After Minsk has extended visa-free travel to Lithuanians, Belarusian opposition activists in Vilnius urge them not to go, saying they could be tracked by intelligence agencies and used for propaganda.
Speaking with BNS on Tuesday, Valery Kavaleuski, the head of the office of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, said Belarus was offering visa-free travel for a number of purposes: to provide financial support to the country’s economy hit by Western sanctions, to exploit it for propaganda purposes, and to ultimately gather intelligence from Lithuanian travellers.
“You need to understand that when you go there, the special services assess you in their own way, they will think how to use you to influence your countries. This could include conversations about how bad things are with you, but there could also be recruitment attempts because they need agents,” Kavaleuski said.
By offering visa-free travel to Lithuanians and Latvians, Minsk also expects an inflow of funds, he said.
“After all, he did not invite you because you are bringing in some of your European values and respect for democracy. He wants you to come and leave your money. The money that you buy petrol, diesel or any other product with, because it is cheaper there, and this money is going to support the regime,” he said.
The Belarusian authorities particularly welcome Westerners buying Belarusian tobacco products in large quantities in order to transport them illegally. According to Kavaleuski, this contrasts sharply with Lithuania’s and Latvia’s vocal support for Ukraine.
In his words, Minsk is also exploiting the situation for active propaganda, stating that many Lithuanians are allegedly coming to Belarus because of poverty.
“Lukashenko himself says: ‘They have gone completely poor there, they have nothing left – no buckwheat, no salt. Come to Belarus, we will feed you.’ […] Propaganda starts mocking Lithuanians and Latvians, portraying you as beggars who are begging, who have nothing to eat in Lithuania and Latvia,” he said.
In mid-April, Minsk introduced a one-month visa-free scheme for Lithuanian and Latvian citizens. Lithuania’s State Security Department subsequently warned people that Russian and Belarusian intelligence services were stepping up their efforts to recruit Lithuanian citizens.
The visa-free regime has now been extended until the end of this year.
Lithuanian intelligence services say that when selecting a potential target, the Belarusians are looking for people able to collect and provide information, but also with personal vulnerabilities to exploit.
The Belarusian State Border Committee reported on its website on Monday that 22,454 Lithuanian citizens have made use of the visa-free regime so far this month.
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