Lithuanian border guards’ unions complain that they are armed with old unreliable Kalashnikovs and undersupplied with ammunition. In case of a foreign invasion, border guards say they would be the first line of defence, as reported by Lithuanian National Broadcaster LRT.
Shooting is an important part of border guards’ training and the main weapon is the pistol. However, border guards’ trade unions have complained to opposition MPs that there may not be enough weapons in the event of an attack from Belarus.
MP Jonas Pinskus of the Regions Group commented on this issue by saying that according to border guards they are statutory workers and cannot talk openly about the situtaion that there are 4,000 border guards but are given only 200 automatic rifles.
Border guards do not know how they can defend the border or at least hold out against the enemy for 25 minutes if they are not armed well.
Rustamas Liubajevas, the commander of the Border Guard Service (VSAT), says that the weapons in question are German G–36 automatic rifles that meet NATO standards and are now used for training, and denies that border guards are not supplied with ammunition. But he admits that there is not enough.
According to the VSAT commander, his officers have enough pistols. Border guards also have enough Kalashnikov guns and ammunition.
These guns, however, are antiquated and sub–standard, a trade union representative says.
«You can imagine an automatic rifle which is the same age as I am, well over 50 years,» said Rimantas Liepa of the Border Guards Trade Union. «Maybe it will shoot, but it’s just not clear whether it will shoot well. It’s not that border guards will be running around with hammers – they are armed, but not nearly well enough.»
MP Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence, gives his own version of why this happened. He considers that there should be a closer interaction between the military and the internal affairs system. According to martial law the structure of the Ministry of Interior is part of the armed forces.
«It is natural that they should not be seen as some kind of younger cousins, but as brothers next door,» Kasčiūnas told LRT TV.
Valdemaras Rupšys chief of the armed forces believes, however, there is no need to arm the border guards too much as he believes when there is no immediate threat the services should ensure their direct functions while the military should prepare for the armed defense of the country.
chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security assures that by the end of the year, border guards will have 2,000 NATO-compliant automatic weapons.
«The situation regarding automatic weapons was very well known to everyone, we have been talking about it all the time – for a long time little or nothing was done to change the situation. This year, we have had a breakthrough, with dedicated budget funding and the start of procurement. It is a very large batch of weapons,» VSAT chief Liubajevas said.
According to current regulation, all 4,000 border guards must have automatic weapons, according to him.
«We hope that next year we will fully implement that project to arm the State Border Guard Service, but it will depend again on the market situation. The Western arms industry is currently late with orders,» Liubajevas added.