The top news stories in Lithuania in the past week, were the speaker of the Seimas encouraging to set up a dedicated support fund for Ukraine, the discussion about taking down Soviet Army monuments in the country and the intelligence service warning Lithuanians travelling to Russia and Belarus.
Vilnius will not rush to remove Soviet relics from cemeteries
Vilnius will not rush to remove Soviet relics from cemeteries, the Lithuanian capital’s Mayor Remigijus Šimašius said on Monday, April 11. As authorities in Lithuania’s western port city of Klaipeda mull removing a local memorial to Soviet soldiers, the eyes are also on the memorial in the capital’s Antakalnis cemetery. Traditionally, every year on May 9, top Russian diplomats and some members of the Russian-speaking community come here to commemorate the Soviet Union’s WWII victory over Nazi Germany. However, the cemetery in Vilnius, like in any the Western civilization, will remain untouchable, Šimašius said. Culture Minister Simonas Kairys has vowed that the so-called desovietisation law, which would oblige municipalities to review their Soviet heritage and make necessary decisions, will soon be put before the Seimas.
Lithuania behind Latvia, Estonia in World Democracy Index
Lithuania has moved up two notches in The Economist’s annual Democracy Index but remains third behind the other two Baltic states. Lithuania ranked 40th in the 2021 Democracy Index with a score of 7.18 out of 10, up from the 42nd position a year ago. Lithuania’s electoral process and pluralism scored 9.58, the functioning of government – 7.86, political participation – 6.67, political culture – 6.88, and civil liberties – 8.24, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research division of the Economist Group, a UK-based private company which publishes the weekly newspaper The Economist, announced on Monday, April 11. Estonia had the highest score among the Baltic states and ranks 27th, with Latvia being in the 38th position, and Poland ranks 51st.
Seimas speaker calls to set up dedicated support fund for Ukraine
The Ukrainians are fighting not just for their future but also for the legacy of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations and it is necessary to step up support provided to the country, Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said in Warsaw on Monday, April 11. She proposed to set up a dedicated support fund for Ukraine. In Warsaw, the Lithuanian Seimas speaker also met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Marshal of the Sejm Elzbieta Witek and Marshal of the Senate Tomasz Grodzki. The Commonwealth of the Two Nations was a federal state of Lithuania and Poland from 1569 to 1795. The Constitution of this republic, adopted on May 3, 1791, was the first such written document in Europe.
Lithuanian PM pays visit to Ukraine
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė on Monday, April 11, visited Ukraine, which continues to fight against Russia’s invasion. Ukraine’s prime minister, who also tweeted about his meeting with Šimonytė, described the actions of Russian troops as genocide and thanked Lithuania for its contribution to the investigation of war crimes.
Four Lithuanian municipalities ask to lift protection of Soviet memorials
Four Lithuanian municipalities, including Raseiniai, Palanga, Marijampolė, have asked the Lithuanian Cultural Heritage Department to assess possibilities to lift legal protection of Soviet soldiers’ memorials that would pave the way to remove the monuments, Vidmantas Bezaras, director of the department, said on Monday, April 11. The department had also been contacted by a yet another municipality, he said adding that the staff of the department was still working to clarify its request. Discussions on the removal of Soviet monuments have resumed in Lithuania following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and mass killings of civilians recorded in that country. However, Bezaras stressed the need to amend certain legislative acts setting forth the criteria of protected objects before considering the municipalities’ requests.
Seimas proposes to qualify Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide
The Seimas of Lithuania, the country’s Parliament, proposes to qualify Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian nation and calls on international community to continue supplying a broad range of weapons to Kyiv, according to a resolution adopted by the Lithuanian parliament unanimously with 134 votes in favour on Tuesday, April 12. The resolution was adopted in the wake of a virtual address of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Lithuanian Seimas.
Lithuania’s SSD warns those travelling to Russia, Belarus
Lithuania’s State Security Department issued on Wednesday, April 13, a warning of rising risks for those travelling to Russia and Belarus amid rising tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Intelligence services in the two countries have stepped up their effort to recruit incoming Lithuanian citizens, the SSD said. The SSD also warned that the main recruitment targets are people who have the opportunity to visit Russia or Belarus regularly, and it also points out that hostile countries’ intelligence services are not only interested in people with access to classified information or who hold high-level positions.
Lithuanian government approves adjustments to 2022 budget
The Lithuanian government on Wednesday, April 13, approved proposed adjustments to this year’s state budget. As Russia’s started war in Ukraine have led to a drastic surge in energy prices, the government has proposed to set aside 570 million euros for partial compensation of gas and electricity costs of the country’s households. The Cabinet has also proposed inter alia to allocate 103 million euros for the increasing of non-taxable income by 80 euros to 540 euros, and 67.7 million euros for hiking old-age pensions by 5 percent. Also, there are plans to allocate 120 million euros to support businesses affected by rising energy prices, and the agriculture sector would be given another 9.3 million euros. Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), the country’s state-owned railway company, will be allocated 155 million euros in additional funding as the company is losing revenue due to the existing international sanctions, Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė said. Also, Lithuania’s Finance Ministry has proposed to allocate 370 million euros for Ukrainian war refugees.
Lithuania reports 1,507 new COVID-19 cases, six deaths
Lithuania has recorded 1,507 new coronavirus infections and six deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Thursday, April 14. Some 1,287 of the new cases were primary, 217 were secondary and three were tertiary. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals has dropped 810, including 47 ICU cases. The 14-day primary infection rate has fallen to 765.7 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests down to 23.4 percent. The daily count of new infections had been rising at a rapid pace since late 2021, but took a downward turn in early February after hitting a new high of over 14,000 cases.
Week in Lithuania: Seimas speaker pushes for Ukraine support fund, «desovietisation» of monuments discussed
