Nato states prepare evacuation plan for Russian attack amid mounting fears of incursion into alliance's 'Achilles heel'

Lithuania and Poland are developing evacuation plans in the event of full-blown war with Russia.The countries are preparing procedures, logistics and infrastructure, including evacuation routes for civilians, through the Suwalki Gap.Known as Nato’s ‘Achilles heel’, the Suwalki Gap is a 60-mile strip of territory linking Poland and Lithuania, where Nato generals fear Vladimir Putin might stage an attack.The corridor connects Belarus, a Moscow ally, to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.If the Kremlin leader deploys his forces from Belarus across the gap to Kaliningrad, he could isolate Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from allies in central and western Europe.Vilnius and Warsaw are developing a bilateral agreement to provide a framework for the plans, according to the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre.The announcement came as Lithuania launched nationwide drills, including practice evacuation procedures at the Polish-Lithuanian border. Moscow has increasingly been testing Nato's resolve through its campaign of covert attacks on bordering countries. A man watches as his home burns after being struck by falling debris following a Russian drone attack on September 27, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine Lithuania and Poland are developing evacuation plans in the event of full-blown war with RussiaVilmantas Vitkauskas, the head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, said: 'Procedures, logistics, and infrastructure capabilities are being analysed together with colleagues from Poland, and the plan itself should be developed once an agreement is reached between the two countries.'The plans will also account for the evacuation of civilians in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, he added.In the event of a threat at the border, border controls are being considered, to ensure mobilisation and to 'prevent people in certain key roles from leaving the country'.Some 20 Polish officials were dispatched to Lithuania to participate in exercises testing border procedures, while about 3,000 officials and 1,000 volunteers are taking part in drills, which will run until October 2.Earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that intelligence assessments show Russian 'plans for hybrid strikes using drones and missiles against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland'.He described the 'provocations' as being 'far more dangerous than those we have faced so far'.Russia is suspected of being responsible for covert attacks on several sites in Nato countries, including a warehouse in Britain, a weapons factory in Estonia and an airport in Germany. On September 18, Rzeszów and Lublin airports in Poland suspended operations after Moscow unleashed an attack on western Ukraine, within miles of the Nato border.It marked the latest in a string of strikes near the Polish border in recent months. Western intelligence officials told the Telegraph that Putin is preparing for a 'stealth mobilisation' after the State Duma elections, in which thousands of Russians could be drafted. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Moscow may eventually have to change its recruitment methods and introduce some form of involuntary reserve call-up if it continues suffering casualties at the current rate. The Russian leader is said to have been backed into a corner, with the military having suffered 1.5 million casualties, including 500,000 fatalities in Ukraine, and his invasion effectively at a stalemate.Meanwhile, European leaders have warned that the Kremlin's hybrid war against the West is likely to intensify ‘in months, not years’.On Thursday morning, four Russian drones breached Moldova’s airspace.Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, wrote on X: 'Russia’s massive attack on Ukraine reached Moldova again this morning. Four Russian drones violated our airspace, and at least one exploded in the north. Russia’s war endangers all of Europe.'Earlier this week, the CIA warned of a Russian operation using seaborne drones against targets in Spain, France or Italy.The attacks would see Russia fire 600 km-range drones from commercial ships, hitting ports, airports and other infrastructure, according to El Mundo, the Spanish newspaper.