LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, January 25, 2023
- Seventeen irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
- Lithuania sends new group of instructors to UK-led Ukraine training operation
- Lithuanian president, European mayors to discuss support for Ukraine, NATO summit
- Vilnius celebrates 700th anniversary
- Lithuania reports 321 new COVID-19 cases, one death
- Lithuanian military instructors leave for UK to train Ukrainian troops (updates)
- People, businesses in Lithuania were scammed out of almost EUR 12 mln in 2022
- Zelensky congratulates Vilnius on 700th birthday: we share common destiny of our freedom
- Lithuania to donate 607,000 doses of adapted coronavirus vaccines to Uzbekistan
- Lithuania's EducMin gets ever EUR 38 mln for education of Ukrainians
- German maintains NATO unity by sending tanks to Ukraine – Lithuanian defense minster
- TV3 Group signs deal to buy M-1 radio stations in Lithuania
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, January 26, 2023
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, January 25, 2023
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, January 25, 2023:
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet, at 9 a.m., with heads of European cities on the occasion of Vilnius' 700th anniversary.
THE CABINET to hold its regular meeting at 1 p.m.
DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas to meet with Israel's ambassador at 3:30 p.m.
CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys to give an interview to TVP WORLD TV at 3 p.m.
The first group of 18 instructors of the LITHUANIAN ARMED FORCES to depart from Zokniai Airfield for the United Kingdom at 8:20 a.m. to join Operation Interflex, a UK-led training program for the Ukrainian military.
HIGHLIGHTS OF VILNIUS' ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION PROGRAM
Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius, Go Vilnius General Manager Inga Romanovskiene and other officials to give a news conference in the Gediminas Castle Tower at 10:45 a.m.
A Vilnius flag-raising ceremony to mark the 700th anniversary of the founding of the capital to take place in Town Hall Square at 11:30 a.m.
A monument entitled Mandates of Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas to Vilnius and Lithuania to be unveiled in the Grand Courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania at 4 p.m.
Mayor Simasius to light the Message of Freedom installation in the courtyard of St. Ignatius Church at 6 p.m. to kick off the fifth Vilnius Light Festival.
The Time Portal, a video projection-based installation on the Cathedral's facade, to be launched at 7:30 p.m.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vertimų skyrius
Seventeen irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 17 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.
Latvia reported six attempts to cross the border illegally on Tuesday, and six irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 184 irregular migrants have been prevented from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
Lithuanian border guards have stopped more than 19,500 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 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.
The SBGS says that illegal migration to Lithuania and the EU is being facilitated by Belarusian officers.
Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 08, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuania sends new group of instructors to UK-led Ukraine training operation
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – This year's first group of 18 Lithuanian military instructors is leaving on Wednesday for the United Kingdom to join a training program for Ukrainian soldiers, the Lithuanian Armed Forces have said.
As part of the UK-led Operation Interflex, the instructors will provide Ukrainian troops with basic military skills needed to survive and operate on the battlefield, as well as training in live firing, winter survival skills and tactical skills.
Up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers were trained under the multinational program in 2022.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian president, European mayors to discuss support for Ukraine, NATO summit
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is meeting on Wednesday with European cities' mayors and vice-mayors who are in Vilnius for the capital's 700th anniversary celebrations.
"The president and the heads of European cities will discuss the assistance provided by Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities and towns to Ukraine, as well as the activities of the Ukrainian Center in the capital," Tomas Berzinskas, an adviser to Nauseda, has told BNS.
The topics to be discussed also include NATO's Vilnius summit scheduled for July 11-12, he said.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy told reporters on Tuesday that he would thank Nauseda for his support for Ukraine.
The meeting at the Presidential Palace is to be attended by Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius, Reykjavik Mayor D. B. Eggertsson, Stockholm Mayor Olle Burell, Tampere Vice-Mayor Mattis Helim, Gdansk Vice Mayor Monika Chabior, Lublin Vice Mayor Mariusz Banach, Lodz Vice-Mayor Joana Skrzydlewska, Podgorica Vice-Mayor Chaslav Vesovic, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadov, and Duisburg Vice-Mayor Edeltraud Klabuhn.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
Vilnius celebrates 700th anniversary
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – Vilnius is celebrating its 700th anniversary on Wednesday with a program featuring a festival of lights, a special exhibition of a copy of Grand Duke Gediminas' letter and the unveiling of a monument.
The capital's municipality has chosen two dates for the main anniversary events: January 25, when Vilnius was first mentioned in historical written sources, and July 25, the day of the city's patron St Christopher.
The main message of the anniversary program is Vilnius: 700 years young, according to the municipality.
On Wednesday, Vilnius' mayor and vice-mayors will sign "A Dedication to the Vilnius of the Future" in the capital's Town Hall. The event will be followed by a Vilnius flag-raising ceremony in the square in front of the municipal building.
The Time Portal. Vilnius: 700 Years Young event will kick off the fifth Vilnius Light Festival, and a copy of Grand Duke Gediminas' letter inviting European merchants and craftsmen to Vilnius will be on display in the Gediminas Castle Tower from Wednesday.
A monument entitled Mandates of Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas to Vilnius and Lithuania to be unveiled in the Grand Courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in the afternoon.
January will also see a variety of events dedicated to the anniversary, including exhibitions, concerts, performing arts and film presentations.
Gediminas' letter of January 25, 1323 contains the first known mention of Vilnius as a city and the capital of Lithuania.
In the letter, the grand duke invited merchants, soldiers, craftsmen, farmers and clergymen from all over the world, especially from Luebeck, Stralsund, Bremen, Magdeburg and Cologne, to come and settle in Lithuania.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
Lithuania reports 321 new COVID-19 cases, one death
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 321 new coronavirus infections and one death from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Wednesday morning.
Of the new cases,217 were primary, 92 were secondary and twelve were tertiary.
The 14-day primary infection rate has edged up to 116.4 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests up to 20 percent.
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 now stands at 112, including ten ICU cases.
The daily number of new coronavirus cases remains well below the peak of over 14,000 reached in early February 2022.
More than 1.16 million people in Lithuania have tested positive with COVID-19 at least once.
Some 69.7 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian military instructors leave for UK to train Ukrainian troops (updates)
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – This year's first group of 18 Lithuanian military instructors has left for a Ukrainian training mission in the United Kingdom, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said on Wednesday.
Lithuania has been participating in the UK-led Operation Interflex since last fall. The Armed Forces have told BNS that this is Lithuania's second such mission so far, with seven more rotations planned for the future.
Operation Interflex takes place within the United Kingdom and is supported by contingents from international partners.
Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said that Lithuania will support Ukraine with all possible means and for as long as necessary, "until the end of the war"
"We will also help to strengthen Ukraine's military capabilities after the war is over: our support must help both in winning this war and in ensuring Ukraine's long-term territorial integrity," the minister said in a press release.
"We are supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces and building their resilience in order not only to meet current needs, but also to ensure deterrence in the future," he added.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces are set to start an intensive training cycle for Ukrainian military personnel from the second half of January, according to the press release.
The cycle includes training in the Land, Air and Special Operations Forces, and courses run by the Military Police and the Training and Doctrine Board, as well as joint training courses with the UK, Germany and the Nordic countries.
Currently, Ukrainian troops are being trained in Lithuanian military units to use 60 mm mortars and are taking part in training courses for military police instructors.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
People, businesses in Lithuania were scammed out of almost EUR 12 mln in 2022
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – Lithuanian residents and businesses were scammed out of almost 12 million euros in 2022, and owners recovered around 5 million euros, according to the latest data from the Association of Lithuanian Banks (LBA).
Although there was a comparatively small increase in the amount of funds scammed out of people and businesses, the number of recorded incidents more than doubled, the banking association said.
In 2021, individuals and businesses' losses due to financial fraud doubled to 10 million euros, from around 5 million euros in 2020. Meanwhile, the number of incidents rose from 3,500 to almost 8,000 last year.
In 2022, the most common type of fraud was the so-called "phishing", which involves sending fake text messages or emails resembling notifications from banks or other institutions and making people to give away their online banking login details to confirm fraudulent transfers.
LBA members recorded 3,500 fishing cases, up almost three times from 2021, and losses involving these cases rose from 8,000 to 2 million euros.
The number of incidents of investment fraud when people are promised a guaranteed high return on their money rose from 576 in 2021 to 852 last year, but the amount of money scammed fell from 3 million to 2 million euros.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 11, Vilnius newsroom
Zelensky congratulates Vilnius on 700th birthday: we share common destiny of our freedom
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Vilnius on its 700th birthday, noting that Lithuania and Ukraine have a closely linked history and a common destiny of freedom.
"The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, starts celebrating the 700th anniversary of its foundation. All this time, the histories of our nations have been closely intertwined. And we actually have a common destiny of our freedom. The more protected is one nation, the more protected the other is. Perhaps this is understood more clearly now than ever before in our history," Zelensky said in his traditional nightly video address.
He also stressed that Ukraine will always be grateful to Lithuania, to President Gitanas Nauseda and other leaders, to the people who perceived Russia's aggression against Ukraine as an attack on their own freedom.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader granted Vilnius the honorary title of a Rescuer City.
"This title was conferred by the President of Ukraine in recognition of the humanism, compassion and solidarity with the Ukrainian nation, comprehensive assistance to the citizens of Ukraine forcibly fleeing the homeland as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, along with considerable support for Ukraine in defending its independence and sovereignty," the Ukrainian embassy said in a statement.
Vilnius became a fourth city to be awarded the title of a Rescuer City after Rzeszow and Przemysl in Poland and the Czech capital of Prague.
According to Vilnius Municipality, the Lithuanian capital has been organizing accommodation for war refugees since the early days of the war, providing education opportunities for Ukrainian children, and offering a number of benefits for arrivals to reduce their living costs.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuania to donate 607,000 doses of adapted coronavirus vaccines to Uzbekistan
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS - Lithuania plans to donate 607,000 adapted coronavirus vaccines to Uzbekistan, the Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday.
The plan is to send 607,000 doses of the Comirnaty vaccine, developed by BioNTech and Pfizer and adapted to the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
Lithuania has been looking for countries to donate some of its vaccines to for some time now as the country's is forced to destroy vaccines due to their expiration date.
Last week, Lithuania decided to donate 100,000 COVID vaccines to El Salvador.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 205 85 10, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuania's EducMin gets ever EUR 38 mln for education of Ukrainians
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – The Lithuanian government on Wednesday allocated more than 38 million euros to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport for the education of war refugees from Ukraine in 2023.
The ministry had asked over 65 million euros for this purpose.
"Ukraine has entrusted us with its most important asset, its children. And we will take good care of them," Education, Science and Sport Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene said in a statement on Wednesday.
The lion's share, 34.23 million, euros is earmarked for funding the education of Ukrainian children in kindergartens and schools, as well as for the transportation to school.
The ministry had requested 55.4 million euros for this purpose, saying that the amount of funding was calculated on the basis of the number of registered Ukrainian children on September 1. At that time, more than 13,000 children were registered.
Moreover, statistics show there are currently around 7,500 out-of-school Ukrainian children aged between 6 and 16 years in Lithuania.
"We estimate that the number of schoolchildren may gradually increase to 2,500 pupils during the school year, compared to the number registered at the beginning of the school year," the ministry said.
Another 3 million euros was today allocated for scholarships for Ukrainians studying in Lithuanian higher education institutions, 890,400 will be spent to partially compensate for their studies, and 174,000 euros will go to support Ukrainian post-graduate students.
This year, 700 new students from Ukraine are expected to have their tuition fees partially compensated by the state.
The Education Ministry had also requested funds to teach children from Ukraine the Lithuanian language during their holidays and to organize summer camps, but the government's Wednesday resolution does not provide funding for these needs.
The Education Ministry was allocated additional funding from borrowed funds.
In 2022, Lithuania allocated almost 28 million euros for the education of Ukrainians who arrived last year, the ministry's data shows.
By Jūratė Skėrytė
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom
German maintains NATO unity by sending tanks to Ukraine – Lithuanian defense minster
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – Germany is maintaining the unity of NATO allies by greenlighting tank deliveries to Ukraine, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said on Wednesday after Berlin confirmed that it will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion.
"No matter how big the differences among (NATO member) countries and their views on Ukraine, Russia or the war, maintaining unity is a matter of principle and I think that allies' willingness to maintain that unity is something that Germany could not shy away from," he told journalists.
Although there are no "universal, game-changing weapons", Ukrainian military commanders have repeatedly shown that they know how to use Western equipment in a smart way, according to Anusauskas.
On Wednesday, the German Cabinet also confirmed that it will allow other countries to send German-made tanks to Ukraine.
The package will also include training of Ukrainian forces in using the tanks in Germany, as well as logistics, ammunition and maintenance for the tanks.
Anusauskas estimates that it may take one to two months to train a Ukrainian tanker, with the equipment likely to be delivered during that time for use by Ukrainians on the battlefield.
Commenting on reports that Washington is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the Lithuanian minister said that the equipment "is significantly superior to the heavy armored vehicles used by Russia", so even small quantities can have a considerable impact.
"On the battlefield, if the right tactics and the right terrain are chosen, they can play a decisive role," he said.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom
TV3 Group signs deal to buy M-1 radio stations in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Jan 25, BNS – TV3 Group, a leading media house in the Baltics, announced on Wednesday the signing of a deal to purchase the group of radio stations owned by M-1.
The group consists of M-1, Lietus, M-1 Plius, Laluna, Raduga and the M-1 Dance online radio station.
The transaction is expected to be closed in the summer of 2023, subject to clearance by the Competition Council.
"The radio stations owned by M-1 are popular and well-known radio names for Lithuanian listeners," said Laura Blazeviciute, CEO of All Media Lithuania, which operates under the TV3 brand.
"With this acquisition, we aim to better reach the present-day customer who follows news and entertainment content on different platforms," she added.
All Media Lithuania, which is part of TV Group, is set to buy 100 percent of shares in the companies, which are now owned by Ruta Grusniene.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, January 26, 2023
VILNIUS, Jan 26, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, January 26, 2023:
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to virtually attend an event held to mark Sweden's takeover of the EU's rotating presidency at 10 a.m.; to meet with visiting European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius at 11 a.m.
JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend an informal meting of EU justice and hoem affairs meeting in Stockholm.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom