LRT English Newsletter – April 17, 2026.
One of the main characters of Lithuania’s political arena fell this week. Saulius Skvernelis, the former prime minister and head of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party, was accused of taking a 51,000-euro bribe. He has since lost his legal immunity, while the former European Commissioner and now MEP, Virginijus Sinkevičius, has taken over the party leadership for now. The assets of Skvernelis’ former aide have also been seized as part of the investigation. Read more about the probe here (it’s a wild one: gold bars, cash, and coke).
DIVISIONS AND DRONES
Lithuania inaugurated its first military division, with its first combat brigades assigned under its leadership. This does not mean Lithuania has coughed up thousands of additional soldiers. Instead, this marks another milestone in expanding and reforming the armed forces, officials say. As part of this expansion, the military has also started receiving additional NASAMS air defence batteries.
Earlier this week, Estonia’s decision to shift funding from armoured vehicles to air defence caused a bit of uproar in Lithuania, with officials rushing to prove that the country was doing enough to ward off drone threats. And speaking of drones: Russia claims Ukrainian drone manufacturers in Europe (include in Lithuania) will face its wrath. In the past four years, we remember hearing similar bellicose warnings about helmets, small arms, ammunition, artillery, artillery shells, trucks, armoured personnel carriers, tanks, fighters jets, combat mosquitos, bioweapon birds, and rockets.
PLAN A, B, C
If you recall, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said Lithuania had plans B and C in case the United States pulled out of NATO, or the alliance collapsed entirely. So, earlier this week, she was invited to reveal some details about the plans to a parliamentary committee. After the meeting, different versions emerged – the opposition claimed they received no answers, Ruginienė said she received no questions. If you want to know more about the discussions that are indeed happening, feel free to read an earlier story about the contingency planning (if you can call it planning). Seemingly, however, the current Trump turbulence is causing even some Lithuanian officials to speak of an EU army.
ECONOMY UPDATES:
– Lithuanian emigration trends are shifting.
– There’s now a temporary diesel tax cut.
– The number of layoffs is rising.
– Some 40 percent of people withdrew their second-tier pension savings.
LRT REFORMS
Efforts to implement LRT reforms are continuing, with a parliamentary committee moving at speed to vote on proposed changes. The proposals still have to reach the Seimas floor, probably in May. Politicians might be rushing ahead before the supervisory LRT Council composition will change next month, which could disrupt the current power balance. There was also a fiery LRT TV programme this week, where a member of the ruling social democrat group in the parliament for the first time acknowledged that populists were indeed trying to usurp the public broadcaster
GAZA, ISRAEL, LITHUANIA
The Brussels-based non-profit Hind Rajab Foundation has asked Lithuanian prosecutors to open an investigation into potential Gaza war crimes under universal jurisdiction. The target: a former Israeli soldier now studying in Kaunas, who may have taken part in Gaza war crimes. The prosecutor's office refused, citing limits to actually enacting universal jurisdiction.
The foundation, whose co-founder is a controversial Belgian national with a Lebanese background, previously filed similar requests in other countries. In some cases, the former IDF servicemen were moved back to Israel to prevent potential prosecution.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– There’s been a suspension of IVF procedures over legal changes that would make the procedure available to more people.
– Vilnius mayor opposes calls to build a new mosque.
– Here’s the story of Lithuanian Madonna.
– EHU in Vilnius has been branded an extremist organisation by Belarus.
– A couple was sentenced for spying for Belarus.
– Are you also tired of clock changes?
– And New York has a new historic landmark. This time it’s Lithuanian.
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Austė Sargytė
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
