Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT) has received 194 asylum applications so far in 2023, BNS reports. Among them were 40 Iraqis, 34 Belarusians, 18 Afghans, 17 Russians, and 13 Syrians. The applications were submitted at border checkpoints or after crossing the border illegally. Most of those who entered Lithuania illegally were Belarusian citizens. In…
A Russian army lieutenant who took part in Russia’s war in Ukraine has fled to Lithuania and applied for asylum, TV3 reports. He was detained at Vilnius bus station, after which he applied for asylum. Earlier, the man had crossed the border from Belarus but was pushed back by border guards. In June 2023, a…
Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT) will deploy more officers to the country’s border with Belarus in response to the threat posed by the presence of Russian private military company Wagner Group’s mercenaries in Belarus, BNS reports. VSAT commander Rustamas Liubajevas refused to disclose how many additional officers would be deployed to the border, however….
Lithuania has deemed 1,164 Belarusian and Russian nationals a threat to national security, according to the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), BNS reports. Altogether 910 Belarusian and 254 Russian citizens were denied residence permits or visas after the introduction of a mandatory questionnaire, which includes questions on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Lithuania restricted the…
Belarusian security services continue their malign activities on the border with Latvia, Guntis Pujats, head of the Latvian State Border Guard (VRS), announced, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with LTV, Pujats said that Belarusian security services were actively involved in damaging Latvia’s border infrastructure to enable the illegal entry of migrants into the country….
Lithuania will close two of its six border checkpoints with Belarus following the arrival of Russian private military company Wagner Group’s mercenaries in Belarus, Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius announced, BNS reports. He said that the plan was to close the Sumskas and Tverecius border checkpoints. Saulius Nekrasevicius, deputy director of the State Border Guard…
The number of foreign citizens living in Lithuania totalled 195,500 at the end of the first half of 2023, which was an increase of more than 6,000 from 189,411 in the beginning of 2023, according to the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), BNS reports. Foreigners accounted for 6.83% of the total population, which was up from…
The Baltic electricity transmission system operators have signed an agreement on the synchronisation of the Baltic power grids with the continental European system, The Baltic Times reports. Under the agreement, Estonia’s Elering, Latvia’s Augstsprieguma Tikls (AST), and Lithuania’s Litgrid will disconnect from the Russian-controlled BRELL system and connect to the continental European grid in February…
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has handed in a diplomatic note to Belarus following the launch of the second power unit of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelAES) in Astravyets, BNS reports. Lithuania urged Belarus not to operate the second unit until all safety problems have been resolved. The Foreign Ministry noted that Belarus had failed to…