On Thursday, the State Security Department (VSD) and the Second Department of Operational Services (AOTD) under the Ministry of National Defence issued a joint assessment of threats to national security.
“Russia is making every effort to circumvent international sanctions. It is systematically expanding its network of companies helping to evade international sanctions. Companies acting as intermediaries for Russia are looking for different ways to obtain the necessary equipment, and are making contacts with manufacturers and traders of such equipment,” the document reads.
Russian entities tend to involve companies owned by Russian and Belarusian nationals that have been long operating in the country, it said.
Many of them provide warehousing, transport and customs documentation services. The range of goods needed by Russia is broad, including components for the transport sector, metalworking and laboratory equipment, electronics, microelectronics and components, and goods for military applications, according to the intelligence agencies.
Part of the Russians nationals behind some of the schemes to circumvent sanctions neither set up nor managed companies in Lithuania, but had obtained residence permits. They were acting as intermediaries in most of the cases, the document said.
Russian intelligence services – the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU), and the Federal Security Service (FSB) – are all involved in organising the import of sanctioned goods and equipment into Russia, the intelligence report says.
“Companies operating in Russia’s strategic industries cooperate with intelligence services and provide them with ‘shopping lists’ containing Western high-tech equipment or components that Russian intelligence services are supposed to acquire. The procurement of sanctioned equipment and components is organised by Russian intelligence officers under diplomatic cover or by Russian and Western citizens cooperating with Russian intelligence,” the national threat assessment reads.
The VSD and AOTD said that Russian intelligence services constantly seek for and exploit loopholes in sanctions control procedures as well as organize procurement via third countries.
“Russian strategic industries will face difficulties in the near term as a result of the sanctions. It is therefore highly likely that Russian intelligence services will increase their efforts to procure and supply the necessary equipment, production or technological innovation to Russia. It is also highly likely that to achieve this goal they will use supply chains, logistics infrastructure or individuals seeking to profit from the sanctions evasion,” the document reads.
The Lithuanian intelligence services issue a joint annual assessment of threats to national security in accordance with Articles 8 and 26 of the Law on Intelligence of the Republic of Lithuania.
The document reviews the events, processes and tendencies that have the greatest impact on the national security situation in Lithuania. Based on them, as well as long-term trends affecting national security, assessments of the most important threats and risk factors to Lithuania’s national security in the short term (from 6 months to 2 years) are presented. Estimates of long-term trends are presented by reviewing the perspective up to 10 years.
