Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda will propose to the Seimas to introduce stricter penalties for crimes against the state.
"The bill has been drafted in response to the information provided by national intelligence institutions on Russia's continued efforts to interfere in Lithuania's internal affairs with the aim of destabilising democratic processes," the statement reads.
Nausėda has proposed introducing life sentences for organising or taking part in a coup. Currently, the maximum prison penalty for this offence is 20 years. Longer prison terms are also proposed for being part of “anti-constitutional” as well as armed rebel groups.
Under the draft, heftier criminal liability would also apply for collecting classified information for a foreign intelligence service. Currently, the only offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Lithuania's intelligence institutions stated in their annual assessment of threats to national security, published earlier this year, that the Kremlin is seeking to maintain its influence in Lithuania.
According to Nausėda, there is a risk that both pro-Russian Lithuanian citizens and Russian citizens in Lithuania may challenge the state's authority. Belarus, whose intelligence services actively recruit Belarusian citizens coming to Lithuania, poses essentially similar threats, the president said.
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