LRT English Newsletter – April 21, 2023
With a new law passed this month, Belarusian exiles in Vilnius have found themselves facing an uncomfortable question – are they no longer welcome?
The anxiety focuses on the law which imposes significant sanctions on Russian and Belarusian nationals. The initial version was severely downgraded after an outcry from both Belarusian and Russian exiles, as it would have banned them from gaining Lithuanian citizenship, owning property, and would have introduced obstacles to obtaining residency permits and renewing visas.
The law was changed after the first reading, leaving Belarusians mostly off the hook, while toning down some of the provisions aimed at Russian nationals, as well. However, President Gitanas Nausėda vetoed the new version, saying the same sanctions should apply to Belarusians and Russians. After all, he said, Belarus is taking part, even if indirectly, in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
His critics pointed out that the Belarusian society is held captive by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and has spoken out and protested against the invasion despite the draconian sentences handed down to those caught or even suspected of taking part.
Finally, his veto was rejected almost unanimously. Nonetheless, the political sentiment has left many refugees feeling uneasy in their new-found home. To many of them, it seems Lithuania has slowly renounced its position of the total support pledged to Belarusian opposition and activists in the wake of the regime’s violent post-election crackdown in 2020.
ROAD DEATHS
A series of deadly accidents rocked Lithuania in recent weeks. In one particularly painful and tragic case, an entire family of five, including three children, perished when their car crashed into a lorry travelling in the opposite direction. Although Lithuania has been trying to clamp down on drunk driving and speeding, the latter – coupled with careless driving – seems to remain a particularly cruel killer on Lithuania’s roads.
BALTIC DEFENCE PLANS ARE UP
After several years, the Baltic defence plans have finally, it seems, been drafted by NATO.
What are they all about? Basically, Baltic leaders are aiming for the alliance to move away from the idea of merely presenting a so-called trip-wire defence, ie slowing down the initial but ultimately unavoidable occupation of territory in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania before winning it back. Now, they say, the atrocities and Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine have shown the need to defend all of the Baltic territories from the get-go.
It’s unlikely that much of the plans’ contents would be revealed to the public due to the obvious military secrecy reasons. But the fact that the plans are moving ahead is a positive sign, according to Vilnius.
Even if NATO has stepped up, critics have blasted the Lithuanian government for failing to prepare the society for total defence, despite pledging to improve plans for civil resistance – both armed and unarmed – following the February 2022 invasion. The topic was reinvigorated several weeks ago when retired US general Ben Hodges called out Lithuania for its lack of progress.
EDITOR’S PICKS
– As part of its Transporter 7 mission, SpaceX has launched two satellites manufactured by Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics) in Lithuania.
– Vilnius has a new ruling coalition in the City Council. Here’s what they plan to get up to over the next few years.
– Lithuania may withdraw from the post-Soviet BRELL agreement with Russia and Belarus next year if this week’s power system isolated operation test is successful.
– The Lithuanian government wants to introduce a so-called temporary solidarity contribution by banks that should fund military projects. How would it work?
– Flights at Vilnius Airport will be temporarily suspended during the NATO summit in mid-July.
– A building in New York’s Manhattan, belonging to the world’s oldest Lithuanian diaspora organisation, is facing destruction. However, the community has vowed to fight on.
– Data gathered by the LRT Investigation Team show that Lithuanian airspace is being used to bring aircraft from Europe to Russia.
– The National Gallery of Art hosts the exhibition “Outsider’s Look on Vilnius”, dedicated to the 700th anniversary of the Lithuania capital.
– A great story of how students in a Lithuanian town fought to keep school discos going.
– And here are five times Lithuania made it into the movies.
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 Ieva Žvinakytė
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