Officials in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, have unveiled an evacuation plan that would be used in the event of an invasion of the city.
It sets out how the city's 540,000 residents would be ordered to evacuate if it were close to being occupied by enemy forces.
The plan's publication comes amid heightened fears over Russia's military ambitions in the region, in light of its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lithuania, along with the other Baltic states, Estonia and Latvia, have long warned of the threat of Russian aggression and have invested heavily in defense in recent years.
Vilnius is located near the border that Lithuania shares with Belarus, a staunch Russian ally.
The evacuation plan unveiled on Wednesday identifies 150 streets outside Vilnius and designates neighborhoods with specific evacuation points, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported.
Residents will be told to evacuate via SMS and siren warnings, with a dedicated app-based communication system also in development.
The plan calls for several roads and a bridge to be widened in order to allow the safe and rapid flow of people out of the city.
Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas stressed that any evacuation would be a last resort if the city's military defense fails.
He said the release of the plan should not cause "panic" and stressed that it does not imply an increased threat. (A2 Televizion)
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