LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
- Siauliai to hold poll on removal of Soviet soldiers' remains from city center
- Two 63-year-old men dead in fire at retirement home in Vilnius
- Lithuania reports 78 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
- Lithuania's DefMin to spend over EUR 3.1 b on military stockpiles next ten years
- Finance minister feels foreign banks' interest in Lithuania
- Lithuania responsible for indirect brigade infrastructure – German minister in Vilnius
- Deputy defmin presents Lithuania's work in strengthening cybersecurity during visit to US
- Lithuania ready to support Ukraine's energy sector – advisor
- Lithuanian president convenes SDC meeting to discuss defense plan, mission mandate
- ForMin has info on more than dozen Lithuanians detained, imprisoned in Belarus (media)
- Lithuanian ForMin calles on Minsk to halt Astravyets NPP, address security concerns
Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
VILNIUS, Nov 03, 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 Friday morning.
Latvia reported 34 attempts at illegal border crossings on Thursday, and 86 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Wednesday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 2,191 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of some 21,500 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 influx of irregular migrants to the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.
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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Siauliai to hold poll on removal of Soviet soldiers' remains from city center
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – A poll on the removal of Soviet soldiers' remains from the city center will start next week in Siauliai in the northwest of Lithuania.
Siauliai Mayor Arturas Visockas signed a decree on holding the poll from November 6 to February 6 next year.
Respondents will be asked whether they "approve of the transfer of the remains of Soviet soldiers from the Second World War from the grounds of the Cathedral of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul to a cemetery managed by the Siauliai City Council”.
"If 10 percent or more of the city's voting population expresses its opinion, the Siauliai Council will base its decision on that opinion and adopt a relevant decision,” a statement issued by the local government of Siauliai quoted Visockas as saying.
On the other hand, the mayor argued that the issue of the remains of Soviet soldiers should be addressed on the national level.
According to him, no procedure has yet been drawn up to clarify how municipalities should deal with the transfer of the remains of soldiers of the occupying forces.
"It is clear that a common position needs to be developed at the national level, because the issue is really serious. The procedure has only been prepared for cases involving the transfer of victims of resistance struggles, but it does not apply to soldiers of the occupying army," Visockas said.
The local government of Siauliai, for its part, has prepared a letter on the subject addressed to the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs, the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania and the territorial departments of the Department of Cultural Heritage.
"In the context of the change in legal regulation and taking into account the fact that there are 69 burial sites of Soviet soldiers from the Second World War in 28 municipalities, it is necessary to plan and allocate funds from the 2024 budget of the Ministry of Culture for a special purpose grant, i.e. to finance the transfer of the remains," the letter states.
The burial site in Siauliai is included in the Register of Cultural Heritage. It states that 52 Soviet soldiers who died in the Second World War are buried there.
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Two 63-year-old men dead in fire at retirement home in Vilnius
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – Two men aged 63 died in a fire at the Senevita retirement home in Vilnius' Balzio Street on Thursday night.
According to the Police Department, the charred bodies of two men were found in a room of the retirement home after the fire was extinguished there at around 11.54 p.m.
They were living in the same room.
A pre-trial investigation has been opened to determine the cause of death.
Petras Jurgilas, the director of Senevita, told BNS that one of the men was using a wheelchair.
"We have evacuated 36 people to the physiotherapy hall, we have mattresses there and in the morning we will transport them to Nemencine. It's a terrible disaster for us," Jurgilas told BNS at night.
He believes the fire may have been caused by the victims' smoking.
According to firefighters, some people were poisoned by smoke and were treated at the scene. Three people with smoke poisoning were taken to hospital.
Smoke was spread throughout the three-story building.
A large firefighting force was dispatched to the scene, including six tankers, a staff car and a crane.
The residents of the retirement home were also assisted by the police and the ambulance service.
The fire was declared contained at 11.58 p.m. and was extinguished a little after one hour.
The institution says that it provides social care services for elderly persons, adults with disabilities and persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease or other degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, who require complex assistance and constant specialist care.
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Lithuania reports 78 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 78 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Friday morning.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals stands at 113, including six ICU cases.
The 14-day primary infection rate has reached 173.2 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 33.4 percent.
The number of new coronavirus cases hit the peak in Lithuania in early February 2022 when more than 14,000 new infections were recorded daily. Around 1.19 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.
COVID-19 incidence in Lithuania took an upward turn in mid-September after having stayed at a low level since May.
Some 68.5 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.
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Lithuania's DefMin to spend over EUR 3.1 b on military stockpiles next ten years
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – Lithuania's Defense Ministry plans to spend more than 3.1 billion euros on the acquisition of military stockpiles over the next decade, the ministry said on Friday.
Ammunition will make the largest part of the planned military stockpiles, around 90 percent, while the rest will include various engineering solutions and explosive materials.
"As the national defense system is acquiring new state-of-the-art weapon systems, it is also acquiring the necessary ammunition and expanding its servicing and storage infrastructure. We pay a lot of attention and allocate a lot of funds to the accumulation of ammunition and other military stockpiles," Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas says.
According to the ministry, the funds allocated for ammunition stockpiling have tripled over the last three years, with almost 750 million euros earmarked for 2021-2023. On average, 16 percent of total defense spending is spent on ammunition each year.
The ministry points out that until 2020, around a tenth of the defense budget was allocated for the same purpose. The vast majority of the ammunition stockpiling is meant for basic combat ammunition.
Lithuania has signed several contracts for the purchase of ammunition this year and is acquiring medium-range surface-to-air AMRAAM missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles from the United States, Carl-Gustaf grenade launchers and RBS-70 short-range air defense missiles from Sweden, and is also buying ammunition of various caliber (from 4.6 to 40 mm) through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
According to the ministry, the national defense industry is also being incentivized as a contract was signed earlier this year with the Giraite Armaments Factory, a Lithuanian maker of small caliber ammunition, for the purchase of 7.62x51 mm ammunition.
A total of around 2.7 billion euros is planned in Lithuania's defense budget for acquisition in 2024-2026. The ministry says this means that around 45 percent of the defense budget will be allocated annually to the strengthening and upgrading of the Lithuanian army's combat power.
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Finance minister feels foreign banks' interest in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste says she feels the interest of foreign banks in the Lithuanian market, adding, however, the emergence of a new bank in the country may take time.
"We are trying to have additional players in the banking sector in our country because it is very concentrated. I think it's a good business opportunity, and we have interests from different private sector players, but, anyway, it's their private decision," the finance minister told reporters on Friday. "I think it might happen because interest is really present, but the outcome is not so fast because it takes time."
Speaking at a joint press conference with her German counterpart Christian Lindner, Skaiste stressed that various banks from different countries, including Germany and Poland, were considering setting up in Lithuania.
For his part, the German minister said he had no information on German banks planning activities in Lithuania, adding that this "decision is for the private sector to make“, but there are "no obstacles from the German government“.
"We support the European single market in which German banks are engaged across the European Union," he said when asked whether German banks could come to Lithuania with the planned German army brigade.
In late September, the central Bank of Lithuania announced that a new foreign bank would come to Lithuania in the near future, but it did not name a specific bank.
According to the Bank of Lithuania, 13 banks currently have bank or specialized bank licenses in Lithuania, and there are also six branches of foreign banks.
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Lithuania responsible for indirect brigade infrastructure – German minister in Vilnius
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS - Vilnius and Berlin are still discussing the necessary investments for Lithuania to host the planned German brigade, but the costs that are not directly related to the military unit are Lithuania's responsibility, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner has said in Vilnius.
"The financial burden of this commitment will be financed by the German budget, but the focus is on military expenditure in particular. On expenditures that are not directly connected with our troops, more of this responsibility is on the hosting country," the German minister told reporters in Vilnius on Friday.
For her part, Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste told the joint press conference that discussions on the necessary infrastructure and its financing were ongoing.
"Discussions are still ongoing on specific details," she said.
Lithuania plans that the bulk of the German brigade will be deployed in Lithuania in 2026. The joint Lithuanian-German working group has agreed to sign the deployment plan by December 22.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier that not only military infrastructure, but also social infrastructure, such as schools and leisure facilities, would have to be put in place for the arrival of the German brigade in Lithuania.
This is needed, he said, because German troops will rotate every three years, meaning that their families will also be coming to Lithuania.
Lithuania and Germany started discussing the deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania after Russia invaded Ukraine. The brigade's Forward Command Element is already deployed in Lithuania.
Germany has also led an international NATO battalion deployed in Lithuania since 2017.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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Deputy defmin presents Lithuania's work in strengthening cybersecurity during visit to US
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Vice-Minister Greta Monika Tuckute has discussed the situation of cyber security threats in the Baltic Sea region and presented Lithuania's achievements in this area at meetings in the United States this week.
"Lithuania has confirmed its commitment to the fight against cyber criminals on the international level," a press release from the Defense Ministry quoted Tuckute as saying in comments about her visit.
She took part in a high-level meeting organized by the White House to bring together 50 countries and international organizations in the fight against ransomware cyber-attacks under the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI).
Lithuania is one of the leaders of the initiative, leading the Information Sharing Working Group, according to the press release.
At the meeting, the vice-minister presented Lithuania's work on the information sharing platform, which has been implemented for a year by the Regional Cyber Defense Center (RCDC) in Kaunas.
According to the ministry, important work has been done in recent years to ensure that this solution proposed by Lithuania is useful for the CRI countries. In particular, Lithuania has started to conduct introductory training on information sharing in cooperation with the Belgian Cyber Security Center.
"We say that cyber criminals have no boundaries, but what is special about the 50 countries working together is that by working together we also have no barriers. We want different regions – from the Baltic Sea to the Asia-Pacific – to be able to share information about threats in their countries," Tuckute said.
"Together with Belgium, we are promising additional thematic training for allies in 2024, to attract more countries to use our platform, to increase knowledge and build mutual trust," she added.
During her visit to the United States, the vice-minister also met with the country's top cybersecurity officials and shared Lithuania's experience in strengthening resilience to cyber threats.
During a meeting with Mieke Eoyang, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, the vice-minister discussed the cybersecurity threat situation in the Baltic Sea region, support to Ukraine, participation of the United States in the activities of the RCDC, cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region, and further support for the development of the Army Cyber Defense Unit.
"Lithuania's experience – not only in countering cyber threats from Russia and China, but also in sharing lessons learned with partners – is relevant to the Transatlantic and Asia-Pacific partners. Cybersecurity consultations with the United States help Lithuania to enhance its knowledge and skills in strengthening its national cyber capabilities," Tuckute said.
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Lithuania ready to support Ukraine's energy sector – advisor
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS - Lithuania stands ready to provide support to Ukraine's energy sector, as it did last winter, Jarek Niewierowicz, an advisor to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, at a virtual remote meeting of the Ukrainian president's Peace Formula working group on energy security on Friday.
"In order to ensure the resilience of the energy sector and security of energy supply, we need to join forces and work together. Lithuania will be together with Ukraine this winter as well," Niewierowicz later told BNS.
So far, Lithuania has already provided Ukraine with two high-capacity autotransformers, 274 transformers and their accessories, other grid support equipment, as well as more than 1,000 generators and a mobile thermal boiler house. Additional support is planned soon.
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Lithuanian president convenes SDC meeting to discuss defense plan, mission mandate
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is convening a State Defense Council meeting on Monday.
State leader will discuss the State Defense Plan, which enshrines the principle of universal defense, "where all state resources – state institutions, the private sector, NGOs and citizens – are mobilized“, the presidential office told BNS.
The plan is being prepared by a group of experts from the presidential office, led by the president.
The SDC will also discuss the state of the State Mobilization System and the mandate for international operations and deployments in 2024-2025.
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ForMin has info on more than dozen Lithuanians detained, imprisoned in Belarus (media)
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS – Lithuania's Foreign Ministry says it has information on more than a dozen Lithuanian citizens detained or serving sentences in Belarus, the delfi.lt news website reports on Friday.
"Right now, we have information on more than a dozen Lithuanian citizens detained or serving sentences in Belarus. The Belarusian authorities do not always immediately inform the Lithuanian authorities about the cases of detention of Lithuanian citizens," the ministry told the website.
Lithuanian citizens may also be illegally detained in Belarus ruled by the Lukashenko regime, the ministry pointed out, adding that Latvia also reported some time ago about the detention of its citizens.
The Foreign Ministry also reminded of the Belarusian authorities' stepped up hostile and provocative actions against Lithuanian citizens in Belarus, and warned that Lithuanian citizens may also be detained unlawfully in Belarus. Lithuanian citizens are urged not to travel to Belarus and to leave immediately, if they are now in Belarus.
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Lithuanian ForMin calles on Minsk to halt Astravyets NPP, address security concerns
VILNIUS, Nov 03, BNS - The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has urged Minsk to suspend the operation of Unit 1 and Unit 2 of the Astravyets nuclear power plant and to address security issues.
The Foreign Ministry said on Friday it had sent a diplomatic note to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry urging it to "immediately address environmental, nuclear and radiation safety issues at the Belarusian NPP in accordance with international requirements and standards".
The Lithuanian ministry did so in response to Belarusian media reports in late October that the country's institutions had issued a license for the start of industrial operation of the nuclear facility's Unit 2.
"Belarus continues ignoring the international community's requests to address all safety concerns first by pursuing this unsafe nuclear power project," the ministry said.
The unsafe nuclear power plant in Astravyets poses a serious threat to Europe as a whole, it said, and Lithuania "strongly demands the suspension of the operation of Unit 1 and Unit 2 of the Belarusian nuclear power plant until all safety issues are resolved".
Lithuania's National Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate warned in late October that Unit 2 of the Astrayets nuclear facility, situated some 50 km from Vilnius, was being launched without resolving all safety issues.
It also said that since the very beginning of the Belarusian NPP project implementation, Belarus has not provided specific information to Lithuanian authorities on how it selected the site for the construction of the nuclear power plant in Astravyets and assessed the distribution and density of neighboring country Lithuania's population in the surrounding territory.
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