The Baltic countries on Friday signed a deal pledging to jointly plan for mass evacuations as the specter of bellicose Russian President Vladimir Putin looms over the region.

The interior ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia committed to develop joint mass evacuation plans, streamline information exchange and ensure vulnerable groups are not left behind during evacuations.

Data will be shared on evacuation capacity, possible evacuation corridors and the status of key border crossings, as fears grow over the security situation in the Baltic region as Putin continues to wage war on Ukraine.  

“Clear procedures are crucial, as is the rapid exchange of information,” said Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič in a press release, adding that this would ensure a quick roll out of measures and ensure there is no panic before and during a crisis.

“It is important for the Baltic countries to maintain a unified approach and coordinate actions when threats arise in order to ensure the safety of our people — especially in the event of large-scale evacuation,” he said.  

The move comes ahead of Zapad 2025 — the joint military exercise between Moscow and Minsk — set to take place in Belarus this September. Allied officials are increasingly uneasy about the drills, which some see as a potential prelude to aggression.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned in a recent interview with Euronews that the exercises pose a real threat, noting that Zapad 2021 preceded Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The Baltic agreement follows a joint declaration made in late May by the interior and civil protection ministers from eight EU countries — Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden — calling for urgent additional measures to strengthen civil protection, preparedness and resilience both nationally and at the EU level.

The statement underscored that national security is not only about military readiness but also hinges on civil preparedness. The capacity to maintain internal stability and respond to a wide range of crises, from natural disasters to hybrid threats, is vital “to protect our citizens and to help them protect themselves, now and in the future,” the ministers wrote in the joint statement.