LRT English Newsletter – August 18, 2023
As of today, Lithuania has closed down two out of six checkpoints on its border with Belarus, in Tverečius and Šumskas. The ostensible reason – security concerns over Wagner mercenaries stationed in the neighbouring country. However, officials have also hinted at other considerations, such as smuggling.
The two checkpoints are mostly used by ordinary travellers – as opposed to freight transport – who go to Belarus to shop, visit friends and family, or just see Belarus, making use of the visa-free regime introduced by Minsk a few years ago. This has irritated Lithuanian authorities that have been issuing advise against travelling to Belarus and even putting up posters saying “you may fail to come back”. The border guards said Belarusian intelligence services have been questioning and spying on Lithuanian travellers.
Not everyone, however, sees it in the same light, with some travellers feeling frustrated by the measures that will encumber their trips.
Meanwhile, the Baltic states and Poland are in talks on closing their border with Belarus completely. According to the Lithuanian interior minister, “a synchronous regional decision” may be worked out at the end of August in Warsaw. Lithuania’s military and the border guards will also hold drills to hash out response to “hybrid military threat”.
NOT WELCOME?
Restrictions on the Belarus border add to the tensions that may start affecting the Belarusian diaspora that has settled in Lithuania since the 2020 protests and the ensuing repressions. Some politicians propose that Belarusian citizens should be subject to the same kind of sanctions that now apply to Russians, which would limit their ability to come to Lithuania and buy property.
A number of Belarusian IT firms and over 5,000 IT professionals have settled in Lithuania over the last couple of years, some of them now consider leaving. MP Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the hawkish chairman of the National Security and Defence Committee, calls such talks “blackmail”, while the liberal Parliament Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said there was no need for additional restrictions on Belarusians.
WAGNER ANXIETY
Stoking the tensions are reports about Wagner activities in the NATO countries bordering Belarus. In Poland, stickers and recruitment materials were spotted in several cities, while Latvia’s security says there were attempts to recruit Latvian citizens to join the Russian mercenary group. Lithuania’s intelligence service, the VSD, says no similar incidents occurred in the country, but warns of a “coordinated information attack” that includes fake photos on social media and unsubstantiated reports about Wagner planning to attack NATO countries.
ORLEN DELIVERY
A massive 1,500-ton reactor – measuring 100 metres in length and 6.5 metres in width – is being transported 145 kilometres from the port of Klaipėda to the Orlen Lietuva oil refinery in Mažeikiai. This is the biggest operation of this kind in Lithuania ever and is a technical challenge. On Sunday, the reactor got stuck on a gravel road and further delays are expected due to this week’s heatwave.
DEPUTY MINISTERS DON’T DRINK-DRIVE
Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomėnas has handed in his resignation after being caught drink-driving on Saturday morning. The conservative politician – who was one of the faces of Lithuania’s confrontational policies vis-à-vis China – broke the news himself, with a post on his Facebook page.
EDITORS’ PICKS
– Lithuanians pride themselves on purportedly having a special insight into the workings of the Russian soul and, by extension, the Russian state. “I told you so” was uttered many a time following Moscow’s attack on Ukraine last year – but is this kind of boastfulness justified?
– The Lithuanian government is developing a new brand for the country’s exports. “Co-created in Lithuania” – to replace the old “Made in Lithuania” – will be offered to exporting firms, though business representatives are sceptical this kind of marketing will be of much use.
– Lesia Ogryzko, of Ukraine’s Center for Defence Strategies think tank, argues that Russia’s invasion was undergirded by “deep-rooted societal norms” rather than just Putin’s whims.
– Ukrainians in Lithuania complain that they have no way to develop their businesses because banks refuse to give them loans and government support is limited.
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Written by Justinas Šuliokas
Edited by Benas Gerdžiūnas
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