VILNIUS - Lithuania has decided to reduce the level of physical protection for Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in Vilnius, the public broadcaster LRT's news websites reports on Tuesday.
This information has been confirmed to the website by Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys.
According to the LRT report, following the latest decision, the Criminal Police Bureau replaced the Dignitary Protection Service as the agency in charge of Tsikhanouskaya's protection, and the CPB will protect her not as a head of state, but as a person who may objectively face certain threats.
Although no official comments have been made on this decision, its implementation began on October 1, with a transition period until November.
"In order not to compromise the security of the protected person, we cannot comment publicly on this matter, nor can we confirm or deny any issues related to the strengthening or reduction of security measures. The security measures applied by the service are classified information, which we cannot comment on publicly," Paulius Nemira, the first deputy director of the Dignitary Protection Service, told the LRT website.
Since arriving in Lithuania in 2020, Tsikhanouskaya has been under round-the-clock protection by DPS officers. According to LRT sources, her protection and additional expenses cost the state around 1 million euros per year, including round-the-clock physical protection in Lithuania and abroad, cars for security, maintenance of her place of residence, and use of VIP terminals at airports.
The use of VIP terminal by Tsikhanouskaya cost 129,000 euros last year, up from 92,000 euros in 2023.
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