Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT) has launched a pre-trial investigation after a Belarusian border guard illegally entered Lithuania’s territory for a short period of time on Wednesday.
“Yesterday afternoon, five Belarusian border guards were patrolling on their side near Švenčionys district, nothing out of the ordinary. But one of them briefly stepped into the territory of Lithuania,” Giedrius Mišutis, VSAT spokesperson, told BNS on Thursday.
He could not say whether the Belarusian border guard’s actions were intentional.
“He is an officer and knows all the procedures, all the rules. He could see where he was going as it was daytime. We cannot say it was unintentional,” Mišutis said, adding that it is the first time this year that a Belarusian officer has crossed the Lithuanian border.
“There have been only a few cases since 2021,” he said.
Under the Criminal Code, a person who illegally crosses the state border faces a fine, arrest, or imprisonment for up to two years.
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