LRT English Newsletter – September 15, 2023.
Lithuania imposed a ban on Russian cars from entering its territory earlier this week.
First, it was Germany that asked for Brussels to clarify whether sanctions apply in this case. It said yes, so Lithuania also went ahead – all cars bearing Russian registration plates, except for those transiting to or from the Kaliningrad exclave, are not allowed to enter the country. Soon enough, both Estonia and Latvia followed suit. Meanwhile, Berlin has gone further, confiscating Russian cars inside the country, according to local media.
The ban on imports, including cars, also covers cameras, laptops and hundreds of other everyday items. However, Brussels clarified that people will not be stripped of their Russian-made clothing, nor made to hand over their personal things that are banned under the sanctions.
Some reactions have been comical, a Lithuanian tabloid reported, as one Russian driver threatened to open the way with tanks. Right. But the Navalny-founded opposition platform in Russia, FBK, has also appealed to the Baltic states and the EU to reconsider the ban.
Meanwhile, Lithuania will hand out so-called foreigners’ passports to Belarusians who will be unable to renew their documents after the Minsk regime ordered its embassies to stop issuing IDs. This doesn’t need much explanation – the move is a clear strike at the opposition based abroad.
In a separate border story, two tragic crashes surrounding irregular migration took place in Lithuania this week. One car transporting people from Latvia attempted to evade the police, but crashed, killing one Indian national. In another incident, a driver of a car, most likely trafficking migrants, attempted to outrun the police but also veered off the road. Eight people were injured. This comes as Latvia is seeing record flows of irregular migration channelled via Belarus.
POLITICAL SEASON OPEN
The parliament gathered for its autumn session after a summer break. On the menu – populist rhetoric, the next year’s budget, as well as various defence, education, and social issues.
This is also the last chance, some lawmakers believe, for Lithuania to pass the partnership bill, already a watered-down version from the stuck proposals to legalise same-sex marriage.
Coinciding with the looming parliamentary, European, and presidential elections next year, there is also fear-fest across Lithuania – the Belarus border crisis, migrants, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and more. Among the topics falling under the fear spectrum is radical Litvinism, a strand of Belarusian nationalism that claims Vilnius and the heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as Belarusian. Tomas Valkauskas at LRT did a deep dive into what the whole thing is about.
DEFENCE NEWS
The president’s office entered the discussions on drafting women, saying that no females would be called up until all young men were subjected to universal conscription.
NATO is launching one of its biggest drills since the Cold War, which will simulate repelling a Russian invasion, including in the Baltic states. Meanwhile, a conscript died this week while on another exercise. The military says it is launching an investigation and providing support to the person's family.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– Prices in Lithuania fell for the fourth month in a row.
– The construction of the National Concert Hall in Vilnius is scheduled to be completed in 2030, with the total cost of the project estimated at 121 million euros.
– Lithuania’s Taiwan pivot became the most high-profile example of the country’s proclaimed values-based foreign policy. Behind the layers of rhetoric, the emerging picture hints at other motives behind the move. Read here.
– The Russian activist Elena Kotenochkina has been living in Lithuania for more than a year on a humanitarian visa. In an interview with LRT.lt, she discusses the situation back in Russia, her adaptation in Vilnius and what hope she has for her country’s future.
– A Lithuanian sculptor played a role in creating the Barbie doll.
– Grabijolai is one of the most beautiful villages in Lithuania, with a 228-year history. Read more about the place seemingly forgotten by time.
– The Russian-born ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko will lose her Lithuanian citizenship after all. She previously said she was not involved in Moscow’s propaganda and was spreading “the light of culture and kindness”.
– A university in Lithuania will start 3D printing drugs.
– Former Dutch honorary consul in Kaunas has received a posthumous award for saving Jews
– Two Lithuanian cities are really getting into hydrogen buses.
– A poor swordfish washed up on a beach in Lithuania.
– And Portugal still thinks Lithuania is in the USSR. Sort of.
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Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Ieva Žvinakytė
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