Lithuania is readying itself to retaliate with full force to any potential Russian attack
In the south-western corner of Lithuania, in the town of Vistytis, they know their enemy well.
On the other side of the border is the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
The area around the wire fence separating the two territories is highly sensitive, and we are told we can only film with an official escort.
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A few metres away, we can clearly see the huts and buildings that make up the Russian border post.
It’s so close that in the summer, locals say they can hear the guards on the other side singing.
The border post sits at the far end of an area known as the Suwalki Gap.
Previously referred to as “the most dangerous place on earth” and “NATO’s Achilles’ heel”, it’s a stretch of around 60 miles (96.56 km) on the borders of Lithuania and Poland.
It is also the shortest land route between Russian ally, Belarus, and Russian territory in Kaliningrad.
The concern is if President Vladimir Putin ever decided to escalate the war in Ukraine, Russian troops stationed at both ends of the Suwalki Gap could push in from the east and west simultaneously, potentially isolating Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from the rest of NATO.
“The Suwalki Gap is a potential vulnerability as Kaliningrad and Belarus – now basically a military extension of Russia – could try to cut the Baltic States off from Poland,” underlines Linas Kojala, director of the Eastern Europe Studies Centre.
‘If Ukraine falls – we have a big problem’
Despite this, there’s no sign of panic in Vistytis; but for some residents, there is also no forgetting that Russia houses troops and reportedly nuclear weapons next door in Kaliningrad.
“We hear helicopters, maybe the tanks shooting,” says former military medic, Vilius Kociubaitis, who is now the town’s doctor.
He knows people who are nervous and tells us some have even packed their cars ready to flee to Poland, with its large military, if Lithuania is threatened in the future.
“We are afraid because if Ukraine falls, we have a big problem because the Russians will come to us from Kaliningrad and also from Belarus,” Vilius explains. “It’s a big risk.”
It’s a fear compounded by an announcement earlier this month by Belarus that around 9,000 Russian troops will be posted there as part of a “regional grouping” of forces, which it claims are needed to help protect its borders.
Lithuania is a NATO member, so it has the protection of the alliance, but the war in Ukraine has put people on edge.
Vilius Kociubaitis
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Volunteer militias have seen a surge in applicants willing to defend their country.
The Riflemen’s Union told us membership has risen from around 5,400 people at the start of the year to more than 8,000 now.
Others have joined the foreign legion in Ukraine.
Mindaugas Lietuvninkas spent the spring fighting the Russians around Irpin and is now in training for a return stint.
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He remembers what it was like to live under Soviet rule when Lithuania was occupied – never again, he vows.
“They [the Russians] want to come back, but they will not come back, at least I will be one of those who will not let them come here,” he tells me.
At the eastern end of the Suwalki Gap we visit another potential danger zone.
The growing number of Russian troops currently stationed over the barbed wire in Belarus could quickly cross the border if Mr Putin ever decided to attack.
Mindaugas Lietuvninkas
‘We must be prepared all the time’
Lithuania’s government admits the “Suwalki Gap is a critical point” and while there’s no imminent threat of invasion, the risk remains.
“We must be prepared all the time,” said Vaidotas Urbelis, political director of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence.
“In the short term, I would say the risk and the Russian capabilities are lower, but the risk of escalation is higher and that’s why we have to prepare every moment for something to happen.
Vaidotas Urbelis
“We saw some concentration of Russian forces around us before the conflict.
“Now it’s less because everyone went to Ukraine… but even though the number of personnel decreased around us, most of the equipment is still here and the force needed is still here.”
Lithuania insists its military is prepared for potential Russian aggression.
NATO allies have also sent reinforcements and this month carried out one of the largest international military exercises in Lithuania involving around 3,500 troops.
For now, the country remains poised: watching its borders and strengthening its defences, readying itself to retaliate with full force to any potential attack.
Special event at the Imperial War Museum examining the conflict in Ukraine
Israel pounded the outskirts of Gaza City overnight, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.
Families streamed out of the city as the explosions hit.
“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40.
“No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”
Mahmoud Abedrabo mourns over the body of his son Hamada in Gaza City on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.
“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation.
“We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money,” she said.
Mourners pray next to the body of Palestinian boy Hamada Abedrabo on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Witnesses said that overnight they heard nonstop explosions in Zeitoun and Shejaia.
Tanks shelled houses and roads in Sabra, and buildings were blown up in Jabalia.
On Sunday, the IDF said its forces had returned to combat in Jabalia to strengthen its control of the area and dismantle militant tunnels.
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”
This month, Israel approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City. The offensive isn’t expected to start for another few weeks.
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In the meantime, mediators in Egypt and Qatar are trying to resume ceasefire talks between the two sides.
On Friday, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas releases all its remaining hostages and ends the war on Israel’s terms.
Mourners transport the body of Ahmed Balata on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Around half of Gaza’s two million residents currently live in the city and on Friday a global hunger monitor said that Gaza City and its surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread.
Israel said the monitor ignores steps Israel has taken since late July to increase aid supplies into and across Gaza.
Eight more people died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry on Saturday.
281 people, including 114 children, have now died of malnutrition and starvation since the war started, according to the ministry.
The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel, mainly civilians, and took 251 hostages.
Since then, Israel has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and internally displaced nearly its entire population.
Two married couples have died after a British car veered off the road and crashed in Germany, according to police.
The fatal accident happened shortly after midnight on Saturday in the trees near a highway in the Kassel district, north of Hesse in central Germany.
The 32-year-old male driver, a 31-year-old female passenger, a 32-year-old female passenger, and a 30-year-old female passenger all died at the scene, despite the efforts of German emergency services.
Sky News understands UK officials have not been contacted for assistance.
At roughly 12.30am on Saturday, the car appears to have veered off the road and crashed into nearby trees around 30m from the road, according to the Kassel police department.
Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
One of the victim’s phones automatically alerted the emergency services to the incident, who sent an ambulance to the scene.
Soon, fire engines, ambulances, command vehicles and emergency support vehicles were all dispatched.
When emergency workers arrived, the car was lying on its side, wedged between several trees.
It wasn’t until they removed the roof that they found all four passengers.
Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
The accident happened on Highway L3229
The emergency workers who dealt with the victims were immediately supported by the specialist mental health workers at the fire station in Reinhardshagen.
“This high number of deaths is an extraordinary operation for our Reinhardshagen Volunteer Fire Department,” said a fire department spokesperson.
“For some of the emergency personnel, it is the first time they have been confronted with death in this way.
“Therefore, a great deal is being done to help us process these images. We will also discuss this among ourselves and within families, because not everyone can easily shake off what they have seen.”
An investigation into the accident is ongoing and is being conducted by the Hofgeismar police station.
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