LRT English Newsletter – April 4, 2025.
The news first surfaced on Wednesday last week when an armoured recovery vehicle and four US troops were reported missing in the Pabradė training area, near Lithuania's border with Belarus. Frantic rescue efforts followed, but the grim conclusion was finally reached earlier this week – all four were dead (find a timeline of the events here).
As the search operation was locating the fourth body, a strange story surfaced of a US national being caught in Belarus after he entered the country hidden onboard a cargo train. Although some were quick to jump on the conspiracy bandwagon, it had nothing to do with the Pabradė incident, the border guards assured, saying the identity of the man was known to them.
On Wednesday, dozens of people laid flowers and lit candles next to the US embassy in Vilnius, while the four servicemen were given a ceremonial send-off home on Thursday. Hundreds of people lined the streets, some even shed tears.
TRUMP TARIFFS
Donald Trump went with what observers described as the carpet bombing option and imposed tariffs on the European Union. This will surely affect Lithuania’s economy as well, experts said, with one adding that Trump was trying to revert to the 19th century world.
So what’s the fallout? Well, Lithuania’s exports total nearly €2 billion, or about 2.5 percent of its GDP. With the added taxes, the country’s GDP growth could be down 0.5 points – or more. Read more here.
The government has now launched a hotline to “provide advice” and pledged a 20-million-euro fund to cushion the potential damage.
VILNIUS PLANE CRASH
The DHL plane crash in November 2024 seemed almost too accidental – it came just weeks after Russia was caught trying to send explosive packages via the same shipping company, amid ongoing GPS jamming incidents, and more. But no, it was a human error, investigators announced – there was no sign of foul play.
We don’t know too much about flying planes, but basically the pilot did something he shouldn’t have done with the flaps (things that regulate the plane’s speed) upon approach.
DEFENCE UPDATE:
– A drone procurement has turned sour after investigators found the supplied equipment had parts from “unfriendly” countries (China), despite bearing the Made in Lithuania tag.
– A defence industry exemption to allow faster construction of large plants could now be expanded to include other sectors
– Lithuania’s struggling fertiliser plant could start making explosives.
MIGRATION WOES
Migrants from Central Asia are increasingly coming to Lithuania, However, they are often tricked into illegal unemployment, or are forced to (or willingly) migrate onward to other EU countries. At the same time, this poses security risks, the country’s intelligence service has said. Meanwhile, the Migration Department has no idea how many people are actually in the country. Read the full LRT Investigation here.
In another migration story, border guards have allegedly refused to accept asylum requests at a border checkpoint, a Lithuanian NGO has said. It shared an audio recording, allegedly made by the asylum seekers, where a man can be heard saying “I don’t understand” in Lithuanian as a woman repeatedly asks for asylum, in English. The group was ultimately returned to Belarus.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– Lithuania is running out of cybersecurity experts.
– Have you tried the new e-health app?
– Big changes to the country’s pension system are in the works. So what’s on offer?
– Vilnius schools get ready to accept children of stationed German soldiers.
– Taiwan cooperation failed to live up to the hype, the government has said.
– Russia will likely divert troops to the Baltic borders once (or if) a ceasefire is reached in Ukraine.
– Vilnius walked back from plans to scrap the 30-minute ticket after a public outcry. However, the price of it will still go up to 1 euro.
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
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