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Lithuania Designs Power Substation Near Russia to Withstand Multiple Shahed Drone Attacks
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Lithuania is preparing enhanced defenses against military drones and sabotage at a future power substation near Russia’s Kaliningrad region, Reuters reported on September 22.
The planned Gizai substation, located about 30 kilometers west of Kaliningrad, will be equipped with reinforced fencing designed to withstand an explosives-laden vehicle, sensors capable of detecting tunnels potentially dug by hostile actors, and concrete protective structures around transformers to limit damage from drone attacks.
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“Previously, when designing our grid, we planned for natural disasters. Now, we think about all possible hybrid and non-hybrid threats", Litgrid CEO Andrius Semeskevicius told Reuters.
The facility will be the first new substation of its kind built in the region since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It will form part of infrastructure intended to maintain a stable electricity supply to the Baltic states in the event of a wider conflict.
Gizai will also serve as a key node of Harmony Link, an electricity interconnection with Poland that will further integrate the Baltic power grids with the rest of the European Union. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania disconnected from the Russian-controlled electricity system in 2025.
The infrastructure will run through the Suwalki Gap, a narrow corridor between Russia’s Kaliningrad region and Belarus that connects Poland with Lithuania and has long been regarded by NATO as a strategically sensitive area.
Security concerns surrounding the region have intensified following sabotage attacks against Germany’s electricity grid this month, which Berlin blamed on Moscow. Russia denied involvement. Reuters also reported in August, citing intelligence sources, that regional governments were concerned Russia could stage a false flag drone attack aimed at testing NATO unity.
“For Lithuania, this line is absolutely crucial, it's their lifeline if the system collapses," an official from a regional grid company told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "The timing of this decision is linked to increasing tensions in the region and rising threats of sabotage.”
The Gizai substation will cover approximately 35 hectares, with equipment distributed across the site to limit the damage a single military drone strike could cause. Buildings will also be positioned at a sufficient distance from the perimeter to provide additional protection against attacks from outside the facility.
"We are designing Gizai for a new reality... we are protecting ourselves from multiple Shahed drones, which could crash-land with 100 kilograms of explosives", Semeskevicius said.
Protecting the substation’s transformers will require specially reinforced concrete rather than conventional construction materials, Semeskevicius said.
“We cannot use simple concrete, it needs to be custom-made, for stronger resistance”, he said, adding that the material incorporates plastic fibers to reinforce the concrete and prevent it from crumbling.
Lithuania’s efforts to strengthen its critical infrastructure come alongside broader preparations for potential security threats. The country has also developed a comprehensive population evacuation plan in the event of a military threat.
As part of those preparations, Poland’s Podlaskie Voivodeship is coordinating arrangements to serve as a transit corridor for residents evacuating from the Baltic states.
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