Eastern Europe tensions rise amid border tunnels and infrastructure strikes

Tensions are escalating in Eastern Europe due to hybrid warfare tactics and infrastructure strikes. In Lithuania, authorities have discovered 12 tunnels used by migrants to bypass border fences from Belarus. Lithuanian officials, including State Border Guard Service Commander Rustamas Liubajevas, suggest these costly and difficult operations likely receive logistical support from Belarusian authorities to maintain high border tensions.

Simultaneously, Russian forces attacked the Maiaki road bridge on the M-15 Odesa–Reni route in Ukraine. This bridge is a critical link for goods traveling through southern Ukraine toward Moldova and Romania. The strike follows an intensification of Russian attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicates this may be a strategic move to disrupt land-based grain exports after maritime transport capacity was reduced by attacks in the Black Sea.