The fence on the eastern border with Russia is seen during media quest day in Karsava, Latvia, 16 August 2024. Photo: EPA/VALDA KALNINA

Alarmed by the uptick in Russian military spending since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states are currently preparing detailed contingency plans for the event of a Russian attack, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources with knowledge of the initiative.

The plans have taken on new significance following recent incursions by Russian drones and jets into NATO territory, and involve the potential evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in the event of a Russian military buildup or invasion, particularly those living within 40 kilometres of the borders of Russia and Belarus, Reuters reported.

Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the three Baltic states — Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russia and its close ally Belarus, and Estonia, which borders Russia — have doubled their defence spending and have been prominent voices for the strengthening of European defence policy.

Renatas Požėla, head of Lithuania’s firefighting service, told Reuters that under the country’s contingency plans, approximately 300,000 people would be temporarily housed in the western Lithuanian city of Kaunas as an emergency measure, with supplies for such an event already stockpiled.

“Threats could vary. It’s possible we will see a mighty army along the borders of the Baltics, with the apparent goal of taking all three countries in three days to a week,” Požėla said.

According to Reuters, in the event of an invasion, Estonian authorities are preparing plans to relocate 10% of the country's population, including most residents of Narva, which shares a border with the Russian city of Ivangorod. In Latvia, one third of its population of 1.9 million would be forced to leave their homes, according to government estimates.

No Baltic country currently has plans to evacuate its citizens beyond national borders, Reuters reported.

Most recently, following the “unprecedented” incursion by Russian drones into Polish territory, as well as the discovery of fragments of a Russian drone on a beach in Latvia, the Baltic states, together with Finland and Poland, agreed to develop a “drone wall” to help combat the aerial threat posed by Russia to Europe’s eastern flank.