Lithuania Moves to Ban Russians and Belarusians from Buying Property Near Military Sites

Lithuania plans to restrict Russian and Belarusian citizens with residence permits from purchasing property near military installations and other sites considered important to national security.

A bill outlining the proposed restrictions has been published on the Lithuanian Seimas website. The measures would apply to people living in Lithuania who do not hold Lithuanian citizenship.

The authorities say property located near such facilities could potentially be used for intelligence gathering, monitoring military exercises and troop movements, collecting sensitive information, or organizing provocations.

Currently, the restrictions apply to Russian citizens without a residence permit in Lithuania, as well as companies linked to them. The new bill would extend similar restrictions to Belarusian citizens and associated legal entities.

According to Lithuania’s Center of Registers, between 2022 and 2024, Russian citizens purchased around 2,800 properties in the country, while Belarusian citizens purchased around 1,800. Of these, approximately 1,800 Russians and 1,150 Belarusians purchased property within a 10-kilometer radius of critical infrastructure facilities.

The bill also proposes additional restrictions on Russian and Belarusian individuals and legal entities in the fields of education, science, culture, the arts, and entertainment if they support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine or meet other criteria set out in law.

Militarnyi previously reported that Lithuanian intelligence had identified signs that Russia was preparing provocations and possible attacks against critical infrastructure in the Baltic states. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said such actions could aim to test NATO’s response and unity.