LRT English Newsletter – June 5, 2026.
After months of street demonstrations and political wrangling, the Seimas voted on Tuesday to adopt amendments to the LRT Law. The vote wasn't close: 77 in favour, one against, zero abstentions. The opposition simply walked out rather than vote, so take that margin with a grain of salt. The president still needs to sign it into law.
The softened LRT changes adopted by the parliament are explained here.
The short version is that public pressure worked – up to a point. Over 145,000 people signed what became the most popular online petition in Lithuanian history, and tens of thousands showed up in the streets. That appears to have been enough to strip out the most egregious proposals, the kind that critics warned could hand politicians control over editorial decisions at the public broadcaster. Journalist associations and LRT staff have acknowledged as much, calling the outcome a partial victory.
But the law that did pass still leaves LRT more politically exposed than before. The most pointed criticism from international observers is that the amendments take effect immediately, meaning they can be used to unseat the current director general, Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, rather than applying only to future appointees. That makes it very difficult to argue the law isn't politically motivated.
Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė herself wasn't mincing words. The changes, she said, will cost taxpayers an extra €300,000 a year, slow down decision-making, and weaken LRT's independence. She’s hoping that the law would be challenged before the Constitutional Court.
GOODBYE AMERICA, HOPEFULLY NOT FOR LONG
More than 1,000 US troops have begun withdrawing from Lithuania after their deployment rotation ended. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas says replacements are coming – but can't say how many, or when.
The timing is awkward. While Russia is bolstering its presence in the Baltic Sea, Washington is currently reviewing its military posture across Europe, a process that has already rattled allies.
The US recently recalled 5,000 troops from Germany and gave quite the scare to their Polish allies, who were first told a planned deployment of 4,000 troops was cancelled, then that it was merely delayed, then that an additional 5,000 would be sent instead – though it remains unclear whether those are on top of the original number or a repackaged version of it. Warsaw is now pushing for a permanent US base on its soil, hoping that locking in infrastructure makes the troops harder to pull out.
But Lithuania allegedly has a seat at a different table. The country is reportedly part of discussions on a possible expansion of US nuclear assets in Europe, as Washington considers broadening the number of allies hosting capabilities linked to its nuclear deterrence strategy. There's a catch: such a move would likely be unconstitutional under current Lithuanian law. Lithuanian politicians, however, appear more than willing to amend the constitution to make it work.
But are nuclear bombs an effective deterrent? There’s little evidence to think so, point out experts.
In other US-Lithuania news, Donald Trump has nominated Keith Noreika as the new US ambassador to Lithuania. Noreika has Lithuanian roots but is a lawyer by training rather than a career diplomat.
NATO AND UKRAINE IN VILNIUS
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Spring Session turned the capital into a hub of high-level traffic. NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska set the tone in her keynote, calling for a serious scaling-up of defence capabilities on NATO's eastern flank.
The Lithuanian military appears to be ahead of her. Last week, it announced the creation of ANBO (Autonomous Remote Unmanned Operations), a new dedicated drone unit built around offensive capability and designed to strike targets up to 200km deep into enemy territory. Its personnel will stay anonymous, a lesson absorbed directly from Ukraine, where drone operators have become priority targets. The State Defence Council also signed off on a major armoured vehicle purchase: over 900 Finnish-made Patria APCs, with 300 arriving by 2030, replacing the ageing M113 fleet that Lithuania largely donated to Ukraine.
And to really make sure we’re getting our lessons from Ukraine, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed that Ukrainian air defence specialists will arrive within a week or two to assess Lithuania's existing plans and capabilities on the ground.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko was in Vilnius for all of this. She called for tighter operational coordination between Kyiv and NATO allies, warning that Russia's drone incursions into alliance airspace are being deliberately packaged with disinformation. More concretely, Lithuania and Ukraine signed a letter of intent for Brave Lithuania, a joint defence innovation programme bringing together startups, researchers and defence companies from both countries to fast-track new military technologies, with drones and counter-drone systems at the centre of it.
PINK VILNIUS
Vilnius went pink, literally. The Pink Soup Festival took over the capital for the weekend, drawing thousands of visitors for what is fast becoming one of the city's signature annual events. Trains, buses and streets were bathed in pink. Even the airport got in on it, temporarily rebranding as Vilnius Pinkternational Beetport. Lithuanian communities and embassies joined in from across the world, from Chicago to Kyiv.
Not everything was seamless – some attendees flagged confusion around transport and accessibility. But the energy was there, and the crowds were too.
The festival also marked the unofficial start of Vilnius's summer season, and if this weekend was any indication, it's going to be a busy one. A packed events calendar is expected to draw visitors throughout the coming months – so if you're planning a trip and haven't booked accommodation yet, don't wait. First up: Vilnius Pride march this Saturday and World Apostolic Congress on Mercy.
DESECRATING GRAVES?
Moscow accused Lithuania of desecrating the memory of Soviet troops after the Elektrėnai municipality decided to rebury the remains of over 100 World War Two soldiers currently located in the centre of Vievis. Lithuania's response, roughly translated: give us a break.
Vilnius points out that both the Vievis site and a similar one in Šiauliai were Soviet-era secondary burial constructions meant to promote the "Great Patriotic War" narrative – a framing Lithuania views as a political tool of the USSR, continued by modern Russia. The remains are being moved, following proper archaeological research, from town centres to cemeteries within the same towns, which municipalities argue are more honourable resting places than a Soviet-era monument in a town square.
Lithuania's foreign ministry also pointed out that Russia has demolished Lithuanian cultural heritage sites on its own soil: a memorial to Archbishop Mecislovas Reinys, a monument to political prisoners and deportees in Tomsk, and a monument to Kristijonas Donelaitis, the father of Lithuanian literature.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– There is only one god in Russia and his name is Vladimir Putin: Russian Orthodox Church targets anti-war priests
– For the sixth year running, more Lithuanians returned home than left.
– The US was prepared to go to war for the Baltics during Obama’s term, says the former president’s advisor. Now, that may no longer be the case.
– Consider buying property in Nothrern Cyprus? It might be a good investment but could leave you morally bankrupt.
Written by Agnė Toločkaitė
Edited by Benas Gerdžiūnas
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