Lithuania ups readiness of troops at Belarus border

Lithuania has upped troops’ preparedness on the border with Belarus, the country’s defence ministry said on Monday (8 November).

The statement comes after hundreds of migrants have attempted to breach the Polish border, which Warsaw says is being facilitated by Belarusian officers.

According to the Lithuanian Defence Ministry, this has reduced the reaction time of troops drafted to assist the border guards and other officers at the border zone. Some troops have also been redeployed to locations closer to the border.

“This situation is not a military invasion or a direct threat to the country’s territorial integrity,” Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys said in the statement. “This is illegal migration organised [by the Minsk regime] against our country.”

“Institutions under the Interior Ministry are reacting to it, while the Lithuanian military maintains one of its peacetime functions and supports the Interior Ministry’s units,” he said.

As of 8 November, some 1,200 troops are assisting officers on the border with Belarus.

Lithuania is also considering declaring a state of emergency in its border region.

(Benas Gerdžiūnas | LRT.lt/en)