Lithuanian law enforcement authorities said Monday that technologies produced in the country with European Union funding may have been diverted to Russia and Belarus for use in their military industries.
“The investigation is examining several scenarios, including the possibility that equipment produced with EU funds was illegally exported to Belarus and Russia and used in their military industries,” Daugilas Razauskas, head of a special investigations unit at the Financial Crime Investigation Service, told reporters in Vilnius.
Several Belarusian, Russian, and Lithuanian citizens were detained last week on suspicion of acting as part of an organised criminal group, Razauskas said.
European Delegated Prosecutor Darius Karčinskas said five individuals and one company have been formally notified of suspicion. One suspect remains in custody, two are under lighter restrictive measures, and two individuals are being sought. All Belarusian and Russian nationals involved held residence permits in Lithuania.
More than ten searches were carried out across Lithuania, including at homes, workplaces, companies, and vehicles, as part of the investigation.
“Companies operating in Lithuania were engaged in this activity but were in fact run by the detained individuals, who are Belarusian and Russian citizens,” Razauskas said.
Authorities said the companies under investigation received EU funding and produced equipment intended for navigation and satellite systems. These firms have been identified as posing a threat to national security.
“The company in question signed a contract with the European Space Agency for a European Union-funded project aimed at developing high-precision navigation equipment designed to determine exact coordinates. This equipment is intended for use in precision agriculture but can clearly also be used as dual-use goods and in the military industry,” Karčinskas said.
Investigators determined that the company was effectively run by Belarusian nationals, and that most employees involved in both the project and company operations were citizens of Belarus, carrying out project activities remotely from Belarus.
The project is valued at 1.1 million euros, with more than 745,000 euros financed by the European Space Agency. The company has received more than 447,000 euros in funding so far.
Law enforcement authorities said they are taking procedural measures to secure potential compensation for damages.
The pre-trial investigation is being coordinated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, with intelligence and criminal investigations carried out by Lithuania’s State Security Department and the Financial Crime Investigation Service.
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