'We will fight back': Russian neighbour defiant as threat of attack grows

Lithuania is increasingly concerned about Russian aggression, with Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius saying his country is ready to "fight back" if attacked.

Speaking to the BBC's Newsnight program, the centre-left leader who came to power in July said the country "will not surrender" to its neighbour and former occupier.

"We will fight back," he said. "We will engage if we're attacked. We will not surrender".

Lithuania is a NATO member and a key frontline country on Russia's border in the Baltic. An attack here would trigger a response from all members, including the nuclear-armed United Kingdom, United States, and France.

The country has been rapidly building up its military capabilities since the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine , and NATO allies have been stationing troops in the country as further deterrence against an attack.

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Germany recently announced that 5,000 troops would remain permanently in the country, a major shift from the usual rotation of soldiers, while the US confirmed a new rotation would also soon arrive.

Seven in 10 Lithuanians say Russia is a direct security threat, and 90 per cent support the NATO alliance, according to local polling.

The fighting between Russia and Ukraine, which has been intensifying in recent months , appears to be spilling over into Lithuania and its neighbours as Ukraine hits Russian Baltic Sea oil shipping ports.

Last week, a NATO fighter jet shot down a drone in Lithuanian airspace that is believed to have come from Belarus, a crucial Russian proxy state.

Sinkevičius noted that his people are living under constant threat and that the situation on the ground is tense.

"The emotional state is not very good. We're constantly threatened by drones entering our airspace," he said.

"It's an alarming thing when, in the middle of the night, you receive an alarm ... go to the shelter," he said. "That's not a good emotional situation".

If Russia did decide to attack a NATO country, Lithuania is generally considered the place it would strike. The country's 60-100km-wide border with Poland bridges Belarus and the Russian-controlled exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.