Lithuanian Army honours departing border guard chief Rustamas Liubajevas

The Lithuanian Army has presented an award to Rustamas Liubajevas, the departing head of the State Border Guard Service, LRT reported.

Army Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras announced the award on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, saying it recognised Liubajevas’s contribution to strengthening Lithuania’s security.

Vaikšnoras said the two men had first worked together in 2019, when he became commander of the Lithuanian Army’s Land Forces and Liubajevas took over as head of the State Border Guard Service.

“Our institutions now cooperate every day. Over all these years, I have come to know the general as a professional commander, a true Lithuanian patriot and a brother in arms,” Vaikšnoras wrote.

Liubajevas’s resignation followed reports of an incident involving border guards and migrants who had emerged from a tunnel. According to information reported by the news portal Lrytas, the incident involved a scuffle in which one Lithuanian officer was slapped. One border guard was also allegedly dragged towards Belarus but managed to break free.

Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said that, if the reports were confirmed, he would no longer see a possibility for Liubajevas to remain in office. At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Katelynas announced that Liubajevas was stepping down.

Some opposition representatives have suggested that the decision may have been made because of significant pressure from the interior minister.