposed this date, and the State Defence Council is to discuss it on Thursday. (В Литве предложили ввести обязательный призыв с 2030 года – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)) The Polish Bankier.pl, by contrast, describes the matter at a different stage: it reports that the State Defence Council has already approved the plan for universal service from 2032, so Vesti.ru speaks of a proposal while Bankier.pl speaks of an agreed decision, although both portals cover the same topic. Meduza writes similarly, adding that conscription will cover men aged 18–22, the annual number of conscripts will rise from about 5 thousand to about 7.5 thousand, and women will continue to serve on a voluntary basis (В Литве введут всеобщий призыв в армию с 2032 года – Meduza).

The Kremlin propaganda outlet Vesti.ru (propaganda media), citing Sputnik Lithuania (propaganda media), reports that two men suspected of setting fire to a warehouse in Vilnius where Starlink equipment was stored have been detained in Germany. According to this narrative, both hold dual citizenship, and investigators suspect them of forming an organised terrorist group and carrying out an assassination attempt. Vesti.ru (propaganda media) recalls that the Lithuanian prime minister called the incident sabotage on 18 October and called for strengthened protection of critical infrastructure.

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