Linas Jegelevičius
An article in The New York Times (NYT), which stated that U.S. officials identify Lithuania as a country where Russia still maintains notable intelligence capabilities, prompted a strong denial from Lithuanian authorities.
“The assessment presented in The New York Times article does not reflect the situation in Lithuania – Russian intelligence service representatives and their activities in the country are currently maximally restricted,”
the Strategic Communications Division of Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) stated in a written comment to ELTA, a Lithuanian newswire.
Meanwhile, Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuania’s new foreign minister, emphasizes that Lithuania and a few other countries are “small fortresses” where it is extremely difficult for hostile intelligence to conduct operations.
Disagreeing, a former VSD chief, speaking to BNN on the condition of anonymity, argued that
hostile intelligence agencies consistently find numerous ways to carry out their operations “right under our noses”.
The NYC article says that U.S. intelligence revealed last year that Russia planned to send explosive devices on cargo planes from Lithuania, prompting President Joe Biden’s advisers to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier reports by The Wall Street Journal revealed that incendiary packages sent from Lithuania to the UK and Germany via DHL were part of a covert operation by Russian intelligence. The packages, addressed to the same UK recipient, caused fires in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, UK, with suspicions they were intended for flights to the U.S. or Canada. The sender reportedly used a fake identity and paid in cash.
According to The New York Times, in August, the White House received intelligence that the operation’s goal was to develop techniques to bypass cargo inspections and ignite fires mid-flight or upon unloading. As a result, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas implemented stricter cargo inspection measures, and White House officials deliberated how to warn Putin of the consequences of such actions, according to the newspaper.
Following an investigation of the explosive shipments, Lithuanian authorities arrested a suspect, identified as Alexander Suranov,
believed to be working as a proxy for Russian intelligence. The Kremlin denied involvement.
Separately, Polish authorities arrested four suspects in October for their involvement in explosive parcel-shipment-related sabotage operations, with an international search underway for two others.
Poland’s investigation revealed that parcels containing disguised explosives were sent to the UK and EU countries, some igniting or exploding during transit. Officials suspect the group was testing transmission methods for eventually targeting the U.S. and Canada.
Kęstutis Budrys, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief national security advisor and the newly appointed foreign minister in the Social Democrats-led Cabinet, stated in November that NATO cannot afford to ignore Russia’s sabotage operations.
In the New York Times article, U.S. officials identified Lithuania as a country where Russia still maintains notable intelligence capabilities.
Not addressing the Lithuania-scathing statement directly, K. Budrys emphasized, however, saying: “Lithuania is not a playground for every agency.”
He underscored that Vilnius is one of the European capitals where hostile intelligence operations face significant challenges.
“Speaking about espionage and the ability to carry out operations, I can say that Lithuania and a few other countries are small fortresses where it is extremely difficult to conduct operations. This is why we sometimes see them for what they are and can prevent or uncover some of them if they have been attempted,” he told TV3.
However, Budrys noted that other European capitals face greater counterintelligence issues, which he chose not to name.
According to him, there is no data to suggest that the situation resembles the level of spy activity seen in certain European capitals during the Cold War.
“That is why, in my opinion, and increasingly often recently, we encounter what can be called cheap Russian intelligence agencies – not the actual officials carrying out activities like espionage or sabotage, but rather hired, readily available agencies,” the minister remarked to TV3.
“What needs to be highlighted is both the quality of our intelligence work and the importance of counterintelligence in uncovering such situations. At the same time, we must not overlook what politicians need to do in foreign affairs and defence to respond appropriately to such actions,” Budrys added.
This week, Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) has also refuted claims that Russia maintains significant intelligence capabilities in the country, asserting that such activities have been heavily restricted.
Interestingly, Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT and its website omitted the sentence from The New York Times article,
which prompted Darius Kuolys, a prominent Lithuanian public activist and scholar, to criticize the outlet: “It’s concerning that an important statement from the CIA to U.S. journalists, which is highly relevant for Lithuania and something Lithuanians should be aware of, was censored… And I wonder: why did the LRT editor find the second part of this sentence necessary to omit? As such censorship of Western press in Lithuania’s propagandistic media landscape becomes increasingly common, I can no longer stay silent…”
In November, a DHL cargo plane operated by the Spanish airline Swiftair crashed near Vilnius Airport while en route from Leipzig, Germany. The crash resulted in one fatality and three injuries, sparking speculation that terrorism might have been involved. However, a preliminary analysis of the plane’s black boxes revealed no evidence of foul play.
Due to a lack of necessary capabilities in Lithuania, the black box data was analysed by Germany’s Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation laboratory.
The analysis provided extensive technical information about the flight and recorded conversations among the crew, as well as background sounds in the cockpit.
That Lithuania is not a terrorism-proof country shows another incident, too.
In September, two Spanish citizens were reportedly involved in a planned terrorist attack in Lithuania, described as part of Russia’s hybrid actions against the West amid its invasion of Ukraine.
The plot allegedly involved the suspects, recruited by Russian intelligence, attempting to set fire to a company in Šiauliai that supports Ukraine. The targeted warehouse contained highly flammable materials, which could have caused extensive damage if the plan had succeeded.
However, the suspects reportedly attempted to deceive Russian intelligence by fabricating evidence of the arson, sending fake images to claim the attack had been carried out. Lithuanian authorities arrested the two individuals, and investigations are ongoing.
LNK television reported that this was not an isolated case, indicating that additional Russia-linked attacks have occurred in Lithuania, some of which have not been disclosed to the public.