Perkūno griausmas 2026: Lithuania's nationwide armed-defence exercise
Perkūno griausmas 2026 (Lithuanian for "Perkūnas's thunder") is Lithuania's state armed-defence exercise, announced on 15 September 2026. Dates: 17 September – 15 October 2026. The aim, per Defence Staff chief Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas: to rehearse the shift from peacetime to crisis, reinforce the border and critical infrastructure, react quickly to asymmetric threats and work with NATO's JFC Brunssum. The exercise was planned in advance and, in the Staff's own words, "is not a direct response" to the September 2026 drone incidents.
Key facts
- Dates: 17 September – 15 October 2026; announced 15 September (LRT/BNS, Lrytas). No change reported.
- Scale: up to 2,400 active-reserve troops called to units in September–October; more than 5,000 further reservists to be contacted to update records. On the start day jp.lt additionally named about 4,200 Lithuanian Armed Forces troops in September–October (this figure was not in national LRT/BNS copy on 15 September).
- Participants: Lithuanian Armed Forces, military commandant's offices, the Interior Ministry, the National Crisis Management Centre, NATO JFC Brunssum; the strategic headquarters is headed by the Commander-in-Chief, President Gitanas Nausėda (Lrytas). Allied contingents other than the NATO staff are not named.
- Location: the municipalities of Kaunas district, Pakruojis, Telšiai, Anykščiai, Švenčionys, Tauragė, Kazlų Rūda, Vilkaviškis, Pagėgiai and Ignalina; the Kybartai and Nida border posts; the Klaipėda LNG terminal, the ship "Independence" and Klaipėda port.
- Run by: the Lithuanian Armed Forces / Defence Staff.
What is practised
The shift from peace to crisis (including an emergency-situation scenario), activation of peacetime-task units and rapid-reaction watches, filling units to wartime structure with reservists, commandant's offices working with municipalities, border and critical-infrastructure protection, hybrid and cyber threats, unmanned systems, and staff interaction with JFC Brunssum.
How it unfolded
- 15.09 — the Defence Staff presents the exercise to journalists; Premeneckas stresses that it was planned in advance.
- 17.09 — start on the announced timetable (jp.lt, morning of 17 September). jp.lt also writes that the exercise is run together with the NATO CPX Steadfast Duel 2026; no separate NATO start dates appear in open start-day reporting.
Why it matters for the Baltics
The exercise adds Lithuanian mobilisation density in the autumn alongside the already running Strong Griffin 2026 (to 20 September) and Latvia's Namejs 2026 (to 8 October). Digests score it as a defensive, pre-announced factor, partly self-stabilising because the Staff said outright it is not a response to September's drones. No Russian or Belarusian reaction by name had been recorded when this page was opened.
Frequently asked questions
When is Perkūno griausmas 2026?
From 17 September to 15 October 2026, on dates announced on 15 September 2026.
Where is Perkūno griausmas 2026 held?
In ten Lithuanian municipalities, at the Kybartai and Nida border posts, at the Klaipėda LNG terminal and port, and on the ship "Independence".
How many troops take part in Perkūno griausmas 2026?
Up to 2,400 active reservists are called to units; more than 5,000 reservists are contacted to update records. jp.lt on the start day additionally named about 4,200 Lithuanian Armed Forces troops; there is no second national source for that figure on the start day.
Is this a response to the drone shot down on 15 September?
According to the Defence Staff chief, no: the exercise was planned in advance and "is not a direct response" to the current threat level.
Sources
- LRT / BNS — main report, 15 September 2026
- Lrytas — dates, geography, JFC Brunssum interaction
- jp.lt (BNS reprint)
This page is kept with the daily digests; the related-issue list above updates automatically.