Katelynas has no candidate or date for new border guard chief

Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas says Lithuania has neither found a permanent head for the State Border Guard Service nor set a date for the appointment, LRT reported.

“The candidate has not yet been found, and the time of the appointment has also not yet been set,” Katelynas said this week when asked whether candidates were being considered.

Deputy head Donatas Škarnulis is temporarily leading the service after the government decided last week to dismiss Rustamas Liubajevas as its chief.

The head of the State Border Guard Service is appointed and dismissed by the government on the recommendation of the interior minister.

Katelynas announced on August 17 that Liubajevas had decided to step down. Some opposition politicians suggested the decision may have resulted from strong pressure by the interior minister.

Liubajevas wrote on the service’s Facebook account that he had decided to resign in response to doubts expressed publicly about the institution and because he felt responsible “both for the institution’s successes and failures.”

Liubajevas was first appointed head of the service in 2019, when he was granted the rank of general. He was appointed to a second term in 2024.

ELTA reported that media had published information about a confrontation between border guards and migrants who emerged from a tunnel. One Lithuanian officer was reportedly roughed up, while another border guard was allegedly dragged towards Belarus before managing to break free.

The Lrytas news portal reported the information on Friday, citing sources. Katelynas said that if the information were confirmed, he would no longer see a possibility for Liubajevas to remain in the post.