Lithuania to Step Up Border Security Ahead of Russian-Belarusian Military Drills

Lithuania will reinforce security along its borders and deploy additional personnel as Russia and Belarus prepare to stage their joint Zapad military exercises in September, officials in Vilnius said on Wednesday.

The Gaze reports this, referring to LRT.

Rustamas Liubajevas, commander of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), told public broadcaster LRT that the agency had approved and begun implementing a security plan in anticipation of the drills. 

“Lithuanian border guards are currently ready for any provocations at our border,” he said, adding that the service would coordinate closely with the country’s military, police, and other institutions.

Liubajevas noted that Lithuanian border forces have operated under heightened security conditions since 2021, when tensions with Russia and Belarus escalated sharply.

President Gitanas Nausėda has previously said this year’s Zapad exercises would be two to three times smaller in scale than those conducted in 2021, just months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski remarked in June that Moscow’s most capable units remain bogged down in Ukraine, limiting the scope of Zapad-2025. 

Belarus, meanwhile, has indicated the drills could be moved deeper into its territory, accusing Poland and Lithuania of “aggressive behavior” near its borders.

As The Gaze reported earlier, the Russian and Belarusian armies are preparing to conduct joint strategic exercises on the territory of Belarus from September 12 to 16.