Manual on what to do in case of war distributed to Lithuanian schools

Some 2,000 copies of “What Should We Know About Preparations for Extreme Situations and War” were handed over to the Education Supply Centre on Wednesday. The centre will deliver them to school libraries.

Marius Jatautas, director of the Mobilization and Civil Resistance Department, says the publications will reach all schools in 60 municipalities.

“Across Lithuania, all schools will receive them 100 percent, as the Mobilization Department is responsible for mobilizing all municipalities,” Jatautas told journalists.

In his words, Lithuania should prepare for possible foreign aggression after the developments in Ukraine, as the “security situation is very fragile”.

“The whole world was living in a dream that war was not possible. The publication is like vaccination. If you have the vaccination, we will face the disease calmly,” Jatautas said.

Viktoras Blinovas, director of the Baltupiai progymnasium in Vilnius, said the publication will benefit schools.

“It seems to me that the book and its content will benefit adults, teachers, school principals, as we are responsible for health and lives of children at the times they are in school. (…) Therefore, we have to be ready for unexpected cases of threat to children, teachers and the society,” Blinovas said.

The 98-page book contains scores of practical advise, starting with equipping a shelter in the basement to advise on what people should do in case of explosion or if they are taken hostage.

“Don’t panic and stay calm. Shots fired outside the window is not the end of the world,” reads the book.

In case of a war, civilian residents are advised to evacuate or purchase a weapon for self-defence, if evacuation is impossible.

Defence Minister Juozas Olekas told BNS that “the book satisfies the needs of people who, after the Russian aggression in Ukraine, started inquiring about what they should do in case of similar developments in Lithuania.”