Lithuania has upped the readiness of troops that are deployed on the border with Belarus, the country’s Defence Ministry said on Monday.
According to the ministry, this has reduced the reaction time of troops that are drafted to assist the border guards and other officers at the country’s border with Belarus. Some troops have also been redeployed to locations closer to the border.
“This situation is not a military invasion or a direct threat to the country’s territorial integrity,” Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys said in the statement. “This is illegal migration organised [by the Minsk regime] against our country.”
“Institutions under the Interior Ministry are reacting to it, while the Lithuanian military maintains one of its peacetime functions and supports the Interior Ministry's units,” he said.
As of November 8, some 1,200 troops are assisting officers on the border with Belarus.
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