Lithuania Prepares Evacuation Centre at Polish Border for One Million People
Lithuania is building a special refugee centre at Łoździeje near the Polish border to accommodate up to one million people fleeing the Baltic states in the event of war, Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas announced on Monday. The preparations follow recent civil defense exercises in Lithuania and mark an intensification of cross-border defense planning between Warsaw and Vilnius.
Speaking alongside Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński at the Budzisko frontier, Katelynas stated that the designated border crossing route is intended to handle the mass evacuation of residents from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Polish authorities confirmed that responsibility for infrastructure, reception points, and alternative crossings has been assigned to specific units as the two nations coordinate defensive measures against regional threats.
Poland updates plans for Baltic evacuees
The civil defense drills concluded in Lithuania tested the capacity of the refugee center in Lazdijai. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński announced that national plans are being updated to reflect the lessons learned from these exercises, noting that Poland’s Podlaskie Voivodeship will bear the primary responsibility for receiving evacuees from the Baltic states.
Kierwiński emphasized that Poland and Lithuania must maintain a unified stance in countering security threats, including those stemming from Russian imperialism. Both interior ministers met in Suwałki prior to their joint appearance at the border to finalize logistics for alternative crossing points and cross-border emergency infrastructure.
Poland extends border checks to curb illegal migration
While preparing for potential wartime evacuations, both countries continue to manage active border checks introduced to curb illegal migration. Poland has maintained checks at 13 locations along the 104-kilometre border since July 2025, and these measures have been extended for another six months until March 30, 2027.
Why Lithuania is building an evacuation center
Why is Lithuania building an evacuation center at Łoździeje?
The facility is being constructed near the Polish border to manage the logistical challenge of evacuating up to one million people from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the event of a wartime escalation, as announced by Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas.
Which Polish region will take in the majority of evacuees?
Polish Interior and Administration Minister Marcin Kierwiński stated that the Podlaskie Voivodeship will bear the greatest burden of receiving evacuees from the Baltic states under the updated national crisis plans.