Lithuanian-made technologies may have been used in Russia's military industry

VILNIUS - Technologies produced in Lithuania with European Union funding may have been used in the military industries of Russia and Belarus, Lithuanian law enforcement authorities said on Monday.

"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 organized criminal group, he said.

European Delegated Prosecutor Darius Karcinskas said five individuals and one company have been formally notified of suspicion.

One suspect is currently in custody, two others have been placed under lighter restrictive measures, and two individuals are being sought, Karcinskas said, adding that 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.

He said companies that received EU funding and came under investigation produced various equipment intended for navigation and satellite systems. The companies have been identified by authorities 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," Karcinskas said.

He said investigators established that the company was effectively run by Belarusian nationals and that most employees involved in both the project and the company's operations were citizens of Belarus. Project activities were carried out remotely by these individuals from Belarus.

According to the prosecutor, the project is valued at 1.1 million euros, with more than 745,000 euros financed by the European Space Agency.

The company has so far received more than 447,000 euros in funding.

Law enforcement authorities said they are applying 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 intelligence operations carried out by Lithuania's State Security Department and the Financial Crime Investigation Service.