Russia Threatens to Target Lithuania with Nuclear Weapons if NATO Arms are Stationed There

Russia has threatened to direct its nuclear warheads towards Lithuania if the Baltic nation hosts weapons from the nuclear arsenal of its allies within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance.

As reported by AFP on Saturday (12/9/2026), the threat was issued by Moscow after Lithuanian authorities sought to lift the constitutional ban on the storage of nuclear weapons within the country. This move is part of an effort to strengthen its security posture amidst the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The decision is currently being processed in the Lithuanian parliament, where a two-thirds majority of members is required to pass the measure. If approved, the move could take effect as early as this winter. The proposal has already gained support from the President and major political parties in Lithuania.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, when asked about Lithuania’s plan, stated that it would represent a “very serious development in terms of the escalation of tensions”.

Peskov subsequently issued a threat that Russian nuclear weapons could also be directed at Lithuania if the country hosts nuclear weapons from NATO allies. “If there are nuclear weapons in that territory directed at us, then the territory of that country will also become a target of our own nuclear weapons,” Peskov asserted in a statement on Friday (11/9) local time.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced the plan last July, stating at the time that his country wishes to become an “inseparable part of this nuclear deterrence”.