Russia’s mercenary group Wagner may try to test Western defence mechanisms by attacking the Baltic states, Kęstutis Budrys, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief national security advisor, has said.
“Yes, they can test the [West’s] response mechanisms and give the Kremlin a political opportunity to say that it has nothing to do with that. As is happening in Africa,” Budrys said in an interview with the delfi.lt news website when asked if Russia could carry out provocations in the Baltics using mercenary groups.
The Wagner mercenary group has been involved in the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Wagner is also increasingly present in Africa, with Western countries saying the group has deployed its mercenaries in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, and Mali.
Responding to Budrys' comments, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that there’s no intelligence data on a possible Russian attack.
“We don’t have data that would allow us to say that Lithuania is in any danger. When reading this, people should understand that there’s no direct threat to Lithuania at the border at the moment,” Landsbergis told reporters in Brussels on Monday.
However, he noted that the danger remains real because the situation may change.
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