Minister warns tunnels may pose risks beyond smuggling

Lithuania’s defence minister Robertas Kaunas says underground tunnels found near the Lithuanian and Latvian borders may be used for purposes beyond smuggling, prompting closer cooperation with the Interior Ministry, LRT reported.

“They may not necessarily be used only for smuggling, and this raises additional questions and risks for us,” Kaunas told reporters on Friday. He said cooperation with the Interior Ministry was being strengthened and would continue to expand.

In early August, Lithuanian border guards found a third tunnel near Latežeris, a village in Druskininkai Municipality. The tunnel had been dug about 1.5 metres below a physical border barrier and was believed to have been intended for illegal migration from Belarus.

Latvian officials found their first such tunnel on Tuesday. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius warned that underground tunnels could become a new form of illegal migration and other potentially dangerous activity. He said Lithuania also needed to seek technological solutions to prevent such threats.

This year, Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service has recorded 12 attempts to enter the country through underground tunnels. Its commander, Rustamas Liubajevas, said Belarusian regime officials were helping migrants dig tunnels several dozen metres long.