In 2024, Lithuania identified 598 Belarusian and 125 Russian citizens as threats to national security, banning them from entry and revoking multiple residence permits.

Political & Legal SubversionLawfare & Legal PressureExploiting international law & treaties

Defense

Summary

According to the Lithuanian Migration Department report on January 29, 2025, in 2024 a total of 598 Belarusian and 125 Russian citizens were deemed threats to Lithuania's state security, public order, or human health based on information from the State Security Department. These individuals were banned from entering Lithuania. Compared to the previous year, when 1,428 Belarusians and 352 Russians were recognized as threats, the numbers fell. In 2024, 179 Belarusian citizens were denied temporary residence permits and 232 were not issued new documents upon expiry. Temporary residence permits of 175 Belarusians were revoked by the Migration Department, alongside three denied permanent residence permits and nine documents revoked. Among Russians, 35 were refused temporary residence permits with 36 permits not renewed; 24 had temporary residence permits revoked and 29 had permanent permits revoked. Additionally, 16 Russians were denied permanent residence permits on first-time applications. As of the end of 2022, all Russian and Belarusian citizens aged 18 and over applying for or changing residence permits must fill out a detailed questionnaire on their education, employment history, military service, contacts with NATO and non-EU authorities, and attitudes towards Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Classification

Confidence: High

This event describes Lithuania's defensive legal and immigration measures to counter perceived threats from Russian and Belarusian citizens by revoking or denying residence permits and applying strict questionnaires. It is a defensive preparation rather than an aggressor action.

Source URL

https://lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2472521/over-700-russians-belarusians-deemed-threat-to-lithuania-s-security-last-year

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: csv-import
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 8, 2026, 23:00 UTC
Event time: Jan 29, 2025, 00:00 UTC

Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "8e70aab4-69ef-434d-8b26-f8049fa3bc17",
  "url": "https://lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2472521/over-700-russians-belarusians-deemed-threat-to-lithuania-s-security-last-year",
  "source": "csv-import",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Political & Legal Subversion",
  "subcategory": "Lawfare & Legal Pressure",
  "incident_type": "Exploiting international law & treaties",
  "country": "Lithuania",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Lithuania",
    "Belarus",
    "Russia",
    "Migration control",
    "Residence permits",
    "National security",
    "State security",
    "russian invasion",
    "Ukraine",
    "Political and legal subversion"
  ],
  "nodes": [],
  "countries": [],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "Last year, 598 Belarusian and 125 Russian citizens were recognized as threats to Lithuania's state security, public order, or human health, resulting in entry bans and revocation or denial of residence permits. These actions, based on assessments from the State Security Department, included denial of temporary and permanent residence permits and introduction of a comprehensive questionnaire for applicants aged 18 and over.",
  "summary_short": "In 2024, Lithuania identified 598 Belarusian and 125 Russian citizens as threats to national security, banning them from entry and revoking multiple residence permits.",
  "summary_extended": "According to the Lithuanian Migration Department report on January 29, 2025, in 2024 a total of 598 Belarusian and 125 Russian citizens were deemed threats to Lithuania's state security, public order, or human health based on information from the State Security Department. These individuals were banned from entering Lithuania. Compared to the previous year, when 1,428 Belarusians and 352 Russians were recognized as threats, the numbers fell. In 2024, 179 Belarusian citizens were denied temporary residence permits and 232 were not issued new documents upon expiry. Temporary residence permits of 175 Belarusians were revoked by the Migration Department, alongside three denied permanent residence permits and nine documents revoked. Among Russians, 35 were refused temporary residence permits with 36 permits not renewed; 24 had temporary residence permits revoked and 29 had permanent permits revoked. Additionally, 16 Russians were denied permanent residence permits on first-time applications. As of the end of 2022, all Russian and Belarusian citizens aged 18 and over applying for or changing residence permits must fill out a detailed questionnaire on their education, employment history, military service, contacts with NATO and non-EU authorities, and attitudes towards Russian aggression in Ukraine.",
  "actor_primary": "Migration Department",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": null,
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Unknown",
  "is_aggressor_signal": false,
  "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "This event describes Lithuania's defensive legal and immigration measures to counter perceived threats from Russian and Belarusian citizens by revoking or denying residence permits and applying strict questionnaires. It is a defensive preparation rather than an aggressor action.",
  "event_time_utc": "2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "unknown",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:39.885Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T23:00:58.945Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "unknown",
  "time_precision_band": "unknown",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: UnknownLocation: Unknown

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Jan 29, 2025, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

unknown

Location

Land

Primary actor

Migration Department

Country

Lithuania

Tags

Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, Migration control, Residence permits, National security, State security, russian invasion, Ukraine, Political and legal subversion

Loading signal...

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