Russia could use Ukrainian drones in false-flag strike against Baltic infrastructure - Lithuania R
Lithuania has intelligence indicating that Russia may use Ukrainian-made drones to stage false flag-style attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, Lithuanian Defense Minister Robert Kaunas told local outlet 15min on Aug. 6.
Kaunas said Russian authorities are considering "unconventional kinetic attacks" against critical infrastructure in the Baltics and could use Ukrainian-produced drones to disguise responsibility. His comments come amid heightened regional tensions following multiple drone incidents involving both Ukrainian long-range drones diverted off course and suspected Russian drones operating near NATO airspace.
The warning follows a reported attack by an unidentified first-person-view (FPV) drone on a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Germany's Leipzig airport on Aug. 5. Throughout 2026, several Ukrainian long-range drones targeting Russian infrastructure have strayed into the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, reportedly after being diverted by Russian GPS jamming and spoofing. In some cases, the drones crashed or exploded after crossing the border.
Kaunas also pointed to previous incidents in which Russia allegedly tested NATO's response with drone incursions, including a September 2025 episode in which 21 drones entered Polish airspace. He argued that as Russian advances in Ukraine slow and domestic pressure mounts over the lack of a decisive victory, the Kremlin may seek escalation elsewhere. According to Kaunas, the Baltic states and Poland could become targets for provocations, a concern that has also been echoed by officials in both Lithuania and Poland in recent weeks.
Russian authorities organized the deportation of teenagers from occupied Luhansk Oblast to Penza Oblast for a military-patriotic training course
Russian federal and regional authorities have transferred teenagers from occupied Luhansk Oblast to Russia's Penza Oblast to participate in Gvardeets-2026, a federally sponsored military-patriotic training camp aimed at preparing young people for military service.
According to the Penza regional government, the camp runs from Aug. 1–21 and brings together 280 teenagers divided into 15 teams, including one from occupied Luhansk Oblast. The program focuses on military training, patriotic education, and career guidance. Participants have met with Russian veterans and soldiers who fought in Ukraine, who encouraged them to join the Russian military. The teenagers have also received instruction in drone assembly and operation.
Photos released from the camp show participants wearing military-style uniforms and interacting with Russian service members. Penza authorities said the program is being held under Russia's federal "Youth and Children" initiative, launched by President Vladimir Putin in 2025, which promotes military-patriotic education among young people, including children from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Russia is deporting female Ukrainian political prisoners from occupied penal colonies to Russia, violating international law
Russia continues to transfer Ukrainian female political prisoners from detention facilities in occupied territories to prisons inside Russia, a practice that human rights groups say violates international law.
According to the occupied Crimea-based monitoring group Crimean Tribunal, Russian authorities recently transferred Crimean Tatar political prisoner Niyara Ersmambetova from a detention center in occupied Simferopol to a penal colony in Russia's Republic of Mordovia. Ersmambetova was sentenced by a Russian occupation court to 15 years in prison in November 2025 on high treason charges.
Human rights organizations have documented similar cases involving Crimean Tatar women and other Ukrainian political prisoners, many of whom have been moved to prisons deep inside Russia. Moscow began transferring political prisoners from occupied Crimea after its 2014 annexation of the peninsula and has significantly expanded the practice since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russia has frequently used treason, terrorism, and espionage charges against residents of occupied territories, particularly Crimean Tatars. Human rights advocates argue that the transfer of civilians from occupied Ukrainian territories to prisons in Russia violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the deportation of protected civilians from occupied territory.