Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has expressed strong protest after Russia put a number of the country’s politicians on a wanted list.
The politicians are mostly mayors of towns that have recently taken down Soviet-era monuments.
The ministry sent the note of protest on Thursday to a representative of the Russian Embassy in Lithuania, who was summoned to the Foreign Ministry. The protest was lodged against “the decisions of the Russian Federation to include politicians of the Republic of Lithuania in the list of wanted persons for their decisions taken in the performance of their direct duties”.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated to the Russian representative that these decisions of the Russian Federation contradict the universally recognised norms of international law, show an attempt to falsify historical facts and express disrespect for the Republic of Lithuania,” the Ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry also demanded an immediate end to the “politically motivated” persecution of Lithuanian citizens.
Earlier this week, Russian media reported that Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Polish officials were put on the wanted list. In Lithuania, these include a number of local government representatives: Palanga Mayor Šarūnas Vaitkus and Vice-Mayor Saulius Simė, Panevėžys Mayor Rytis Račkauskas and Vice-Mayor Loreta Masiliūnienė.
Russia has repeatedly reproached the Baltics and other countries for removing Soviet monuments.
Although hundreds of Soviet-era monuments have long been a source of negative feelings for many Baltic citizens, Russia’s attack on Ukraine has led to increased calls for their removal.
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