Lithuania’s interior minister said the country’s Public Security Service (VST) would protect the facility from Wednesday, citing heightened security concerns. 

“The tense security situation in the region and incidents such as the severing of power and communications cables in the Baltic Sea indicate an urgent need to undertake additional security measures,” Vladislav Kondratovič was quoted by Poland’s state news agency, PAP, as saying. 

Prior to being taken over by the VST on Wednesday, the facility’s security was outsourced to a private firm. 

The VST declined to give details of how many people would be guarding the LitPol Link but said it had access to modern anti-drone systems as well as other specialist defensive capabilities. 

Lithuania plans to disconnect from Russia’s BRELL (Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) power loop on February 8 and synchronize the power grids of the Baltic states with those of the rest of Europe.  

Vilnius does not rule out the possibility of sabotage to “compromise the process of synchronization with the European system,” PAP quoted Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas as saying.  

“We are prepared... for possible threats,” he said.