Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has called on people to consider information about Ukrainians allegedly complaining about their living conditions in Lithuania critically, as it may be part of Russian propaganda.
"There's been an increase in the number of such messages in the public space," she told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday. "The propaganda, which aims to discredit the Ukrainians' struggle for their independence, is also contributing to this."
However, she stressed that some complaints may be genuine.
"My own experience of volunteering at a registration centre is that people are usually very tired and very exhausted emotionally,” Šimonytė said. “The most common request I hear from people [...] is just to be able to put their head on a pillow somewhere safe and rest.”
"I have not heard any major complaints or reproaches,” she added.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, millions of Ukrainians were forced to leave the country. Over 36,000 people have now registered as refugees in Lithuania.
According to a recent poll, over 50 percent of people in Lithuania have provided aid or helped Ukrainian refugees at home.
Read more: Over half of Lithuanians send aid to Ukraine – poll
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