The Lithuanians are often praised for their support for Ukraine, but a significant share of the population holds different beliefs. The second Lithuanian Democracy Sustainability Barometer, published by the Eastern Europe Studies Centre (EESC), shows that up to 300,000 people in the country may live in the Russian disinformation field.
The representative survey of the Lithuanian population, commissioned by the EESC, was conducted by Spinter Tyrimai between September 20 – October 9, interviewing 1,017 people aged between 18 and 75.
For example, around 20 percent of those surveyed agreed that the war in Ukraine was instigated by NATO and the US, which is also one of Russia’s main propaganda narratives. The number of those who believe that Lithuania is also fuelling the war was only slightly lower (17 percent).
Kęstutis Budrys, the adviser to President Gitanas Nausėda, has warned that such people could get jobs in important state institutions. “This is a system error, it shouldn’t happen,” he said.
Impossible to punish?
Experts, interviewed by LRT.lt, said that the issue of punishing people for supporting Russia or restricting their employment is complex, as the law does not allow it.
According to Gediminas Grina, former head of the State Security Department, this is a political, not a legal, issue.
“What I see in public life is that there is often confusion about what the main problem is [...], and that is Russia. The bottom line is that there is a country like Russia, and it will always be a problem for us as long as it exists,” he said.
Grina noted that the law strictly regulates who can obtain a permit to work with classified information. However, it is not always easy to decide whether to grant a clearance.
“If a person says something wrong, it’s difficult to say whether they can legally be denied a permit,” he said.
According to him, new legislation restricting such people’s employment possibilities would not be welcomed by the EU institution, as it could be perceived as violating human rights.
Lawyer Remigijus Rinkevičius also said it’s difficult, if not impossible, to assess a person’s views legally. The Lithuanian Constitution provides that personal opinion cannot be persecuted, he stressed.
“A person is free to express their beliefs and there can be no prohibition against expressing them. Of course, in neighbouring countries, Belarus and Russia, they don’t think this way, but I don’t think we should follow their example and restrict the right to freedom of opinion,” he said.
According to Rinkevičius, it might be possible to amend Lithuanian law to include prohibitions on supporting aggressor states similar to the current prohibition on displaying Soviet and Nazi symbols.
In his words, such laws should not attract criticism from the international community.
“This should not be condemned because the context at the moment calls for a more rigorous assessment of threats. If this had happened three years ago, such a legal approach would no doubt have caused more noise,” the lawyer said.
No recent cases
Commenting on the results of the EESC study, President’s Adviser Budrys said he feared that Russia-supporting people could end up working in state institutions.
LRT.lt contacted the police, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), and the Lithuanian Armed Forces to find out whether such cases occur.
VSAT spokesperson Giedrius Mišutis said there have not been cases of employees expressing anti-state views recently. However, there have been situations when information published by employees on social media was scrutinised.
“But it turned out that there was no clash with Lithuania’s national security interests,” he said.
According to him, if there were cases of pro-Russian employees at VSAT, they would be assessed individually.
“If there were facts and evidence of inappropriate behaviour, this would be assessed and, if substantiated, the person would be liable to disciplinary action, which could lead to dismissal,” Mišutis explained.
Strict screening procedures are carried out for applicants to the Border Guard School, the VSAT spokesperson noted. The first step is to check whether the person is not a member of or linked to banned organisations. Secondly, their criminal record is checked.
“Thirdly, the information published on social media by the applicants is checked. Moreover, the VSAT can exchange data and obtain information from other state agencies,” Mišutis said.
Patriotism and civic education
It is currently difficult to express pro-Russian views in the Lithuanian Armed Forces, its Strategic Communications Department said in a written reply to LRT.lt.
“If we were talking about the situation more than two decades ago, such cases might have occurred,” it said.
According to the Armed Forces, most people who join the professional military service are patriotic. However, there may be greater risks in compulsory military service where different people are called.
“However, even in the [compulsory military] service, such cases are not common and are usually resolved through consistent civic education and other educational work,” the reply reads.
Assessments for security clearance to work with classified information are also carried out, and professional soldiers, volunteer soldiers, and participants in junior officers’ training are screened.
“If, based on the information provided by the intelligence authorities, a person has risk factors that threaten the security of the classified information, they shall not be granted a permit to work with or have access to classified information and shall not be admitted to professional military service or employment in the national defence system,” the Armed Forces explained.
Precautionary interviews
There are not many openly pro-Russian police officers in Lithuania, but such cases do occur, said Revita Janavičiūtė, adviser to the Police Communications Division. When this happens, the police react, collect and analyse information.
According to Janavičiūtė, candidates for police service are also screened through information systems and registers, as well as through publicly available sources, such as social media.
“If certain doubts are identified, candidates are invited for a precautionary interview, after which a decision is made as to whether they meet the requirements and are eligible to work in the police,” she said.
The police spokesperson noted that the most frequent forms of demonstrating pro-Russian views include comments on social media, Victory Day celebrations, and the display of Georgian ribbon.
When such information is received and verified, the officers are called for an interview, where they are warned against conduct contrary to the public interest. The police also cooperate with the State Security Department, which takes care of the more complex cases, Janavičiūtė said.
“So far, there have been no cases of officers continuing to publicly demonstrate their views after an interview and a warning, but it must be understood that it is hardly possible to change an adult’s views.
“The precautionary interview is unlikely to change their views but simply force them not to express them. But we do monitor such staff, and if there was a higher risk, we’d try to take more stringent action. It just hasn’t been necessary so far,” the police spokesperson explained.
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