In connection with the ongoing arrivals of meteorological balloons with contraband from Belarus to Lithuania, the head of the State Security Department (DGB) Remigijus Bridikis says that in this way the Minsk regime seeks to destabilize the situation in Lithuania.
"Threats are growing, we understand the effect they have on our decisions, our passengers, and the public. We are all on edge. I have no doubt that Belarus knows what is happening right now. They understand, and Minsk has a good grasp of the situation. But we cannot say for sure what the goal is in this case," said Bridikis to reporters after a meeting with the president on Monday.
"Yes, they want to destabilize us, but apparently destabilization as a means is not the only goal; there seem to be other objectives, but in this case, we cannot answer what they are," he noted, responding to a question about whether this is simply smuggling.
Bridikis claimed that Lithuanian intelligence is assisting agencies in preventing the aforementioned threats.
"We are doing what we always do. We participate in processes, take certain measures that allow us to understand the enemy's intentions. We have provided information to decision-makers, and I hope the decisions will be adequate," said the head of the DGB.
For her part, Prosecutor General Nida Grunskene declined to comment to reporters on whether the organizers of this destabilizing smuggling operate in Lithuania or Belarus.
"I would prefer not to comment for now, as I do not want to harm the pre-trial investigation," she said.
Grunskene added that the pre-trial investigation has not yet found any data indicating that the smuggling is related to anything other than organized crime seeking to profit from the illegal cigarette trade.
"I cannot say how many pre-trial investigations have been initiated; it seems to be around 13, but there are many episodes as the episodes are combined into these pre-trial investigations. In connection with recent events, separate pre-trial investigations have been initiated, we also have suspects, (...) and preventive measures have been chosen," said the prosecutor general.
Law enforcement representatives spoke out after Lithuanian airports were closed four times last week due to the launch of meteorological balloons from Belarus used to transport smuggled cigarettes. This affected more than 140 flights and over 20,000 passengers.
As a result, Lithuania temporarily closed the border crossing points "Mėdininkai" and "Šalčininkai."
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