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The presidents of Lithuania and Latvia warned that Russia is planning attacks on critical energy and transport infrastructure in the Baltic states or Poland, citing intelligence that the planning is being directed from Moscow.

This comes as US Vice President JD Vance claimed Jeffrey Epstein had connections to the highest levels of American and Israeli intelligence, and as a Pew survey found China now viewed more favourably than the US across major countries.

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5️⃣ 🇨🇳🇺🇸 China overtakes US in global favourability, Pew finds: More people held favourable views of China than the US in 25 of the 36 countries and territories surveyed by the Pew Research Center, a reversal researchers linked in part to tensions between the Trump administration and US allies. It is the first time in roughly 20 years of Pew polling that China has been viewed more positively than the US, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping also seen more favourably than US President Donald Trump in 22 of the countries, though confidence in both leaders remained low.

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🇱🇹🇱🇻🇷🇺 Baltic leaders warn Russia is planning infrastructure attacks

The presidents of Lithuania and Latvia warned that Russia is planning attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic states or Poland, citing intelligence reports.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the targets included energy and transport facilities where damage could disrupt an entire energy system, and that the planning was taking place "at the highest level, effectively in Moscow."

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland must prepare for provocations as Russia seeks to "test" NATO's mutual defence pact, and could indirectly probe Article 5 even without a total Ukrainian victory.

The warnings follow a series of incidents that Baltic and Polish officials have already linked to Russia, including arson, cyberattacks and railway diversions, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warning last month that various types of escalation could be expected.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the claims as "scare stories" designed to prepare the population for further militarisation.

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