LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, May 17, 2023
2. Foreign ambassadors to Lithuania call for equal rights for LGBTQI+ people
3. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
4. Lithuanian president, at CoE summit, calls for addressing Ukraine's reconstruction
5. Lithuania reports 64 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
6. NATO's new Baltic defense plans to be presented to Lithuanian parlt committee  
7. Lithuania protests to Russia over removal of monuments to deportees in Siberia
8. Lithuanian MPs to undergo civil resistance, mobilization training
9. Financial institutions must move faster to block funds supporting war – Lithuanian PM
10. Intl demining operations to clear seabed underway in Baltic Sea
11. Lithuanian police to monitor public places, Internet during the Euroleague Final Four
12. Suspicious transaction reports doubled in Lithuania last year – service
13. Lithuanian MPs say new Baltic defense plans 'look very optimistic' 
14. Belarusian N-plant's 2nd unit has no impact on Lithuanian system – minister
15. Speed of response a key component of Baltic defense plans – Lithuanian defense chief
16. Lithuanian govt may scrap subsidies for electricity prices, but extend those for gas 
17. Baltics to increase NATO Air Policing Mission hosting costs
18. Ukrainian children from Bucha to come to Lithuania's Palanga this summer – mayor
19. Equipment for Russian warships may have been transported via Lithuania (media)

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, May 17, 2023

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, May 17, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda is attending a Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen's interview with Rai News 24 at 10 a.m.

Members of the parliamentary Committee on Culture to meet with members of the Check Republic's Standing Senate Commission on Media at 10 a.m.

CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys is attending a meeting of EU culture ministers in Brussels.

DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas to attend a meeting of Baltic defense ministers in Latvia.

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend a reception at the Norwegian Embassy at 8.30 p.m., held to mark Norway's Constitution Day 

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to continue his visit to Japan.

OTHER EVENTS

Tibet supporters to stage a piquet outside the Chinese Embassy at noon to protest against political crackdown in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

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Foreign ambassadors to Lithuania call for equal rights for LGBTQI+ people

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – More than 20 countries' ambassadors to Lithuania on Wednesday issued a statement to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), calling for ensuring equal rights for LGBTQI+ persons and legally recognizing their partnerships.  

"We express our solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community and believe that every individual – in our own countries, in Lithuania, and beyond – has the right to live with dignity and respect, free from discrimination and violence. A right that unfortunately is not always secure," they said. 

The statement expresses support for efforts in Lithuania and the European Union to build a society "where human rights are universal, diversity is celebrated and embraced, and every individual is able to live and love with dignity and respect".

"We recognize that despite the hard work of people and organizations committed to achieving equal rights for all people, the LGBTQI+ community in Lithuania, as in our own and many other countries continues to face significant barriers to full inclusion and acceptance in society." 

The statement, published by the US embassy, was signed by the ambassadors of 22 countries, including Israel, Estonia and Germany.

The diplomats say they "support efforts to ensure that LGBTQI+ individuals have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else, including access to appropriate and affirming healthcare, education, employment, property rights, and housing".  

"We believe families are defined by love and come in many different forms, yet all deserve universal protections under the law. While fully respecting the democratic process in the Seimas, we look forward to the passage of legislation that will establish civil unions," they said.

Lithuania's ruling bloc has drafted and tabled a bill aimed at legally regulating relations between same-sex partners. The draft Law on Civil Union has been discussed by the parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, but has not been submitted to the full Seimas for consideration.

Currently, Lithuanian laws do not recognize either opposite-sex or same-sex civil partnerships. Several previous attempts to legalize civil partnerships fell through at an early stage of the parliamentary process. 

 

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.

Latvia reported 110 attempts at illegal border crossings on Tuesday, and 108 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 1,022 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 over 20,400 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 officials. 

Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.

 

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Lithuanian president, at CoE summit, calls for addressing Ukraine's reconstruction

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, who is taking part in the Council of Europe's summit in Reykjavik, has called for addressing the issue of Ukraine's reconstruction and for creating a legal framework to punish Russia, the aggressor, for its war crimes.

"The reconstruction of Ukraine cannot be put off until the end of the war. Reconstructing and rebuilding the country is a key factor for Ukraine's faster integration into the European Union," Nauseda said at the United for Ukraine debate on Tuesday evening.

 "We need to see it as a coherent process. The start of accession negotiations this year would be a strong impetus for progress," he said. 

Nauseda said that Russia's "brutal war has united Europe" and that the continent "has joined forces to defend freedom and democracy".

The president said after the meeting that he underlined the importance of creating legal mechanisms to punish the aggressor.

"In terms of military assistance, economic and financial support, Europe and the world as a whole have certainly done a lot to support Ukraine, but in terms of building the legal framework and in terms of accountability for war crimes and for crimes of aggression, we are lagging a little behind the progress that has been recorded in other areas," Nauseda said.

"Here in Reykjavik, we have a great opportunity to catch up," he said.  

The president said that this mechanism should include a special tribunal and a damage register, adding that these steps are necessary to ensure that "the aggressor does not escape responsibility and does not go unpunished".

"This is important not only in the context of this war, but also when looking ahead to the future, so that new aggressors do not want to try our strength again and that they know that they will be punished, and that the punishment will be tough and severe enough," he said. 

In early May, Lithuania joined a register being set up by the Council of Europe's members on the damage caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The register will be based in the Netherlands and will register evidence of damage and claims for damages or injuries. It is expected to be set up within a month. 

Also, Ukraine, Lithuania and other countries in the region are seeking a special tribunal to investigate Russia's crimes of aggression, which would also be capable of holding the Kremlin's leadership accountable for war crimes in Ukraine.

Speaking about the prospects for peace talks, Nauseda said that they can only be held on terms acceptable to Ukraine and based on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in March 2022, a few weeks after it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, information has emerged recently that dozens of Russian citizens are still working in the human rights organization.

Founded back in 1949, the Council of Europe currently brings together 46 countries and aims to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.

Lithuania will take over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe next year. 

Nauseda said that its priorities "will be focused on Ukraine and the development of freedom and democracy".

The president is wrapping up his visit to Iceland on Wednesday.

 

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Lithuania reports 64 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 64 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Wednesday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged down to 36.5 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 10.3 percent.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals now stands at 63, including three ICU cases.

The daily number of new coronavirus cases remains well below the peak of over 14,000 reached in early February 2022.

Around 1.19 million people in Lithuania have tested positive with COVID-19 at least once.

Some 69.8 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far.

 

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NATO's new Baltic defense plans to be presented to Lithuanian parlt committee  

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – NATO's new defense plans for the Baltic countries are to be presented at a closed meeting of Lithuania's parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense on Wednesday.

Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys is expected to take part in the presentation, according to Laurynas Kasciunas, the committee's chairman.

"The framework is very good, of a new generation, and the principle on which the plans have been developed is also very reasonable," Kasciunas told BNS, commenting on the plans. 

The plans define "in how much time and what capability should come to help in a crisis", according to the MP.  

"With the framework in place, the challenge now will be that someone will have to allocate that capability – that's the next stage," he added. 

NATO has worked out new defense plans covering the Baltic states and Poland, and has presented them to member states' representatives. 

In a reflection of NATO's changing strategy, the plans basically provide for defense from the first days of a potential conflict. Previously, the approach was that the Baltic countries should try to hold off a Russian offensive until allied reinforcements can arrive to help them.

Rupsys has said that the new plans are fully in line with Lithuania's expectations.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the plans for the Baltic countries will be "more detailed and concrete" than the existing ones. However, they will remain classified in order not to disclose operational details.

 

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Lithuania protests to Russia over removal of monuments to deportees in Siberia

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – Lithuania has protested to Russia over the removal of monuments to Lithuanian and Polish deportees and political prisoners in Siberia's Irkutsk region. 

The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Alexander Elkin, Russia's chargé d'affaires ad interim in Lithuania, to express its protest. 

The ministry said in a press release that it condemned Russia's removal of a monument and a cross erected in the memory of Lithuanian and Polish deportees and political prisoners. 

"Such purposeful actions by Russia in illegally removing monuments and tributes to repressed persons and deportees cannot be treated as anything other than the belittling of the historical truth and the memory of the victims of the totalitarian regime," it said. 

This is the second such incident in a few months. 

In late April, the Foreign Ministry summoned Elkin to protest over the demolition of a monument to Lithuanian and Polish deportees buried in Russia's Perm region.

 

 

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Lithuanian MPs to undergo civil resistance, mobilization training

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – Lithuanian lawmakers will undergo civil resistance and mobilization training at the Seimas on Wednesday.

"We will have the commander of the Riflemen's Union who will present civil resistance, both armed and unarmed, i.e. the very concept of civil defense and how we see the big picture and what is the Riflemen's Union role. We will have practical exercises both in ensuring healthcare in the area of first aid and, let's say, in interaction with weapons," Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, who initiated the training, told BNS.

In his words, the exercise is aimed at assessing "how the state would look like in the event of a state of war and how that mobilization would work".

The MP said he did not know how many lawmakers would take part in the training, adding that this event is one of the steps towards universal civil resistance training.

It was reported in April that Lithuania had failed to approve a plan for the implementation of the civil resistance strategy over the past 11 months, and 3,000 people underwent special training last year,

By Paulius Perminas

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Financial institutions must move faster to block funds supporting war – Lithuanian PM

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – The new geopolitical environment requires that banks and other financial institutions move faster than ever before to ensure the security of the financial system and that businesses and the private sector share more information, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Wednesday. 

"Institutions must respond in real-time and move quicker to block the funds that support Russia's war against Ukraine," Simonyte said at a conference entitled "On the Front Line of the New Reality" and organized by the Center of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering (AML Center) jointly with the central Bank of Lithuania.

"The public and private sectors need to share more information; and do it quicker. The information must be shared across borders, between financial institutions, and within the governmental institutions," she said. 

Technological innovations pose new challenges in the fight against money laundering, according to Simonyte.

"Technological innovations are very welcomed as they create new business models and opportunities for governments, businesses and individuals," the prime minister said.

"However, these advancements are also being exploited by malicious actors, giving rise to new risks and challenges, especially in the field of money laundering and terrorist financing," she added.

Simonyte underlined the need for a balanced regulatory approach to reduce risk without stifling innovation, adding that regulation must keep pace with technology to keep the financial system safe and sound.

 

By Erika Alonderytė-Kazlauskė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Intl demining operations to clear seabed underway in Baltic Sea

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – The Open Spirit 2023 international operation involving the search for unexploded ordnance and its removal them from the seabed is underway in Latvia's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea, the Lithuanian army said on Wednesday.

The operations are aimed at reducing the risk to maritime shipping, fishing and other economic activities in the Baltic Sea. 

A total of ten ships from Lithuania (the warship Skalvis M53), Latvia, Estonia, Germany, and the NATO Mine Countermeasures Task Group TG 441.03 are taking part in the operation that also involves mine clearance divers from Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium, Great Britain, the United States and Estonia.

These operations are a continuing effort by the Baltic states, in partnership with other international partners, to clear the Baltic Sea seabed belonging to the three countries from sea mines and other explosive devices left over from WW1 and WW2 and the post-war period.

Such operations have been carried out in the Baltic States on a rotational basis every year since 1997.

During WW1 and WW2, 15 minefields with more than 1,600 sea mines were situated in the Baltic Sea in what are now Lithuanian territorial waters and the country's exclusive economic zone.

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Lithuanian police to monitor public places, Internet during the Euroleague Final Four

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – Lithuanian police will patrol public places and monitor the Internet for possible fraud during the 2023 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Kaunas, Kaunas County police said on Wednesday.

Traffic will be restricted on several streets during the event on May 18-21 and reinforced police forces from Vilnius and other cities, as well as officers from the Public Security Service, will get involved, the Kaunas police force said.

Police officers will patrol public venues, monitor cyberspace and social media, and focus on ticket resellers and fraud cases.

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Suspicious transaction reports doubled in Lithuania last year – service

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS - The number of reports on suspicious monetary operations or transactions more than doubled in Lithuania last year, the country's Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) said on Wednesday.

"Market participants are increasingly aware of money laundering risks. The growing number of reports shows that obliged entities are getting better at identifying suspicious activity and informing the FNTT," Rolandas Kiskis, the FNTT director, said in the statement.

A total of almost 100,000 reports were received in 2022, and the highest number of reports (over 93,000) was received from payment and e-money institutions. Virtual currency operators submitted 4,000 reports, 83 times more than in 2021, and banks submitted 1,600 reports, an increase of 80 percent.

Last year, financial institutions notified 565 times about suspended customers' money transactions, almost double from a year earlier, and the total value of such reported transactions rose 2.5 times to more than 162 million euros.

The FNTT's Money Laundering Prevention Board also received 253 requests (up by 30 percent) from other FNTT units, the Lithuanian Police and foreign financial intelligence units to freeze funds in financial institutions, and 11 pre-trial investigations were also launched.

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Lithuanian MPs say new Baltic defense plans 'look very optimistic' 

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS –  NATO's new defense plans for the Baltic countries "look very optimistic", members of Lithuania's parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense (CNSD) said on Wednesday.

Their comments came after Lithuania's Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys presented the plans to the committee at a closed meeting. 

"These are next generation plans with a realistic assignment of forces to come within a certain timeframe, when certain indicators light up showing they need to come. This is new, this is unique," Laurynas Kasciunas, the CNSD chairman, told reporters after the meeting. 

"There is a lot of good news there. This is a fact," the MP said, adding that he could not speak publicly about specifics.

Saulius Skvernelis, a member of the CNSD, said, "The plans look very optimistic."

"There is a change of philosophy; (...) the plans are about reaction, defense and deterrence from the very first moment," the MP said. 

"Apparently, the biggest challenge will be to fill those plans with content, that is, with weapons and human resources," he added.

The committee's members said they expected the new defense plans to be approved by NATO's summit in Vilnius in mid-July.

The Alliance has worked out new defense plans covering the Baltic states and Poland, and has presented them to member states' representatives. 

In a reflection of NATO's changing strategy, the plans basically provide for defense from the first days of a potential conflict. Previously, the approach was that the Baltic countries should try to hold off a Russian offensive until allied reinforcements can arrive to help them.

Rupsys has said that the new plans are fully in line with Lithuania's expectations.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the plans for the Baltic countries will be "more detailed and concrete" than the existing ones. However, they will remain classified in order not to disclose operational details.

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Belarusian N-plant's 2nd unit has no impact on Lithuanian system – minister

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – The Belarusian nuclear power plant's second unit, which was connected to the power grid last week, has no impact on the Lithuanian electricity transmission system, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said on Wednesday.

However, it is unclear how Belarus' energy system could function in the future if the reactor were to be stopped, because the neighboring country does not have sufficient reserves for this, he said, adding that this would not affect Lithuania either. 

"There is no (impact) because the flow through Lithuania is very small – about 200 megawatts. Belarus simply disconnected its gas capacities in order to be able to start up the plant," Kreivys told BNS. 

"Probably the biggest risk comes from how they plan to operate the unit. As you know, operation requires reserves. If the unit stops, something has to compensate for this, and they (Belarus) do not have these reserves. The unit has been launched, but we do not see how it can continue to function," he added.

Given that Belarus does not follow international standards, Minsk's failure to inform Lithuania about the reactor's start-up was not unexpected, according to Kreivys.

"They have never acted in accordance with international standards as far as the Astravyets power plant is concerned: neither when building, nor while designing, nor while launching it," he said.

Litgrid, Lithuania's electricity transmission system operator, also told BNS on Tuesday that the Astravyets plan's second unit had no impact on the Lithuanian system and that there would be no impact even if the facility were to be suddenly disconnected from the grid.  

Belarus' Energy Ministry says that the second unit is planned to be put into commercial operation in October.

Lithuania and international experts say that the Astravyets plant's construction was carried out in flagrant violation of technological and environmental standards. 

Vilnius, one of the biggest critics of the plant, which has two Russian-made reactors of almost 1.2 GW each, has repeatedly demanded that the facility be halted until all safety issues are resolved.

 

By Giedrius Gaidamavičius, Goda Vileikytė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Speed of response a key component of Baltic defense plans – Lithuanian defense chief

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – Speed of response is a key component of NATO's new regional defense plans, Lithuania's Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys said on Wednesday.

"The speed of response (...) is a very important factor and it is seen as one of the essential components of this plan," he said.

Rupsys was speaking to reporters after presenting the plans to the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense (CNSD) at a closed meeting on Wednesday. 

According to the lieutenant general, the new plans "respond to today's threats" and are sufficient to deter and be ready for defense.

In his words, the capabilities attributed to the Baltic states in the plans are "designed to meet the threats".

"These are the threats as they are today, and our allies are pooling and generating these capabilities to deter, and to defend when necessary," the chief of defense said. 

"If these threats increase, so will the capabilities. Our allies, our NATO coalition members, have made a clear decision to develop and have the appropriate capabilities, and I have no doubt that we will have that," he said. 

Once the regional plans are in place, the next step will be the development of tactical plans and the generation of capabilities to implement them, according to Rupsys.

A division that Lithuania is planning to create in its armed forces is part of the plans, he said.  

The Alliance has worked out new defense plans covering the Baltic states and Poland, and has presented them to member states' representatives. 

In a reflection of NATO's changing strategy, the plans basically provide for defense from the first days of a potential conflict. Previously, the approach was that the Baltic countries should try to hold off a Russian offensive until allied reinforcements can arrive to help them.

Rupsys has said that the new plans are fully in line with Lithuania's expectations.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the plans for the Baltic countries will be "more detailed and concrete" than the existing ones. However, they will remain classified in order not to disclose operational details.

 

By Austėja Masiokaitė-Liubinienė

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Lithuanian govt may scrap subsidies for electricity prices, but extend those for gas 

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – The Lithuanian Energy Ministry proposes that the state stop subsidizing electricity prices to households, but extend subsidies for natural gas prices to keep the tariffs at their current levels, Renatas Pocius, chairman of the National Energy Regulatory Council (VERT), said on Wednesday. 

The Energy Ministry has said that it suggests partially covering natural gas bills for household consumers in the second half of the year, but scraping subsidies for electricity prices, a move that has yet to be approved by the Cabinet. 

"Electricity is unlikely to require subsidizing," Pocius told the parliamentary Committee on Economics. "We have just received a draft (resolution) from the Energy Ministry on the need for subsidizing and it does not provide for any subsidies for the electricity sector." 

However, gas prices will continue to need to be subsidized for household consumers, according to the official. 

"Preliminarily, for the second group (of consumers), who use gas to heat their homes, we forecast the price (for the second half of 2023) to be set at 1.57 euros (per cubic meter without subsidizing)," he told the committee.  

According to the Energy Ministry, that group of household consumers would pay the gas supplier Ignitis around 0.91 euros per cubic meter if part of the price is covered by the state.  

The subsidizing scheme would be in place until the end of 2023 and could require using almost 54.5 million euros of budgeted funds unspent in the first half of the year. 

In the first half, the state covers up to 28.5 euro cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity and 99 cents per cubic meter of gas for households in the first half of the year. The threshold below which the cost of electricity is not subsidized is set at 28 cents per kWh. 

 

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Baltics to increase NATO Air Policing Mission hosting costs

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS – The Baltic states' defense ministers have agreed to increase the costs of hosting allies as part of the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states.

During their meeting in Latvia, the ministers signed an updated mutual agreement enshrining the respective commitment of all Baltic states, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission is one of the best examples of collective efforts to ensure our regional security. Obviously, this requires host country commitment to ensure adequate support and infrastructure for incoming allied troops," Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anusauskas was quoted as saying in the ministry's statement "I firmly believe our joint efforts to create better conditions for the presence and training of allies in the Baltic region will undoubtedly pay off."

Lithuania, Latvian and Estonian Defense Ministers Anusauskas, Inara Murniece and Hanno Pevkur also agreed to strengthen pan-Baltic cooperation in the area of military training.

"Currently, all Baltic countries are paying special attention to the development and improvement of military training infrastructure for the needs of both allied and national forces. We agreed to share best practices and to achieve a breakthrough in military training by making use of the Baltic states' common military training capabilities," Anusauskas said.

The ministers also discussed the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius and support to Ukraine during their meeting in Jekabpils.

In recent years, the Baltic states have been actively cooperating in the areas of the NATO Air Policing Mission, naval forces, joint exercises, as well as on officer training at the Baltic Defense College. They are also synchronizing capability planning, coordinating joint acquisitions, holding joint exercises, other types of training and seminars, and are expanding cooperation among individual military forces.

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Ukrainian children from Bucha to come to Lithuania's Palanga this summer – mayor

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS - Children from the Ukrainian town of Bucha near Kyiv will come to Palanga to have rest this summer, Palanga Mayor Sarunas Vaitkus says.

"On the initiative of the Palanga municipality, children from Bucha will have rest in our resort this summer. We recently visited Bucha and agreed with the local mayor that Palanga could host five seven-day shifts," the Palanga mayor told a press conference on Wednesday.

Around 100 Ukrainian children and accompanying persons will come to the Lithuanian coastal resort, he said.

"We would fully pay for their accommodation, fully support them, provide meals, organize entertainment," he said, adding that children who have lost their parents in Ukraine would come to Palanga.

By Greta Zulonaitė

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Equipment for Russian warships may have been transported via Lithuania (media)

VILNIUS, May 17, BNS - Equipment for Russian warships worth several hundred thousand euros may have been transported via Lithuania after the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, Siena, a Lithuanian investigative journalism center, reports.

According to Siena's partners at The Insider, an independent Russian publication, Lithuania's name was linked to one suspicious shipment of diesel engine parts, worth 443,000 euros, that moved via Lithuania in July.

The consignee of the shipment was said to be Kolomensky Zavod, a Russian company owned by Russian oligarchs Iskander Makhmudov and Andrey Bokarev. It supplies diesel engines to the Russian Navy. 

Kolomensky Zavod was reportedly supplied with engines and engine parts by companies from Germany, Austria, Poland and Lithuania, but the latter was only a stopover for a 19-ton shipment, with Switzerland's RCM Estech named as the manufacturer.

In July, the shipment moved through customs warehouses run by a sole proprietorship, but the latter's owner claimed to have no knowledge of such a shipment.

According to The Insider, a total of 25 European companies supplied suspicious goods to buyers linked to the Russian army.

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