Lithuania weighs extending Kaliningrad border security through November

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said Lithuania is considering extending heightened security along its border with the Kaliningrad region until the end of November, LRT reported. He said a decision would be based on military advice.

“There have been discussions with the defence minister. He will likely rely on the army’s assessments and proposals,” Sinkevičius told journalists. He said the extension was being considered, but the defence minister would assess whether it was necessary. The decision, he added, would be based on military advice, not political will.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said several weeks ago that officials were discussing whether to extend support from the Lithuanian Armed Forces to the State Border Guard Service, Lithuania’s border agency, to maintain heightened security along the border with the Kaliningrad region.

In October, Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas announced that the military would help strengthen border security there. The heightened measures were later extended until mid-November.

Katelynas said the measures followed an incident in which a group of migrants escorted by armed people tried to cross the Latvia-Belarus border illegally. Authorities also cited the broader regional security situation and indications that Russia could announce mobilisation. He said Lithuania planned to continue using the same number of troops for border security, up to 100.