Overview

• The transition away from the State Protection Service began October 1 and is expected to be completed by November.
• Protection will continue under the Bureau of Criminal Police, which typically safeguards individuals facing specific threats rather than state leaders.
• Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya retains Lithuania’s official guest category C status, which does not confer diplomatic standing or immunity.
• LRT reports the security arrangements cost about €1 million per year, including round-the-clock protection at home and abroad, escort vehicles, residence support and VIP terminal access.
• Tsikhanouskaya has lived in Vilnius since 2020 after Belarus’s disputed election, and a Minsk court sentenced her in absentia to 15 years in 2023.