The Lithuanian capital of Vilnius presents an evacuation plan

Vilnius officials, the capital of Lithuania, submitted an evacuation plan to be used in the event of an invasion of the city.

It outlines how 540,000 residents of the city will be ordered if it were close to overcoming the enemy’s forces.

The publication of the plan goes against the backdrop of increased fears over Russia’s military ambitions in the region, in the light of a constant full -scale invasion of Ukraine.

Lithuania, together with colleagues from the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, has long warned of the threat of Russian aggression and in recent years has invested great funds in defense.

Vilnius is located near the border of 679 km (422 miles), on which Lithuania shares from Belarus, unwavering Russian ally.

Belarus accepts thousands of Russian troops and was used as a bridgehead for a failed attempt to seize the capital of Ukraine.

Lithuania, a NATO military alliance member, also shares the border with Kaliningrad, strongly militarized by Russian exclusive on the Black Sea.

The evacuation plan presented on Wednesday determines 150 routes from Vilnius and appoints neighborhoods with certain evacuation points, the Lithuanian public television company LRT reports.

Residents would be told to evacuate through SMS and siren warnings, as well as in the development of a special application with applications.

The plan requires expanding some roads and a bridge to allow a safe and fast stream of people from the city.

The Mayor of Vilnius Waldas Benkunskas emphasized that any evacuation would be the extreme reason if the city’s military defense fails.

He said that the publication of the plan should not cause “panic”, and emphasized that this did not involve an increased threat.

The plan includes elements of how Ukraine reacted to Russia’s invasion, especially how Kiev survived the first days of full -scale invasion.

Officials said the Vilnius plan was developed primarily in the light of the invasion, but stated that it could also be deployed in the event of a natural disaster, a nuclear attack or the main collapse of the necessary infrastructure.

Lithuania was previously part of the Soviet Union and declared its independence in 1990, after which it appealed to closer ties with Western Europe, including joined the European Union.

It was a vocal supporter of Ukraine, and, like its Baltic neighbors, repeatedly warned about the threat that the Kremlin’s expansionist ambitions could create the region.

In September, Belarus and Russia must contain large -scale military exercises that can potentially see the troops located near the Lithuanian border.

Military strategists have long considered the so -called gap Suva -NAS

His occupation would disconnect earthly routes connecting Poland with Lithuania and the rest of the Baltic countries.