Last week, suspects in Lithuanian filmmaker’s murder in Ukraine were identified; Žalgiris arena cancelled Russia-touting American singer LP’s concert
Foreign minister says agreement reached with president on ambassadors
Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said after meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda on Friday, the 1st of March, that they reached agreement on the appointment of ambassadors. According to him, key decisions regarding the ambassador in London (Eitvydas Bajarunas) have also been found. He said he could not disclose the names of the ambassadors yet. The appointment of a total of 13 Lithuanian ambassadors, including to Poland, is currently stalled due to disagreements between the president’s office and the Foreign Ministry. Among other things, Landsbergis and Nausėda have been bickering lately over Bajarūnas, Lithuania’s ambassador to the UK who is currently back in Vilnius for consultations. The foreign minister suspended Bajarūnas from his duties and summoned him to Vilnius for consultations in mid-October, following allegations of mobbing by embassy staff and irregularities found during an investigation. But Nausėda backed up the ambassador.
Nausėda remains most popular politician
President Gitanas Nausėda remains the most popular politician in Lithuania, followed by MEP Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, according to the latest Vilmorus poll for the Lietuvos Rytas daily published on Friday, the 1st of March. In all, 66.6% had a favourable opinion of Nausėda in February, and 15.1% had an unfavourable one, compared to 68.3 and 13.5% respectively in December. Blinkevičiūtė comes in second with 48.7 and 29.5%, from 51.1 and 25.6% respectively in December. They are followed by Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas with 48.4 and 26% (46.8 and 24.2% in December), ex-Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, leader of the opposition Democrats “For Lithuania”, with 39.2 and 36% (38.7 and 35.6% in December). Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, has the highest negative rating of 66.5% (68.1% in December).
Lithuanian, Polish agriculture ministers discuss farmers’ protests
Lithuanian Agriculture Minister Kestutis Navickas and his Polish counterpart Czeslaw Siekierski met via video link on Friday, the 1st of March, to discuss the situation at the border and Polish farmers’ demands. The meeting came as Polish farmers were planning to partially block a key road on the Lithuanian-Polish border for a week from Friday after failing to reach an agreement with Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday, the 29th of February. Navickas said on Thursday that Lithuanian officials had held intensive talks with Polish officials and protesters throughout the week. Polish farmers fear that some Ukrainian grain from Lithuania is returning to Poland. The blockade is expected to last about a week.
Ex-Kaunas administration director to go to jail
Vilius Šiliauskas, a former director at Kaunas City Municipality, convicted of bribery and sentenced to prison, was on Thursday brought to the Kaunas prison to serve his prison sentence, the Kaunas District Police said on Thursday, the 29th of February. On Wednesday, the 28th of February, the Lithuanian Court of Appeal sentenced Šiliauskas to three years and four months in prison for bribery. The panel of judges thus reversed a lower court’s verdict that imposed a fine of 70 000 euros on the former Kaunas municipality official. Šiliauskas was found guilty of directly demanding and accepting a total of 260 000 euros in bribes from Autokausta CEO Juozas Kriaučiūnas between 2021 and 2022, when he held the office of administration director.
Lithuania closes other two checkpoints on border with Belarus
On midnight of Wednesday, the 28th of February, Lithuania closed another two border checkpoints on its border with Belarus – at Lavoriškės and Raigardas. Two border checkpoints – at Medininkai and Šalčininkai – remain open, but with restrictions in place as the movement of pedestrians and cyclists via the crossings is prohibited. As of the 1st of March, Lithuania has also banned the boarding and disembarking of passengers at the Kena and Kybartai railway border checkpoints, except in exceptional cases to be decided by the State Border Guard Service (SBGS). The authorities say the measures are aimed at dealing with issues of national security, smuggling and violations of international sanctions.
Suspects in Lithuanian filmmaker’s murder in Ukraine identified
Suspects in the murder of Mantas Kvedaravičius, a prominent Lithuanian filmmaker, in Ukraine have been identified, the Lithuanian Prosecutor General’s Office said on Wednesday, the 28th of February. The pre-trial investigation in Lithuania has identified three servicemen of the 1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps of the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic as suspects in the crime, it said in a statement. Kvedaravičius was murdered at the age of 45 in Mariupol, which was surrounded by Russian forces when he arrived to make a sequel to his first documentary film about the Ukrainian city.
High-profile investors embezzled 40.4 million euros from BaltCap fund companies
Šarūnas Stepukonis embezzled 40.4 million euros from BaltCap Infrastructure Fund’s portfolio companies, BaltCap said on Tuesday, the 27th of February, citing the results of an internal investigation conducted jointly with a team of external experts. The embezzled amounts were transferred to Olympic Casino Group’s gambling platforms and the Hungarian-registered securities trading platform Interactive Brokers, according to the statement. Most activities related to the outflow of funds were executed in 2021–2023. No irregular activities were detected in the Fund itself. The transactions took place in portfolio companies, including their subsidiaries, in Lithuania and Poland.
Lithuanian arena cancels American singer LP’s concert
Kaunas Žalgiris Arena announced on Tuesday, the 27th of February, that it has cancelled LP’s concert after the American singer posted on social media photos where she was wearing a hoodie decorated with the colours of the Russian flag and said she was missing her fans in Russia.
President calls for stronger sanctions on Russia, Belarus
President Gitanas Nausėda on Tuesday, the 27th of February, called for the strengthening of sanctions against Russia and Belarus and for using frozen assets for rebuilding Ukraine. Last December, EU leaders agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and granted them candidate status. Nausėda called for the process to be concluded, adding that he believes this will expand “the space of freedom, democracy and the rule of law”.
Lithuania’s Barbora stops operations in Poland
Barbora, a home food delivery service that is part of Vilnius-based Maxima Grupe, the largest retail group in the Baltics, announced on Monday, the 26th of February, it is suspending its operations in Poland. Barbora Polska will stop providing its services in Tricity, Warsaw, Katowice and Lodz on the 4th of March, the group said. Viktoras Juozapaitis, director of Radas, the owner of Barbora Polska, said the decision was due to slow growth in demand.
Lithuania will not recognise elections in Russian-occupied territories
Lithuania will not recognize elections organised by Russia in the occupied and annexed territories of Ukraine, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Monday, the 26th of February. According to Nausėda, one of the features of the Russian occupying regime in Ukraine is the threat to all civilians of arbitrary detention, torture and death. Russia will hold regional and presidential elections this year, and the Kremlin intends to organize them in annexed and occupied regions as well.
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Week in Lithuania | Lithuania, Poland agriculture ministers talk amid farmers’ protests; Ex-Kaunas official jailed
