Katelynas: Liubajev would have to step down if information confirmed

Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has declared that the chief of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), Rustam Liubajev, would face calls for resignation if confirmed reports emerge regarding a serious incident at the border. The incident, which allegedly took place on July 27, involved illegal migrants attacking border guards after being apprehended near a tunnel intended for illegal entry.

Katelynas expressed his position on Facebook, stating that if the media reports about the circumstances of the July 27 border incident prove true, he would see no possibility for Liubajev to continue in his role. The minister also revealed that he had met with the Prosecutor General to discuss the public information and the necessity of a comprehensive, objective, and impartial pre-trial investigation. He suggested that the investigation might need to be transferred from VSAT to another competent institution to ensure its integrity.

Reports from news outlet "Lrytas," citing sources, detailed that during the confrontation, one Lithuanian officer was beaten, and migrants attempted to drag another officer into Belarus. The head of the Vilnius Regional Professional Union of Pre-trial Investigation Institutions, Vitalijus Jagminas, indicated that the injured officer is currently on sick leave.

VSAT spokesperson Lina Laurinaitytė declined to comment on the specifics, citing ongoing pre-trial investigations into the incident. However, news portal "Delfi" reported that a group of migrants attempting to cross into Lithuania via a tunnel in the Lazdijai district attacked VSAT officers. The incident occurred on July 26 in the Kapčiamiestis border guard area, near the Belarusian border. After VSAT officers discovered the tunnel and detained some migrants, approximately 20 more individuals emerged from the tunnel and attacked the guards.

Following the public disclosure of the incident, an internal review has been initiated into the conduct of the VSAT leadership. The Minister of the Interior had been formally informed earlier about the thwarted tunnel digging, but reportedly only received details about the incident itself later.

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If the media reports about the circumstances of the July 27 border incident prove true, I would see no possibility for R. Liubajev to continue in his role.