LRT English Newsletter – February 17, 2023.
We bring you a special newsletter on Lithuania’s independence day(s). First off – why does Lithuania have several of them in the first place?
As the country commemorated State Restoration Day on Thursday, let’s start with February 16, 1918. So this is the first independence day, marking Lithuania’s emergence as a sovereign state from the grips of the Russian Empire, according to the country’s official historiography. Due to drawing the direct connection with the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth, which ceased to exist following the third partition of 1795, the date is therefore considered a restoration of statehood.
The other independence day is March 11, 1990, when Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union which had occupied the country since 1944. That day is known as the restoration of independence, different from restoring a state in 1918. The historical line thus reconnects the thread of independent Lithuania of 1918–1940 to 1990 onward. If you’re still confused, read the full story on Lithuania’s several landmark dates here.
The original act of independence, in fact, was considered lost for a century, until it was dug up in German archives back in 2017. Here’s a detective story on tracing the apparently elusive script.
The first president following that independence is also controversial. Some remember him as Lithuania’s “father”, others point at his autocratic rule after being installed by the army following a coup; others also criticise him for not resisting the initial Soviet invasion of 1940. Polls also show that people remain split on whether he should be honoured with a monument. Vilnius is now mulling whether to build one.
There was also another act of independence signed by anti-Soviet partisans, known as the forest brothers, on February 16, 1949. Remarkably, as their fight was looking increasingly desperate and the Soviet occupation entrenched, they declared Lithuania to be a “democratic republic”. The declaration also said that collaborators with both the Nazi and Soviet regimes would be tried by courts. The original script was also lost – then found.
So, Lithuania has been around for a while, including its capital Vilnius which is marking its own 700th anniversary this year. You may have spotted some of the red-coloured installations around the Old Town and Cathedral Square to mark the date. And, nope, we also don’t know what they mean. Anyway, here are some articles to catch up on the planned celebrations, as well as the city’s history:
– Here is a rundown of Vilnius’ history: from the first letter in 1323 to the first power plant and much more.
– Here are some of the celebrations you shouldn’t miss this year.
– A more poetic look at Vilnius’ history in the form of a historical novel, which we had profiled before, here.
– And here’s what the first census in 1790 can tell about the people in Lithuania and Vilnius
IN OTHER NEWS
Here’s what’s been happening in the country this week:
– Lithuania’s exports to Russia have gone down by a third since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, excluding energy products, but exports to countries neighbouring Russia have doubled.
– Direct Vilnius-Brussels flights set to resume in March.
– The prices of consumer goods and services were 20 percent higher this January compared to the same month last year, the State Data Agency said.
– With food price rises as one of the main driving forces behind Lithuania’s soaring inflation, the central bank has conducted a study, concluding that retailers did not use the situation to shore up their profit margins.
– Lithuania, like other EU countries, has been facing a shortage of antibiotics. Doctors are forced to adjust their treatment plans to what’s available, while drug authorities expect supply to revive in spring.
– Alexander Shakutin, a businessman close to Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, keeps running a profitable business in Germany even though he manages it through a Lithuanian company subject to sanctions, according to the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC) and Lithuania’s Siena investigative journalism centre.
– Lithuania’s prime minister recently suggested that the country’s students should be taught Polish instead of Russian as a foreign language. The plan, however, might run into logistical difficulties.
– If Moscow were to attack NATO’s eastern flank, the allies would see it coming and have time to prepare. Germany, which has already committed and assigned a special brigade to the defence of Lithuania, would be the main contributor, former German Land Forces Commander General Jörg Vollmer stressed in an exclusive interview with LRT.lt.
– After spending several years in Lithuania, Abe was among seven people earmarked for deportation back to Nigeria. Despite others fleeing long before, he had attempted to build his life here.
– Drivers during Kaunas 2022 European Capital of Culture programme were the first people to greet artists from across the world. This is what they recall from those first encounters.
Would you like to contribute to LRT English? Please send your suggestions, submissions, and pitches to english@lrt.lt
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Justinas Šuliokas
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
