Lithuania’s border guard chief Rustamas Liubajevas resigns

Rustamas Liubajevas, head of Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service, has resigned after the service concealed a border incident with Belarus, Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has said.

Katelynas confirmed General Liubajevas personally informed him that, having assessed all the circumstances and not wishing to put the reputation and prestige of the border guard service at risk, he had decided to step down as its chief, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The incident, which was concealed by the border guard service, occurred on July 26 in the Lazdijai district near the border post in Kapčiamiestis.

Border guards discovered an 11-meter-long tunnel under the border and set up an ambush, subsequently detaining four illegal migrants.

Later, around 20 more people emerged from the tunnel. Outnumbered, the border guards were forced to flee, while the migrants returned to Belarus.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov