Russia’s mercenary group Wagner may try to test Western defence mechanisms by attacking the Baltic states, Kęstutis Budrys, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief national security advisor, said.
Wagner Group is a Russian paramilitary organisation that has also been called the de facto private military of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The company operates outside the confines of the law, as such entities are technically illegal in Russia.
US toughens sanctions against Russia's Wagner mercenary group
The United States on Thursday (26 January) stepped up sanctions against the Wagner Group, labeling the Russian mercenary company fighting in Ukraine as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses.
It has a presence across Africa, particularly in countries involved in internal or regional strife, and a rumoured presence in the Western Balkans. The Wagner mercenary group has also been involved in the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The founder and owner of Wagner is Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close confidant of Putin.
“Yes, they can test the [West’s] response mechanisms and give the Kremlin a political opportunity to say that it has nothing to do with that. As is happening in Africa,” Budrys said in an interview with the delfi.lt news website when asked if Russia could carry out provocations in the Baltics using mercenary groups.
Western countries have raised concerns over the growing influence of the group in Africa after the deployment of mercenaries in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, and Mali. Kosovo’s Foreign Minister also recently claimed that Wagner operatives were present on the border with Serbia, hinting they were involved in recent unrest between Serbia and Kosovo.
Responding to Budry’s comments, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that there’s no intelligence data on a possible Russian attack.
“We don’t have data that would allow us to say that Lithuania is in any danger. When reading this, people should understand that there’s no direct threat to Lithuania at the border at the moment,” Landsbergis told reporters in Brussels on Monday.
However, he noted that the danger remains real because the situation may change.
(EURACTIV’s partner in Lithuania LRT)
Source: euractiv.com
