Linas Jegelevičius
The world has come close to a very grim date, which marks the start of war in Ukraine, where thousands already lost their lives and those alive saw their dreams shattered. With the first anniversary of the war behind the corner, BNN spoke to various Lithuanians, asking them how the bloodshed nearby changed their lives. Has Lithuania become a different country over the last year?
Lithuanians’ help is bigger
Vladas Gaidys, head of «Vilmorus», a public opinion and market research centre, told BNN that, generally speaking, Lithuanians’ support for Ukraine has been huge and diverse.
«I refer to a Eurobarometer survey last year which put us higher than the other nations on the ranking of assistance. A vast majority of Lithuanians said they had donated Ukraine. The fact that campaigners manage to collect one million euros and more (in donations) in a very short time is very outstanding to me and speaks itself, especially considering that Lithuania is a small country,» Gaidys emphasised.
When it came to temporarily housing Ukrainian refugees, Lithuanians also were very embracive, supportive and friendly.
«I think many of the benevolent people remembered suffering of their parents, grandparents or other relatives who were exiled during the Soviet era. So the pain did not go anywhere – it is being passed on from one generation to another,»
the pollster underlined.
The other thing that stands out in Gaidys’ eyes is a significant increase in support of the current Lithuanian Defence minister, Arvydas Anušauskas.
«At the moment, he is the second most popular person in the country, right after the President (Gitanas Nausėda – L. J.), an enviable rise,» «Vilmorus» head added.
Besides, a tangible part of the opposition electorate also trusts and supports the minister, he says.
«No other minister can boast of that,» Gaidys said.
The pollster also finds «surprising» that amid the war, Lithuanian consumers’ confidence indicator remains higher that the EU average.
«Indeed, this is very unexpected to me. Lithuanians have never been very cheerful and gleeful – and the war, especially in the beginning, wrought havoc in lives of many. I mean distress due to the record electricity and heating prices, the record inflation and so on. Sulky mood we saw at the outset of the war evolved into a lot more optimistic expectations, despite the ongoing war. In fact, now, our economic optimism is at the pre-war level, an unexpected result to many and me, too,» Gaidys said.
Lithuania slammed door on Russia for good
Meanwhile, Tomas Janeliūnas, professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University, told BNN that the impact of the war on Lithuania is «multi-faceted».
“What is really evident to me is that the war prompted Lithuania to detach from Russia as much as possible. I mean – economically, culturally, otherwise. As a reminder, in the wake of the war, Lithuania was the first EU country cease Russian gas and oil imports. Lithuania was set to do it anyways, but Russia’s offence in Ukraine sped things up. No doubt,» Janeliūnas underlined.
The omnipresent nature of support for Ukraine – from collecting donations to collecting money for high-tech drones – also stands out, the analyst says.
«The solidarity we showed and keep showing is immense. It seems that, in terms of support, Lithuania is becoming a donor country. Being a support recipient is our past page. I find it very significant,» the analyst pointed out.
He says he rejoices that, despite the dire economic fallout from the war – the surge of prices, Lithuanian society remained united and calm.
«Things could have been much worse off here considering all the adversities,» the analyst summed up.
Lithuanians learnt history anew
For Kasparas Damulis, an aspiring Lithuanian opera singer, told BNN that, amid war in Ukraine, he was happy to see Lithuanians come as a «clenched fist».
«The atrocity united our people. Many people in Lithuania just understood anew what it means to be free. For many, war in Ukraine reverberates loudly with the bloody January events we had in Lithuania in 1991 (the January Events were a series of violent confrontations between the civilian population of Lithuania, supporting independence, and the Soviet Armed Forces. In all, 14 civilians were killed and over 140 were injured – L. J.),» the singer said.
Tangible addition to local workforce
Eimutis Židanavičius, councillor of the Palanga municipality, says that, although the resort town avoided direct spillovers of the war, yet its repercussions were and are still felt.
«The mood is just different. The topic of war is on the tip of the tongue of everybody. I think the Ukrainian refugees integrated well in the local community – they work here and they enjoy the life quality we have here. In fact, Ukrainians’ influx was tangible for local labour market. Unlike many Lithuanians, who frown at manual work, the Ukrainians cleaned hotel rooms, cooked, did other physical work. It remains to be seen how many of them will stay here after the war ends,» he said.
A wave of mental help seeking people
For Vaida, psychiatrist, who agreed to be quoted only with her surname withheld, that the last couple of years were «extremely stressful” due to a huge increase in workload.
«The two contingencies – first, the COVID-19 pandemic and then war in Ukraine – were big challenges to mental health of many people and mental health providers. I see a lot more of anxieties, depressions and et cetera. However, with the surge in new patients, the numbers of psychiatrists remained the same, meaning that many of us are overworked and overstressed. The demand for psychiatric help is big, but, unfortunately, it is not addressed properly,» the doctor told BNN.
Surprisingly to her, only few Ukrainian refugees sought it in her office.
«My explanation for that is this: during a time of crisis like this, people tend to find inner mental reserves, create small cosy bubbles, be it the family or the émigré community. Yet they mental health issues will perhaps appear later in life – damage has been done to an extent many still do not realise,» she told BNN.