Lithuania warns citizens against traveling to Russia, Belarus over security concerns

September 14, BPN. Lithuanian nationals are potential targets for Russian and Belarusian intelligence services and should to avoid travel to both countries unless absolutely necessary, Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) said on its website.

The VSD cited a case of a Lithuanian arrested in Russia over alleged violations of the border zone regulations. He was reportedly handcuffed, blindfolded, beaten and interrogated about his family, job, attitude to Russia and the war in Ukraine, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and friends in social networks. The man was held in Russia for about two weeks and barred from entering Russia for five years.

Lithuanian special services do not rule out that he was mistreated because he supported Ukraine in social media.

Belarus introduced visa waiver for Lithuania and Latvia on April 15, and for Poland, on July 1. A total of 149,413 Lithuanians, 6,792 Poles, 58,945 Latvians and 17,979 Latvia’s aliens entered Belarus without a visa. Aliens (nepilsoņi) is a special status given to former USSR citizens remaining in Latvia without any voting rights.