Employees of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine made a study visit to Lithuania. This is the first of many planned visits to EU countries. At the invitation of Lithuanian colleagues, a group of Bureau employees met with representatives of the State Tax Inspection (STI) under the Ministry of Finance of Lithuania, the Financial Crimes Investigation Service and the Customs Department under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania. The purpose of the trip was to get acquainted with the best practices of the institutions of the European Union (EU), acquire new competencies and establish working contacts for joint investigations, exchange experience of European integration, etc.

"This visit was initiated after the signing in May of a memorandum on international cooperation in the field of combating economic crime between the Financial Crimes Investigation Service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, the State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania and the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine. To overcome new challenges and threats, the help and experience of our international partners are needed more than ever by Ukraine and the ESBU. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, both to achieve membership in the EU and to effectively fight economic crime. And we will be able to walk this path together, using the knowledge and experience of Lithuanian colleagues, effective methods of investigating financial crimes, experience in using software and intelligence equipment. All this will be useful for combating threats to the economic security of Ukraine", - noted Anatoliy Aleksandrov, head of the Department of International Cooperation of the ESBU.

Representatives of Lithuanian services shared their experience with Ukrainian colleagues in the field of money laundering prevention, investigation of international criminal schemes, organization of analytical work, criminal intelligence activities. They were introduced to the tools they use in their daily work, the possibilities of international cooperation, etc. ESBU employees took part in practical classes and professional discussions on combating economic crimes in the tax and customs spheres, combating financial fraud, and economic cybercrime.

"The ESBU is responsible for assessing risks and threats to the economy of Ukraine, ensures the country's economic security by preventing, detecting and investigating crimes that undermine the functioning of the state's economy, as well as violations related to the receipt and use of international technical assistance, etc.

That is why the exchange of experience with our partners is extremely important," said the head of the group Serhiy Sklyanov. The result of the trip will be the implementation of the best European methods and practices in the work of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine. Especially important is the experience, first of all, regarding the search and seizure of the assets of the country - the aggressor.