On September 25, at a meeting with representatives of the Lithuanian Banking Association, Mindaugas Sinkevičius called for ensuring in advance that residents have access to cash and the ability to pay by card in the event of a crisis or mobilization, reports Novaya Gazeta Europe.
In his view, banks and retail businesses should prepare so that customers can pay for essential goods by card, even if stores lose contact with the bank. The prime minister specifically mentioned medicines and fuel.
In accordance with the mobilization assignment, in the event of a crisis, some ATMs will be provided with power supply and cash replenishment. This should preserve the ability to withdraw money and use cashless payments during disruptions to normal operations.
The same report says that Lithuania, together with Poland, is developing a plan to evacuate part of the residents of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the event of external aggression. According to the director of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center, an internal plan already exists, while the international one is still being coordinated; representatives of the two countries are assessing border procedures, logistics, and infrastructure capabilities.
The article also says that on September 25 Vladimir Putin spoke about “violations of the rights of Russian speakers” in the Baltics, claimed that Moscow has no plans for war with Europe, and stated that EU authorities are deliberately exaggerating the Russian threat. On the same day, RIA Novosti published a text about a potential war between Russia and Lithuania with the headline “Russia faces another special military operation. It will be very short”, and then removed it.
Sources
