Lithuania: Russia Planning Infrastructure Attacks, Tightens Security Measures
Heightened Security Amid Intelligence Reports
Presidential Statement on Potential Threats
VILNIUS, July 15 (Reuters) - Lithuania has intelligence that Russia is planning attacks on infrastructure, and security around energy and transport sites will be tightened as a precaution, President Gitanas Nauseda said in an interview published on Wednesday.
Nauseda said he had no information on when or where the attacks were planned, and did not say that his country was the target, in his interview with BNS news agency.
Details from Intelligence Services
"We have such signals, which we receive from our (intelligence) services. They do not clearly identify place or time ... because the opponent is not at the end of its planning, and we only know about the planning or the goal,” he said.
"It could be various means aimed at physically damaging critical infrastructure. ... Anything that halts the functioning of these sites," he added.
Regional Context and Response
Increased Defence Spending
Lithuania — a NATO member which shares land borders with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and with Moscow's ally Belarus — has tripled its defence spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Concerns Among Neighbouring Countries
Poland and Baltic States on Alert
Neighbouring Poland said earlier this month that Western intelligence agencies were concerned about the risk of Russian attacks against its territory and the Baltic states.
Moscow's Response
Moscow has regularly denied accusations of planning or carrying out sabotage and other attacks on countries outside Ukraine, saying such reports are part of an anti-Russian propaganda campaign.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
