This week, the Defense Ministry of Lithuania informed about the plans to purchase German tanks; meanwhile, the Lithuanian State Language Inspectorate managed to make the Polish ambassador angry.
Eighteen irregular migrants deterred on Lithuania’s border with Belarus
Lithuanian border guards turned away 18 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally on Thursday, the 27th of July, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Friday, the 28th of July. A total of 1,427 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year. Over 11,200 irregular migrants were turned away in 2022. Lithuanian border guards have prevented almost 20,700 people from crossing in from Belarus since the 3rd of August, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.
Lithuania, Poland mull jointly closing the border with Belarus over Wagner
Lithuania and Poland consider jointly shutting their border with Belarus if there are serious incidents involving the Russian mercenary group Wagner along their frontiers with the country, Lithuanian Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavičius told reporters on Friday, the 28th of July. He said he had information that on Thursday, representatives of the Polish government visited the border with Belarus to assess the threats. He said he did not think Poland could be intimidated by comments made by Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko who said that the Russian mercenaries “are asking to go West, ask me for permission… to go on a trip to Warsaw, to Rzeszow”.
Rally held outside Russian embassy in Vilnius
About a dozen people picketed outside the Russian Embassy in Vilnius on Thursday, the 27th of July, to remind of Russia’s war crimes and to call on the United Nations (UN) to reopen one of its investigations. Protesters gathered in the capital’s Boris Nemtsov Square, named after the murdered Russian opposition figure, holding placards reading “United Nations, time to act” and “Free the Azovstal defenders”. Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence and the rally’s initiator, said on Thursday that the goal of the rally was to remind people of the bombing of the prison in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Olenivka almost a year ago. It held captured Ukrainians, mainly members of the Azov battalion who defended the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
Foreign Ministry calls on EU to toughen new sanctions for Belarus
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Thursday, the 27th of July, the European Union’s recently approved sanctions for Belarus are long overdue and called on the block not to stop. Landsbergis confirmed that the new package introduces new restrictions on dual-use goods and aviation parts, which, he said, would help prevent goods from appearing on the battlefield, as well as fight against the circumvention of the existing sanctions for Russia through Belarus. “But we cannot stop as the rest of the sanctions package must be adopted immediately. I hope we won’t have to wait so long for that,” Landsbergis said.
Defence minister unveils plans to buy German tanks
Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said Thursday, the 27th of July, he has informed the State Defence Council (SDC) that he will publicly announce plans to acquire German tanks. A day earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda criticized Anušaukas for the publication of information about the Lithuanian army’s planned acquisition of tanks. According to the president, the State Defence Council earlier agreed that “we adhere to the principle that things that are of limited use should be of limited use”. However, the presidential office later said the president “made a political assessment”. The minister claims that he has not disclosed any information with a secret classification.
Bega CEO says Klaipėda too far for Ukrainian grain
Laimonas Rimkus, CEO of Bega, a Klaipėda-based stevedoring company, said on Wednesday, the 26th of July, that it is not profitable already for sellers to export Ukrainian grain via the Lithuanian seaport of Klaipeda and they are looking for adaptable infrastructure in the Danube region. In his words, as the price of FOB (free on board) grain has dropped by around 200 euros per ton, sellers are not bringing grain to Klaipėda due to high shipping costs. A significant part of Ukrainian grain exports is now being diverted to the expanding Danube terminals, he said, adding that there’s little hope that agricultural produce will be transported through Klaipėda again.
Government allocates 276 million euros for military mobility projects
The Lithuanian government on Wednesday, the 26th of July, allocated 276 million euros from borrowed funds for military mobility and infrastructure projects. In the first year, of the amount, 148 million euros will be invested through the Defence Ministry, and 128 million euros through the Ministry of Transport and Communications. According to the government resolution, these funds will be used for the design and construction of new buildings, ammunition and explosives depots, firing ranges, the internal road network of the Rūdninkai military training area, national roads and other projects.
Prosecutor general in favour of sexual offences register
Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė said on Tuesday, the 25th of July, that the prosecutor’s office supports the idea of a register of sexual offences but has doubts about the level of its publicity. According to the prosecutor general, experts should give their opinion on the register as it is necessary “to avoid personal data breaches”, given that there are discussions that the register should not only be public, but also contain photographs of individuals. She also emphasised that a register of suspects and those accused of sexual offences is currently available to educational establishments, kindergartens and schools, where it is possible to check whether people who are working or employed have been convicted of these offences. In May, a group of MPs registered a bill on the register of sexual offences. Its aim is to establish a means of controlling persons suspected or convicted of sexual offences in order to prevent new offences.
Ex-MPs’ sexual assault, child molestation case to go to court
The pre-trial investigation into possible sexual offenses committed by former MP Kristijonas Bartoševičius against minors has been completed and the case has been referred to court, Lithuania’s Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė said on Tuesday, the 25th of July. Bartoševičius is accused of two episodes of sexual assault and four episodes of molestation of a person under the age of 16, as well as four episodes of causing minor injuries to minors. “The acts of sexual assault and molestation caused minor injuries to these underage persons and minors,” Grunskienė said. She also confirmed that the former MP denied any guilt. He remains under the written promise not to leave, and is also banned from coming into contact with the aforementioned persons, and has also had his documents seized. The prosecutor general refrained to say where and when the offenses were committed, or disclose the age and gender of the victims, citing the wish to protect the confidentiality of the child victims.
Language watchdog chief’s statement dismays Polish ambassador
A statement by Audrius Valotka, who leads Lithuania’s State Language Inspectorate, on Polish place names in Vilnius District has provoked outrage from Polish Ambassador to Lithuania Konstanty Radziwill who has turned over it to Lithuania’s culture minister, hoping that the country’s top leaders will condemn Valotka’s last week remarks, the public radio LRT reported on Monday, the 24th of July. Radziwill said comparing the existing situation of the Polish language in Vilnius District with Russia’s actions in Ukraine was inappropriate. “I find it particularly unpleasant the comparison between the situation in Vilnius District with the situation in eastern Ukraine and the attribution of alleged separatist tendencies to the inhabitants of this part of Lithuania. This is particularly inappropriate at a time when the peoples of Poland and Lithuania, including the Polish minority in Lithuania, are unequivocally on the side of Ukraine in the war caused by Russian aggression,” the letter reads.
The State Language Inspectorate has recently ordered the authorities in Vilnius District to remove bilingual Lithuanian-Polish signs in the villages of Bielieškės and Ažulaukė, but they refused to do so and turned to the Administrative Disputes Commission. The latter on July 24 found the State Language Inspectorate’s order unlawful and unfounded.
Week in Lithuania: Mulls closing border with Belarus over Wagner; rally held outside Russian embassy in Vilnius
