Lithuanian agencies test response to radioactive rail smuggling

Lithuanian agencies held a joint tactical exercise on Wednesday to test their response to radioactive materials being smuggled by rail and to radiological contamination, LRT reported.

The exercise, called Gamma Shield 2026, took place at the Kena railway border checkpoint in Vilnius district. Organised by the State Border Guard Service, it also tested officials’ ability to protect and evacuate a person under the protection of the VIP Protection Service during an incident.

Participants from the border guard, VIP Protection Service, Radiation Protection Centre, Fire and Rescue Department and Emergency Medical Service practised radiation checks, specialist inspections, protection of the person under guard, preliminary investigative actions, decontamination and emergency medical care. Police, customs, Lithuanian Railways and representatives of the US Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence program also took part.

Officials used fixed and portable dosimetry equipment and personal protective gear, set up a decontamination point, treated actors playing injured people and carried out initial investigative procedures. The secondary cleanup of contaminated infrastructure was discussed in a tabletop exercise with specialists from the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant.

Organisers said the exercise followed radiation safety requirements. It used controlled sources and environmentally safe fluorescent materials, posing no threat to nearby residents or traffic. The aim was to ensure services could respond quickly and in coordination to radiological and nuclear threats at the European Union’s external border.