LRT English Newsletter – September 26, 2025.
That’s it, Lithuania has a new social democrat government. (If you need a refresher on what happened to Gintautas Paluckas and why there was a coalition reshuffle, read here.)
In terms of foreign policy, much remains the same – pledges to support Ukraine and build up defences. Notably, however, the government programme has toned down its rhetoric on China, saying it will seek to restore diplomatic ties. The programme does foresee continued focus on building cultural and economic ties with Taiwan, though.
The biggest controversy surrounded the Nemunas Dawn ministerial candidates. After failing to secure the energy ministry for itself, the controversial party traded horses with the social democrats to take charge of the culture ministry – to the dismay of the country’s cultural sector.
So who’s their guy? His name is Ignotas Adomavičius, and he has family ties with the head of the party, Remigijus Žemaitaitis. His only qualification anywhere near to the culture sector is his art school diploma, even though he spent most of his life in business. In a teary press conference, he pledged to bring culture to the regions and away from the Vilnius elite.
The president approved the candidate, asking everyone to give him a chance. This didn’t go down too well. Around 50,000 people signed a petition against his appointment, which the minister-to-be brushed off as “a bubble”, and thousands gathered to protest outside the presidential palace on Thursday.
The cultural sector is mostly worried about his glaring lack of expertise. When asked on Thursday what would make him a good minister, he said, “give me a few days, a few weeks”.
RUSSIAN JETS
If Russian jets breached Lithuanian airspace like they did in Estonia, the country would first have to consider “escalation management”, an adviser to the president said, admitting that this view will probably not be too popular with the public calling for a tougher response.
In any case, the Lithuanian parliament passed law amendments allowing a swifter response to possible drone incursions – recall, two Russian drones entered the country from Belarus in July. Basically, the defence minister can give an order to shoot down a drone that flies in closed or restricted airspace. The authorities have also expedited the process of closing parts of the airspace, meaning that the military and NATO pilots can be sure they will not be hitting any civilians by accident.
ČIURLIONIS AT 150
This week marks the 150th anniversary of Lithuania’s celebrated painter, composer, and cultural figure Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. There will be events left, right, and centres, but, in the meantime, we are bringing you a short profile on the man himself.
EMBRAER SAGA
Amid expensive armaments programmes, one has raised eyebrows – the purchase of transport planes from the Brazilian Embraer company. The opposition is arguing that the money could be better used elsewhere – eg buying drones or other gear. Proponents say the current Lithuanian military transport aircraft are nearing the end of their lifespan and need to be replaced. Critics, however, argue that the planes are used more often to ferry around politicians.
In other aircraft-related news, the Spanish defence minister’s military plane was hit by GPS interference from Russia in Kaliningrad as the delegation made its way to a press conference in Šiauliai that houses Spanish and other NATO personnel.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– Get settled: Vilnius is offering incentives (cash included) for people who declare their residency in the Lithuanian capital.
– The Lithuanian president is not too keen on recognising the State of Palestine.
– Do you remember the Covid-era riot outside the parliament? The court process has finally wrapped up.
– Come to an international documentary photography festival in Vilnius.
– What do foreigners think about Lithuania?
– The largest Jewish history museum in the Baltic states, the Lost Shtetl (Dingęs Štetlas), has opened its doors.
– The main owner of Puiki Investicija, a property developer that has operated in Vilnius for ten years, is a Dubai businessman with close ties to sanctioned Belarusian entrepreneur Viktor Shevtsov, dubbed Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's wallet.
– The four-day workweek debate is back on.
– What does it feel like to experience the cosmos through scent, witness the death of a star, or hold the passage of time in your hands?
– And is Lithuania (finally) doing better than Estonia?
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Agnė Toločkaitė
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