Lithuania’s intelligence agency on Thursday reported an active campaign by Belarus’s KGB to recruit Belarusians living abroad, including those residing in Lithuania.
According to the State Security Department (VSD), Belarusian intelligence officers are reaching out openly through social media and other digital platforms, attempting to enlist members of the Belarusian diaspora to spy on democratic movements and dissident communities.
“KGB officers, without hiding their affiliation, are contacting members of the Belarusian diaspora via social media and other communication tools, urging them to provide information about democratic movements, their activities, public sentiment, and other data of interest to the regime,” the VSD said in a statement.
Lithuanian authorities say Belarusians living in Lithuania, Poland, Georgia, and likely other countries have been among the main targets of these recruitment attempts.
In exchange for cooperation, the Belarusian government offers incentives such as financial compensation, new passports, permission to travel freely between Belarus and foreign countries, and safe return guarantees for those in exile.
“Frequently, the KGB also uses threats and intimidation during recruitment efforts – applying psychological pressure and warning that family members still in Belarus may suffer consequences,” the VSD said.
Lithuanian intelligence also warned that both Belarusian and Russian intelligence services are exploiting platforms like Telegram and other social media networks, often targeting users searching for quick jobs.
Some of these posts offer payment for participating in illegal activities designed to create tension between Lithuanian society and the Belarusian diaspora.
The VSD noted a recent increase in operations aimed at disrupting the work of the Vilnius-based office of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Authorities are urging Belarusian asylum seekers in Lithuania to reject these offers and reminding them that cooperating with hostile intelligence services could lead to criminal prosecution.
According to the Lithuanian Migration Department, more than 52,000 Belarusian citizens currently hold residence permits in Lithuania – a number that surged after the disputed August 2020 presidential election in Belarus, which sparked mass protests and government crackdowns under Alexander Lukashenko’s regime.
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