Lithuanian border guards will use a helicopter to escort Russian trains traveling between Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic coast and Belarus to the east.
Russian cargo and passenger trains can transit Lithuanian territory under the Special Transit Scheme, an agreement between the European Union and Moscow.
But amid tensions in the region caused by an immigration crisis stoked up by Belarus and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the foreign trains have come under closer scrutiny.
A helicopter will accompany trains from their entry into the territory of Lithuania until their departure, said Rustamas Liubajevas, head of the State Border Guard Service.
“Our goal is to ensure the security not only of Lithuania but also of the European Union,” Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič told reporters at an unveiling ceremony for the state-of-the-art H145 earlier this week.
The European Commission allocated €25 million worth of funding towards the purchase of three helicopters.
The aircraft, which comes with a hefty price-tag of €11 million, has a range of 680 kilometers, which will allow it to monitor the Russian trains without the need to stop for refueling.
The new helicopter is equipped with video surveillance systems, cargo hooks, search and rescue and firefighting equipment, allowing for more effective security operations and a swift response to emergencies, a government press release said.
Liubajevas said the other two aircraft will be used for border protection, as well as for search and rescue and organ transplant operations.
But amid tensions in the region caused by an immigration crisis stoked up by Belarus and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the foreign trains have come under closer scrutiny.
A helicopter will accompany trains from their entry into the territory of Lithuania until their departure, said Rustamas Liubajevas, head of the State Border Guard Service.
“Our goal is to ensure the security not only of Lithuania but also of the European Union,” Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič told reporters at an unveiling ceremony for the state-of-the-art H145 earlier this week.
The European Commission allocated €25 million worth of funding towards the purchase of three helicopters.
The aircraft, which comes with a hefty price-tag of €11 million, has a range of 680 kilometers, which will allow it to monitor the Russian trains without the need to stop for refueling.
The new helicopter is equipped with video surveillance systems, cargo hooks, search and rescue and firefighting equipment, allowing for more effective security operations and a swift response to emergencies, a government press release said.
Liubajevas said the other two aircraft will be used for border protection, as well as for search and rescue and organ transplant operations.
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