his issue features an interview with Rasa Karmazaite, editor of the investigative department of “Lietuvos rytas”. In 2023, the journalist investigated the circumstances of smuggling on the Lithuanian border with Belarus: after a wire fence was built on the Lithuanian border, smugglers moved goods using drones and balloons. They also disrupted the work of Vilnius Airport. However, the fundamental problem is that the activities of smugglers were largely unpunished, and the authorities’ reaction to the journalistic investigation was slow: only in 2026 were police and border service officers who had collaborated with the criminals detained.
R. Karmazaitė, who has received threats, emphasizes that a journalist must still be brave and persistent, protect their sources, who anonymously provided the necessary information, and carefully check the information so that it is not misleading. In the opinion of the author of the publication and interview, Andrius Vaišnys, in cases of important investigations of national and international significance, journalists must unite and not “let go” of the topic.
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