TheState Security Department (Lithuanian:Valstybės saugumo departamentas,VSD) is the national civilianintelligence andsecurity agency ofLithuania which collects and analyzing information from internal and external on threats tonational security and works to eliminate those threats.
The origins of the institution are in theŽinių dalis (Intelligence unit) established within theGeneral Staff of theLithuanian Armed Forces on 27 October 1918 during theLithuanian Wars of Independence to counter the intelligence services of Russia, Poland and theCommunist Party of Lithuania.[1] The first head of the intelligence service was Jonas Žilinskas. As Lithuania did not have personnel professionally trained inespionage, former intelligence officers from theRussian Empire andImperial Germany were recruited to the service. These officers then passed on their experience to the Lithuanian intelligence officers. On 12 May 1919,Žinių dalis within the General Staff was reorganised into a separateŽvalgybos skyrius (Intelligence Department), comprising a Counterintelligence Division that operated domestically and an Intelligence Division that was responsible for international operations.[2] On 13 August 1923, the Intelligence Department was once again restructured: The Intelligence Division remained under the jurisdiction of the General Staff and was redesignated Division II. Meanwhile, the Counterintelligence Division was allocated to the Civil Protection Department of theMinistry of the Interior and renamed Criminal Division B. In 1924, this was further renamed the Political Police Division. On 1 June 1933, the institution underwent a further reorganisation and received its current nameState Security Department with the objective of counterintelligence and suppressing espionage activities.[1] After theSoviet Union occupied Lithuania, the State Security Department was eliminated and many of its members repressed. The last director of the service in theinterwar period wasAugustinas Povilaitis; in 1940, he was arrested and executed by the Soviets.
During its existence ininterwar Lithuania, the VSD managed to expose a number of hostile organizations, including thePolish Military Organization, which planned tooverthrow the democratic government of Lithuania in 1919, communist underground groups, illegal printing houses as well as anti-government groups ofPlečkaitininkai andVoldemarininkai. However, following the1926 Lithuanian coup d'état that installed an authoritarian regime led by PresidentAntanas Smetona, the VSD was occasionally employed to suppress opposition and the press.[2]
The department wasreestablished on 26 March 1990.[3] At that time, the department was also responsible for certain aspects of law enforcement: providing protection to state officials and strategic objects, ensuring integrity of state communications network, investigating political corruption. Other agencies took over these extra duties and, during 2010, the mission of VSD was clarified to mainly focus on counterintelligence, counterterrorism, intelligence gathering, internal security, and threat assessment to national security.[3]
