Lithuania is reinforcing the protection of Vilnius’ critical infrastructure in response to threats linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine, reports LRT.
Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas signed a cooperation agreement with Viktoras Grabauskas, head of the Public Security Service (VST), to safeguard electricity, water, heating, and other key urban facilities. These sites will receive additional protection from mobile fire units capable of responding to threats both on the ground and from the air.
Benkunskas noted that lessons from the war in Ukraine have shown that critical infrastructure in cities becomes a target for external forces seeking to destabilize civilian life. The agreement sets standards for infrastructure protection, establishes procedures for intelligence cooperation, and provides for regular drills.
To respond to potential threats, the city plans to acquire modified vehicles equipped with multifunctional tools, including radar systems and kinetic means for neutralizing drones. The estimated cost of these acquisitions is around €1 million. Military recommendations are also expected regarding additional physical security measures such as fences and surveillance cameras.
VST Commander Viktoras Grabauskas announced that Vilnius will host three mobile fire units and one specialized vehicle for threat detection and electronic warfare. He emphasized the need for safe kinetic tools, including heavy-caliber machine guns with programmable ammunition, which could be used in peacetime.
While VST is responsible for protecting critical infrastructure nationwide, its functions in Vilnius will expand under the new agreement. Preliminary assessments indicate that the service has sufficient personnel to fulfill these tasks.
Earlier in July, Lithuania’s Ministry of Interior and the Vilnius municipal government agreed on joint protection of infrastructure against drones. Recently, airport operations have been repeatedly disrupted by weather balloons from Belarus, further motivating the strengthening of security measures and the discussion of hybrid threat responses at both national and international levels
