Lithuania deports 22 Belarusian tech specialists over national security

Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) said Monday that 22 Belarusian citizens employed by a technology company in the country had been deemed threats to national security and expelled.

“The State Security Department submitted conclusions to the Migration Department regarding the activities of 22 Belarusian citizens in Lithuania, people who worked at a technology company have been declared a threat to Lithuania’s national security,” the intelligence agency said on Facebook, Lrt reported.

“Their temporary residence permits in Lithuania have been revoked.”

The individuals were expelled from Lithuania and barred from returning. All 22 have also been banned from entering the Schengen area for five years, according to the VSD.

The Belarusian citizens worked for a company that participated in a project for the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, or EUSPA, and fraudulently obtained nearly 500,000 euros.

An investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and carried out by Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service in cooperation with the VSD found that the company had concealed links to the Russian and Belarusian military industries.

BNS reported last week that the Vilnius Regional Court convicted two Belarusian citizens of fraud involving nearly 500,000 euros.

The project was intended to develop high-precision satellite navigation receivers capable of using the Galileo High Accuracy Service for agricultural applications, including controlling farm machinery and supporting precision farming operations.

The project had a total budget of more than 1 million euros, with more than 745,000 euros financed by EUSPA. The company actually received 447,272 euros.