Lithuania: Military personnel, police officers banned from travelling to Russia, Belarus, China

The Lithuanian government has banned military staff, border guards, and police officers from travelling off-duty to Russia, Belarus, and China, BNS reports. The Defence Ministry noted that Russia, Belarus, and China posed threats to Lithuania’s national security, including through espionage. Intelligence authorities in the three countries collect information on Lithuanian citizens with access to classified information. Also, Russian and Belarusian intelligence and security services conduct “interrogations and provocations” against Lithuanian citizens, the ministry explained. Earlier, the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, passed amendments prohibiting military personnel and internal security officers from travelling to unfriendly countries.