Lithuania has temporarily reinstated top-level security protection for Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya after suspending it earlier this month.
Tsikhanouskaya and her office for the democratic forces of Belarus have been based in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius since 2020, following her challenge to leader Alexander Lukashenko’s rule.
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Two weeks ago, Lithuanian officials announced that she would no longer receive the same level of protection as state leaders. The duties were transferred from the Dignitary Protection Service, which protects Lithuania’s top state officials, to the Criminal Police Bureau.
The office of the democratic forces partially suspended its work as a result over security concerns.
On Friday, Tsikhanouskaya’s diplomatic adviser said the old measures have been reinstated while a new protection system is established.
Dzianis Kuchynski, Tsikhanouskaya’s diplomatic adviser, told public broadcaster LRT: “We have also resumed the activities of our office. We hope to find common solutions to ensure the continuity of our work in Lithuania.”
He added that the Belarusian opposition remains deeply grateful to Lithuania for its longstanding support.
‘Adjusted’ threat level
Earlier this month after the changes were reported in the media, Lithuania’s Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė told reporters that protection had not removed: “It has been adjusted according to the level of threat.”
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Vytenis Andriukaitis, MEP and honorary chairman of the prime minister’s party the Social Democrats, said Tsikhanouskaya’s changed status was behind the move.
Tsikhanouskaya today does not play the same role as she did two or three years ago, especially after her husband’s recent release from prison, he said in an interview.
However, some critics saw the move as politically motivated and reflecting recent criticism that too many resources are being spent on Tsikhanouskaya.
LRT reported that her protection and related costs total about €1 million annually. This total includes 24-hour security, vehicles for the security detail, housing expenses, and use of VIP terminals at airports.
Growing hostility towards Russian-speaking immigrants in Lithuania is also significant,” a source told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
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