Strange actions of Belarusians at the border: filming Lithuanian equipment, five migrants asked to be returned

SBGS representatives discussed this with members of the Seimas Defense and National Security Committee (NSGC) who arrived at the Belarusian border on Monday.

According to SBGS representatives, most illegal immigrants try to enter Lithuania through the so-called Dieveniškės circuit, despite the fact that this territory is probably the best protected by Lithuanian border guards.

Captain Žydrūnas Vaikasas, commander of the Gintaras Žagunis firebreak in Šalčininkai district, where the majority of border violations have been recorded since late last year, told members of the Seimas NSGK that something strange was observed on the border before the outbreak of illegal migrants.

“When the illegal migration began, before that, our cookies (masked border guards monitoring the environment – car. Then we observed those nuances in those sections,” he told MPs.

SBGS deputy commander Colonel Vidas Mačaitis added that border guards were capturing walking people with cameras, filming SBGS objects and video surveillance cameras.

It is clear that they are gathering information about our capabilities.

“They see that they are collecting information about our capabilities,” he did not hide.

Four Belarusians and Russians called for the return

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, a spokesperson for the Seimas NSGK, commented that the detention of Russian citizens who crossed the border illegally may indicate that this country is helping to ensure the flow of migrants.

In response, Captain Ž.Vaikasas, the commander of the Gintaras Žagunis firebreak, recounted a strange incident: Last week, Lithuanian border guards detained four Belarusians and a Russian citizen.

Belarusians, as it should be strange at this point, asked everyone to return.

“He wore a paratrooper’s beret and was tattooed, he served in the military. Belarusians, as it should be strange at this point, asked everyone to return. We said, why don’t you ask everyone else to come back? You don’t admit it, but they don’t even communicate, “he said.

According to the SBGS representatives, the Belarusian side, which had previously cooperated on immigration issues, is still not speaking.

“There is ignorance, reluctance to admit that these are border violations, this has not happened before, in the past they always reacted if there were traces,” said V. Mačaitis.

NSGK members and journalists were able to inspect a section of the border in the forest on Monday, through which groups of illegal immigrants passed; Although it was raining recently, the traces of people still crossing the border remained on the black earth.

Prepare a dormitory for migrants

According to SBGS representatives, there are no vacancies at the Pabradė Alien Registration Center.

“Our next step in the next few days will be that we have planned a dormitory at the expense of the cadets at the border guard school,” said V. Mačaitis.

According to him, only the problem of restoration should be solved, because Belarusians have a condition for feeding themselves, and newcomers from Eastern countries need different foods.

“But we will definitely solve it (…) If we continue at that rate, we will have no place,” he said.

SBGS Commander: The situation changes every hour.

SBGS commander Rustama Liubajev told reporters that the situation is really complicated.

“We see that the situation is not changing by days, but by hours,” he said.

R. Liubajev said that we receive groups of illegal immigrants almost every day. These migrants ask for political asylum.

According to him, there are active talks with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex on the possibilities of deploying its officials in Lithuania.

“In principle, it was agreed that we will have EU border guards on the border between Lithuania and Belarus from July,” emphasized the head of the service.

According to SBGS deputy commander V. Mačaitis, a border protection plan has been introduced in the most vulnerable sections of the border since last week, according to which forces have doubled and in some cases even tripled.

Clearly, criminal intelligence does its job.

“There are more people: mobile and pedestrian patrols. Of course, criminal intelligence does its job,” he told parliamentarians.

Officials from the Public Safety Service, shooters, have been helping to ensure protection for some time.

If the number of migrants increases, it is planned to use troops.

On Monday, border unions recalled the long-standing problem of these officers lacking equipment.

Liubajev agreed that there were shortcomings, but there was talk of the possibility of joint acquisitions of weapons with the army. The offer, he says, will also depend on financing.

L. Kasčiūnas: a fence is needed

NSGK President Laurynas Kasčiūnas said on Monday that it is unfortunate that the border with Belarus has not been modernized in recent years, which is why 62 percent of it is currently not monitored.

Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė has said that next year surveillance equipment is planned to be installed along the entire border between Lithuania and Belarus, which will require 38 million. euros.

However, L. Kasčiūnas is convinced that a fence is needed.

“What we learned from the visit is that surveillance is extremely important, but also, as the commander said, there must be an integrated system, we must have fence elements throughout the border guard, and that is obvious.” the committee chairman said.

He added that he did not decide what the fence should be, but said it should be a physical barrier.

“The emergence of a physical barrier must be addressed and must be an integral part of modernizing all border enforcement,” he emphasized.

According to the MP, the NSGK members return to Vilnius with such a recommendation.

Use gadgets

On Monday, SBGS deputy commander V. Mačaitis did not begin to consider why illegal immigrant guides accompany people to Lithuania in very well-protected sections.

“It is difficult to say. Perhaps it is the attitude of our neighbors that we press, we endure. To show how the leader of that country said: illegality is an EU problem and we will inform you,” said V. Mačaitis.

In the so-called Dieveniškės circuit, since the beginning of the influx of illegal immigrants to our country, the Lithuanian border guards have detained 4 people who had come to pick up illegal immigrants.

“If they used to go to the settlements, now they don’t, they try in the forest. We can already see that they are using smart devices: the gadgets have navigation, the routes are mapped. Apparently, that information is shared,” Vaikas said.

According to V. Mačaitis, the helicopter also helps officers track illegal immigrants, a group of immigrants was detected using a drone.

By the way, migrants are trying different ways to protect themselves from detention: one detainee wore special clothing that had to be protected so that he would not be detected by a thermal imaging camera.