Lithuania declares state of emergency after Ukraine attacked

Helsinki: NATO member Lithuania, which has borders with Russian ally Belarus and Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, has declared a state of emergency effective early Thursday afternoon due to the situation in Ukraine. 

The decree signed Thursday by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda steps up border protection. It gives authorities, among other things, the right to check and inspect vehicles, persons and luggage in the border area. 

Lithuania also borders fellow NATO and European Union members Poland and Latvia. 

Russian troops attacked Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen.”

Meanwhile, Turkey has called on Russia to halt what it describes as “unfair and unlawful” actions in Ukraine. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement on Thursday said the Russian attacks were “unacceptable” and that Turkey “rejects” them. “This attack, beyond destroying the Minsk agreements, is a grave violation of international law and poses a serious threat to the security of our region and of the world,” the ministry statement said, referring to deals that aimed to restore peace in eastern Ukraine.