Lithuania says EU-funded tech may have been diverted to Russian military use

LONDON

EU-funded technologies produced in Lithuania may have been ended up in Russia and Belarus for use in their military industries, authorities said.

"The investigation is examining several scenarios, including the possibility that equipment produced with EU funds was illegally exported to Belarus and Russia and used in their military industries," Daugilas Razauskas, head of a special investigations unit at the Financial Crime Investigation Service, told reporters in Vilnius on Monday.

He said companies operating in Lithuania were engaged in this activity but were in fact run by the detained individuals, who are Belarusian and Russian citizens.

It came after several Belarusian, Russian, and Lithuanian citizens were detained last week on suspicion of acting as part of an organized criminal group, Razauskas was quoted as saying by the Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT.

European Delegated Prosecutor Darius Karcinskas said five individuals and one company have been formally notified of suspicion as part of the investigation, carried out by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Lithuania’s State Security Department and the Financial Crime Investigation Service.

More than 10 searches were carried out across Lithuania, including at homes, workplaces, companies, and vehicles, as part of the investigation.

The companies under investigation received EU funding and produced equipment intended for navigation and satellite systems, according to Lithuanian authorities.

Law enforcement authorities said they are taking procedural measures to secure potential compensation for damages.