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Transcript/ScriptLITHUANIA BORDER SECURITY
HEADLINE: Lithuania Boosts Readiness at Belarus Border
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 8/15/2023 at 4:50 p.m.
BYLINE: Myroslava Gongadze
DATELINE: Lithuania-Belarus border
VIDEOGRAPHER: Daniil Bratushchak
VIDEO SOURCE (S): original VOA, Reuters
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
SCRIPT EDITORS: Ramirez, Reifenrath, DJ (ok)
TRT: 3:49
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Lithuania — a NATO member with a population of nearly 3 million — is beefing up its border security because the presence of Wagner Group mercenaries in Belarus has escalated security concerns. VOA Eastern Europe bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze visited the Lithuania-Belarusian border and has this report.]]
((NARRATOR))
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the NATO neighbors of Belarus – Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia – have been building up their border defenses.
Ruslanas, who does not reveal his last name for security reasons, is an officer of the Lithuanian border guard unit and had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is getting ready to go on patrol. While he is well equipped to guard this NATO border, even he finds his job difficult.
((Ruslanas, Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, MALE IN ENGLISH))
“It's not an easy job. It's not for everyone. It's not just physically, but mentally as well. It's quite tough.”
((NARRATOR))
In the past two years, he and his colleagues have dealt with provocations by Belarus, including border violations such as Belarus’ decision to send illegal migrants into Lithuania.
((Ruslanas, Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, MALE IN ENGLISH))
“We saw it and how they were pushing them, and the immigrants as well, they were telling us the same stories. // They did not allow them to come back.”
((NARRATOR))
After Wagner Group mercenaries arrived in Belarus, Lithuania reinforced its military presence at this border even further.
This border fence, equipped with surveillance cameras and a night-vision detection system, was built just two years ago.
Authorities are planning for threats that include the infiltration of hostile migrants, cross-border shootings, or a repeat of recent Belarusian helicopters violating Polish airspace.
Rustamas Liubajevas, the commander of Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service assessed the situation.
((Rustamas Liubajevas, Lithuanian Border Guard Commander, MALE IN ENGLISH))
“I would probably say that the situation is stable, however, very tense because we can see that Belarus is actively participating in the aggression against Ukraine. And the security situation in our region is very tense also because of the presence of the Wagner Group persons in Belarus.”
((NARRATOR))
Liubajevas told VOA the war in Ukraine has impacted his country's approach to national security.
((Rustamas Liubajevas, Lithuanian Border Guard Commander, MALE IN ENGLISH))
“It has definitely changed, drastically. The mentality changed the perception of the security situation by the public, as well as by the law enforcement community. From our perspective, speaking about border guards, we started to pay much more attention to national security issues. The State Border Guard Service became part of the national defense forces in case of military conflict, in case of aggression.”
((NARRATOR))
He says Lithuania and other NATO members bordering Belarus and Russia are cooperating closely in case of further provocations.
The authorities are closely watching the so-called Suwalki Gap – a stretch of land running 100 kilometers along the Polish-Lithuanian border between Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave and Belarus.
((Myroslava Gongadze, VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief))
Poland and three Baltic states put their military and border services here on high alert. In the coming days, Lithuania plans to close two of its crossing points with Belarus.
The head of the Lithuanian border guard service told VOA he does not think that Belarus, in coordination with [the] Kremlin, is ready to start a war with NATO in the foreseeable future. However, the Lithuanians believe they must be ready to face any provocation that may occur.
((Myroslava Gongadze, VOA News, on Lithuania's border with Belarus)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
on Lithuania's border with Belarus
Embargo DateAugust 14, 2023 22:55 EDT
Byline
Myroslava Gongadze, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
