Lithuania proposes to deport Russians and Belarusians who often travel to their homeland.

Three members of the Lithuanian Seimas are proposing to revoke the residence permits of Russian and Belarusian citizens who visit their homeland more than once a quarter.

The conservatives Laurynas Kasciunas, Audronius Ažubalis, and Valdas Rakutis suggest amending the sanctions law that parliament approved in the first reading. According to these amendments, Russian and Belarusian citizens who travel back home more than once a quarter will lose their residence permit rights.

The aim of these measures is to eliminate national security threats. According to Laurynas Kasciunas, head of the Security and Defense Committee, Russian and Belarusian citizens returning to visit their homeland could be recruited for information gathering and conducting intelligence tasks.

There will be exceptions for individuals working in international passenger and cargo transport, as well as for carriers merely passing through Lithuania in transit to EU countries.

According to the lawmakers, these restrictions are optimal and balanced considering the security situation. They believe that these measures do not cause inconvenience to the residents of Lithuania and businesses.

Latvia is preparing to close border crossings with Belarus and Russia

In light of the increasing number of migrants arriving from Belarus, Latvia is considering partially closing border crossings with Belarus and Russia. According to a statement from the State Border Guard of Latvia, it has been proposed to prohibit pedestrian and bicycle border crossings, leaving only automobile traffic.

Additionally, the Prosecutor General's Office of Lithuania reports that the arson of an Ikea store in Vilnius last May was associated with Russian military intelligence.