Polish farmers’ planned blockade of a road on the Lithuanian-Polish border resembles “some kind of hybrid operations”, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said.
“It’s obviously reminiscent of some hybrid operations which are intensively exploited by Russian propaganda,” Landsbergis told reporters on Wednesday.
“I hope that our partners in Poland see this as we do, and we will do everything possible to prevent it from escalating,” he added.
According to the minister, “the actions planned in the Suwalki Gap no longer resemble protests, but actions against the national security of both Poland and Lithuania”.
Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė said Lithuania’s authorities are preparing for the upcoming protest.
“This has been discussed with the heads of our services,” she said. “The possible risks and the inconveniences that may arise on the Lithuanian side have been assessed.”
“Our officials are ready to ensure public order and security and make sure that there are as few inconveniences as possible for our people,” Bilotaitė added.
On March 1, Polish farmers are planning to start two new blockades: at the Polish-German border crossing in Świecko and on the road at the former Budzisko-Kalvarija crossing on the border with Lithuania. The blockade is expected to last for about a week.
A few weeks ago, Warsaw succeeded in quelling a similar two-month blockade by Polish farmers. However, they launched a new wave of protests over cheap Ukrainian grain imports last Tuesday, blocking around 100 roads to the Ukrainian border.
The Suwalki Gap is a land strip of around 100 kilometres on the Lithuanian-Polish border that is wedged between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the west and Belarus on the east.
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