OSW Commentary - Increasingly distant neighbours: Lithuania towards Belarusians - Migrants from Belarus as a problem for the state

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the democratic forces, has defended the interests of her compatriots by opposing attempts to hold them jointly responsible for the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. [...] According to the VSD, the activity of Belarusian intelligence agencies, such as the KGB, GRU and the GUBOPiK, the latter of which was set up to fight the opposition, has reached a ‘historically’ high level in Lithuania. [...] Warnings from the country’s security services, the case of Karach as an illustration of the risks, and the relocation of Wagner Group merce- naries to Belarus have made the majority of Lithuanians increasingly concerned about rising migration. [...] Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis of the Conservatives, and the speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė- Nielsen of the Liberals, their junior coalition partner, have argued that the number of Belarusians negatively vetted by the migration services proves that the country’s security procedures are effective. [...] In early December, three conservative politicians of the nationalist-Christian democrat right, the deputy speaker of the Seimas Paulius Saudargas, the chairman of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence Laurynas Kasčiūnas, and a member of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis, defied the party leader Landsbergis by registering amendments in the Seimas to the afor.