Lithuania and Poland are developing evacuation plans in preparation for potential Russian military action, focusing on the strategically vulnerable Suwalki Gap—a 60-mile corridor that NATO military leaders consider the alliance's critical weak point. This bilateral preparation reflects growing concerns that Russia could attempt to isolate Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from the rest of NATO by deploying forces through this corridor, which sits between Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

The two countries have begun joint drills involving approximately 3,000 officials and 1,000 volunteers, with Polish officials participating in border procedure exercises as part of a broader agreement being developed between Vilnius and Warsaw. This development comes amid an intensifying pattern of Russian covert attacks on NATO member states, including hybrid strikes using drones and missiles; Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that intelligence assessments suggest Russia's provocations will become "far more dangerous" than previous incidents. Reports indicate Putin is preparing a "stealth mobilisation" of military forces following elections, whilst Russian casualties in Ukraine have reached approximately 1.5 million (including 500,000 fatalities), leaving the invasion effectively at stalemate.