The Lithuanian government on Wednesday banned members of professional military service, as well as border guards and police officers from travelling off-duty to Russia, Belarus, and China.
The Defence Ministry says the list of the countries is based on an assessment of risks and threats to national security.
“The National Security Strategy states that the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, and the People’s Republic of China pose threats to the security of Lithuania and its citizens, including espionage against Lithuania by the countries’ intelligence and security services,” the draft resolution reads.
According to the ministry, these countries collect information on Lithuanian citizens who have the right to access classified information, look for their vulnerabilities, and seek to exploit them for recruitment purposes in their territory or third countries.
Moreover, Russian and Belarusian intelligence and security services conduct “interrogations and provocations’ against Lithuanian citizens who enter their territories, it adds.
Permission to travel to these countries could be granted in cases of critical conditions or death of close relatives and spouses and when it is necessary to exercise one’s parental or guardian rights and duties or deal with property rights issues.
In late 2023, the parliament passed legislative amendments prohibiting professional military personnel and internal service system officers from travelling to unfriendly countries and tasked the government with compiling a list of such states.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
