Belarusian and Russian secret services jointly recruit Lithuanian citizens

The Intelligence services of Belarus and Russia are interested in military of Lithuania.

The Lithuanian State Security Department has offered its activities report of the year 2014.Among other sections, which are mostly dedicated to Russia and its politics, which are posing a threat to Lithuania in different spheres, there is a section dedicated to Belarus, “Threats from Belarusian intelligence and security services”.

As informed by the reporter of charter97.org in Vilnius, it is stated in the section that Belarusian services of intelligence and state security were actively working against the interest of Lithuania in 2014.

“These services traditionally had their primarily focus on activities of the Belarusian opposition and observing their ties in Lithuania. On the other side, secret services in Belarus were working also in the same directions as intelligence services of Russia,” is noted in the assessment of the State Security Department.

It is noted in the document that in 2014 the attempts of the State Security Committee (KGB) and the Border Committee of Belarus to recruit Lithuanian law-enforcers arriving to Belarus have become noticeably more active.

The most “convenient” targets for Belarusian special services are officers of the State Border Defence Service and units of the Interior Affairs Ministry of Lithuania, which are frequently visiting Belarus to buy cheaper goods and on other reasons which are not connected to the needs of the service.

The State Security Department notes that “the Main Intelligence directorate of the Belarusian General Staff (GRU) is acting in the most aggressive way, it recruits agents and collects information on military and strategic civilian infrastructure facilities.”

“The SSD has found out that an officer of the Belarusian GRU Syarhei Kurulenka (Sergei Kurulenka) had been involved in active intelligence activities in Lithuania. He had a temporary residence permit in Lithuania and had been regularly coming from Belarus for performing assignments of intelligence service. Baltmettechmarket company was a cover for intelligence activities of S. Kurulenka in Lithuania. The company sold metal goods. He also worked in the sphere of tourism,” the report reads.

According to the SSD, tourist services were effectively used against persons, which interested the intelligence service, and they were enticed in Belarus.

“S. Kurulenka organized hunts and other pastime journeys to Belarus. When entertainment was organized in Belarus, special conditions were created to choose targets for recruiting operations,” the report informs.

The officer of the Belarusian GRU collected military information in Lithuania, the SSD reports. He was interested in home stations of military units, the number of privates and their composition, schemes of military facilities, military equipment and communications, military exercises and other information, which has strategic importance for security of Lithuania.

“S. Kurulenka was also looking for candidates for recruiting in military detachments of Lithuania,” the report reads.

The information was provided to the Belarusian officer by two recruited citizens of Lithuania.

In the end of 2014 the General Prosecutor’s office of Lithuania, basing upon the intelligence collected by the SSD, charged the worker of the state enterprise Oro navigacija Romuald Lipinski and military paramedic Andrei Oshurkov with espionage activities against Lithuania. The cases of the detained were forwarded to the court, they face up to 15 years of imprisonment.

“With the help of this intelligence operation the Belarusian GRU tried to receive nonpublic information, important for the defence of the state, about the facilities of Lithuania which have strategic importance,” the report reads.

It is noted that topics and objects the Belarusian GRU is interested in, coincide with intelligence interests of the Russian GRU.

“Considering close military cooperation of Belarus and Russia, it is highly possible that the Belarusian GRU shared the received information with the Russian GRU,” the authors of the report conclude.

“Activities of the Belarusian services of intelligence and security, considering their intents in Lithuania, the forces drafted for intelligence activities, the intensity of actions and methods, as well as cooperation with the services of intelligence and security of Russia, are evaluated as a threat for the national security of Lithuania,” the Lithuanian agency states.