Lithuania prepared for border threats following Latvia incident, Katelynas says

VILNIUS - Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said on Wednesday that Lithuania was prepared to repel any attempt by armed escorts to enter the country from Belarus, following a recent incident on the Latvian border.

"I must admit, such an incident is an additional escalation that raises concerns it could also happen at our borders, but we are prepared for it and I truly believe we will deal with all hybrid threats," Katelynas told reporters on Wednesday.

According to the minister, Lithuania has not yet experienced incidents such as those in the neighbouring country.

On Monday, a group of at least 20 illegal migrants, led by masked and armed escorts, attempted to cross the Latvian-Belarusian border. The Latvian military stopped the attempt. According to Latvian officials, the escorts threatened soldiers and pushed the migrants towards Latvia.

A few hours later, masked individuals also entered Latvian territory, damaged an electrical distribution board and stole video cameras before retreating to Belarus.

The Latvian military said the incident demonstrated ongoing targeted provocations and hybrid threats, with illegal migration being used as a tool to pressure Latvia as well as the external borders of the European Union and NATO.

Katelynas stressed that Lithuania has already prepared legal regulations that will give officers more options to use weapons when protecting the state border. However, the minister also said that decisions must be aimed at de-escalation, and specific actions in each situation must be chosen by officers.

According to the State Border Guard Service, no illegal migrants were recorded at the Lithuanian border with Belarus over the past 24 hours, while Latvian border guards turned away 21 migrants on Tuesday.