Lithuania to modernize border surveillance amid rising geopolitical tensions

The Lithuanian Ministry of the Interior is planning to upgrade surveillance systems at four border crossing points with Russia this year in response to emerging geopolitical challenges.

The surveillance system overhaul will cost approximately €16 million, Caliber.Az reports, referencing Lithuanian media.

Interior Minister Vladyslav Kondratovič stated that additional funding will also be sought to improve military training for border guards.

"It is essential to modernise all infrastructure at the border crossing points, implement advanced technologies, clear the border strip, and secure funding for the purchase of drones and anti-drone systems," Kondratovič said.

He emphasised that, given the current geopolitical situation, “we cannot afford to lose a single day.”

Lithuania's border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region is currently guarded by two units of the State Border Guard Service: the Pagėgiai border unit and the Coastal Border Guard Unit, the latter of which was re-established last year.

Lithuania shares a 255-kilometre land border with Russia, of which 18 kilometres run along the Curonian Lagoon and 22 kilometres along the Baltic Sea.

Recently, Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence also announced plans to modernise and fortify the second route through the Suwałki Gap—a strategically vital stretch along the Polish border considered a potential flashpoint for aggression against the EU and NATO.

Concerns about the Suwałki Gap’s vulnerability have existed long before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Back in 2019, Lithuania and Poland had already agreed to strengthen the protection of this crucial border zone.