Kaunas says Lithuania’s border remains calm as monitoring continues

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the situation at the country’s border was calm and being monitored, LRT reported, after Poland said it had prevented a possible provocation near its border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region.

Lithuania is using its armed forces to support the interior ministry in protecting the border, Kaunas told reporters in parliament. He said movement at the Polish border appeared to have been greater than in Lithuania, but Polish authorities had dealt with it.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said people carrying flashlights had been seen in the border area overnight on Tuesday and that Polish border guards had prevented an incident. He did not confirm that it was an attempted provocation. Tusk has warned in recent months that Russia could be preparing a more serious hybrid attack against a NATO country.

Lithuania is discussing whether to extend the armed forces’ support for the State Border Guard Service. The current decision runs until mid-November, and Kaunas said a decision on any extension would be made soon based on information from security and intelligence agencies.

The additional border protection was introduced in October and later extended until mid-November. The measures followed an incident in which a group of migrants accompanied by armed people tried to cross the Latvia-Belarus border illegally, as well as concerns about the wider regional security situation. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said this week that Lithuania planned to continue using up to 100 soldiers for border protection.