Lithuania also strengthened its border with Belarus because Wagner’s Russian mercenary army had settled there. Prime Minister Ingridda Simonet, unlike the Polish government, did not want to go into too many details about the reinforcements.
Simonet spoke about the boost in a podcast for the Lithuanian business newspaper Defeat zinios. “We have deployed more intelligence officers, our institutions are working and certainly there are more forces from the national defense system and law enforcement agencies,” the prime minister said. They are conducting joint exercises and other work.”
According to Simonetti, it is not necessary to share details about the strengthening of the Lithuanian border, “as our colleagues in the Polish government might sometimes do.” Poland announced earlier this week that it would send 2,000 troops to its border with Belarus. The country plans to station up to 10,000 troops there.
Belarus’s neighbors are concerned, among other things, about Wagner’s presence. Thousands of mercenaries moved into the country after their failed uprising in Russia in June, following a deal brokered by Belarus. The Lithuanian government fears that mercenaries will impersonate immigrants and may cross the border illegally.
