An American soldier was arrested in Britain on suspicion of spying for Russia

London police announced the arrest of a 41-year-old American soldier, on Tuesday, in southwest England on suspicion of spying for Russia, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.

Assistant Police Commissioner Vicky Evans said in a statement, “This arrest and this wide-ranging investigation are the result of close cooperation between the British and American authorities,” while US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel spoke of an “important arrest” against the backdrop of “espionage accusations.”

The authorities in Lithuania and Latvia, the two republics located in the Baltic region, announced today, Tuesday, that they will conduct their first joint exercises to evacuate residents across the border and receive them in the neighboring country, according to what the German News Agency reported.

The exercises included simulating the escalation of an unspecified threat in the Baltic region, which required the organized evacuation of residents from Šiauliai in northern Lithuania to Kekava, located just south of Riga.

Last week, a simulation of a precautionary evacuation was conducted from Daugavpils in Latvia to Pasvalis in Lithuania. In both exercises, residents were transported by buses across the border to towns in the neighboring country.

Authorities said the drills were being conducted to test evacuation plans and cooperate in responding to actual threats. Emergency services explained that they will evaluate the results to use them to improve existing procedures.

Emergency services confirmed that the training exercises were planned in advance and were not linked to any change in the security situation or any specific threat.

The training included all stages of the cross-border evacuation process; From identifying residents, registering them, and organizing their departure from one of the two countries, all the way to receiving them and temporarily housing them in the neighboring country.

Particular attention was paid to the groups most at risk. About 100 volunteers participated in the two training.

Lithuania and Latvia, members of NATO and the European Union, have been feeling threatened since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, due to their exposed positions on the alliance's eastern flank. Since then, the two countries have strengthened their defense capabilities.

French authorities said on Tuesday that international donors have pledged 303 million euros ($338 million) to repair the protective casing covering the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine, which was damaged by a drone attack in early 2025. According to what was reported by the German News Agency.

The funding was announced during an international donor conference in Paris, held in conjunction with a meeting of G7 foreign ministers.

The French Finance Ministry said 14 countries and organizations had made pledges, including significant contributions from Germany, the United States and the European Union.

The Ministry did not provide details about the value of each donor’s contribution.

More pledges are expected in the coming months, including from Greece and the Netherlands.

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider recently said that Berlin intends to provide 50 million euros for repair work.

The casing, designed to contain radiation and ensure the safety of the site, required extensive repairs following the drone attack. The station's management estimates the cost of these repairs at approximately 500 million euros.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the drone was Russian.

It is noteworthy that on April 26, 1986, a safety test at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union, went out of control, causing a catastrophic accident at the reactor.

Radioactive clouds spread over parts of northern and western Europe, and their concentration decreased the further they traveled.