Lithuania

Lithuania passes legislation allowing border guards to turn back migrants

By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania's parliament passed legislation allowing border guards to turn back migrants who cross its frontier illegally, brushing away concerns from human rights organizations. Lithuania,…

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Lithuania bans Russians from purchasing real estate

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania's parliament decided to ban Russian nationals from purchasing real estate in the Baltic country, citing risks to national security. The ban, which will be in place…

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Lithuania may tax windfall bank profits, boost defence spending

By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Lithuania may introduce a windfall tax on banks if profits continue to soar this year on the back of rising interest rates,…

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Lithuania gas explosion blamed on technical malfunction

A powerful gas pipeline explosion that prompted the evacuation of a village in northern Lithuania was most likely caused by a technical malfunction, the head of the country’s natural gas…

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UPDATED: Lithuania-Latvia gas pipeline blows up, but no sign of attack

By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A gas pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia was hit by an explosion on Friday but there was no immediate evidence of an…

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Photo Story: Christmas tree made of solar panels in Trakai, Lithuania

A Christmas tree made of solar panels is erected in Trakai, Lithuania. The Christmas tree from solar panels generates energy and illuminates itself and, after the festive period, will contribute…

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Lithuania calls for more air defences along NATO’s eastern border

VILNIUS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - NATO should swiftly deploy more air defences on the Polish-Ukrainian border and the rest of the alliance's eastern flank, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on…

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Lithuania raises army’s readiness level amid Russia’s military mobilisation

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania raised the readiness level of its army's rapid response force "to prevent any provocations from the Russian side", defence minister Arvydas Anusauskas said after Moscow announced…

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While rest of EU mourns, Baltics recall Gorbachev as agent of repression

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Widely praised in the West as a towering statesman who helped end the Cold War, Mikhail Gorbachev was remembered in the Baltic states as a repressive autocrat…

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Lithuania warns Baltic states, Poland and Finland could ban Russian tourists

European Union members Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, which all share a border with Russia, may stop Russian tourists from entering their countries if the EU does not enact…

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‘Those who think Russia is exhausted are too optimistic’: Lithuania’s former chief of defence

The Russian military in Ukraine suffered a severe blow last week in Crimea, sparking enthusiasm that the tide in the war might be turning. Lithuania’s former chief of defence, Lieutenant…

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UPDATED: Kremlin says work still to be done on EU Kaliningrad transit deal

MOSCOW, July 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday there was still work to be done over a European Union ban on the transit of sanctioned goods to the Russian territory…

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UPDATED: Lithuania widens curbs on Kaliningrad trade despite Russian warning

VILNIUS, July 11 (Reuters) - Lithuania on Monday expanded restrictions on trade through its territory to Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, as phase-ins on European Union sanctions against Moscow over its invasion…

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Lithuania bans flavoured e-cigarettes

A new law has just come into force in Lithuania where flavoured electronic cigarettes will no longer be available in the country The new ban aims to tackle the rise…

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UPDATED: Lithuania: We’re ready if Russia cuts us out of common power grid over Kaliningrad disruptions

VILNIUS, June 22 (Reuters) - Lithuania will be prepared if Russia disconnects it from the regional power grid in retaliation for blocking rail shipments of some Russian goods to Moscow's Kaliningrad exclave,…

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Kaliningrad residents regret Lithuania’s ban on transit to Russian enclave

Kaliningrad region Residents sandwiched between EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania, expressed fear and regret over Lithuania's transit ban announced on Monday. "Construction works will stop. Development of roads. It's all…

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UPDATED: Russia warns NATO-member Lithuania over Kaliningrad transit

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Russia warned NATO member Lithuania on Monday that unless the transit of goods to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea was swiftly restored then Moscow would…

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Lithuania parliament urges criminal prosecution of Russian leadership

VILNIUS, June 16 (Reuters) - The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday called for the criminal prosecution of Russia's leadership for its invasion of Ukraine and what it said is the wide-scale…

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Lithuania’s president calls for more NATO troops

VILNIUS, April 22 (Reuters) - NATO should increase its deployment of troops in Lithuania and elsewhere on Europe's eastern flank following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania's president told Germany's foreign…

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Lithuania bans using letter ‘Z’ in protest over Russia’s war in Ukraine

Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday voted to ban public displays of the letter "Z", the black and orange ribbon of St George, and other symbols seen as expressing support for Russia's…

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Lithuania says Russia already has nuclear weapons in the Baltic region

Russia already has nuclear weapons in the Baltic region, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said. One of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden…

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Lithuania wants NATO to expand Baltic battalions into brigades

Lithuania wants the NATO battalions in the Baltic countries to be expanded into brigades, the country's defence ministry said on Monday. A brigade consists of several battalions of troops. Lithuania…

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Lithuanian MPs want to outlaw Russian military Z symbol

Two Lithuanian MPs have called on the country to ban displays of the Russian military 'Z' symbol following its invasion of Ukraine. Lawmakers are debating amendments to outlaw the black…

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Baltic nations expel ten Russian diplomats

VILNIUS, March 18 (Reuters) - Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have expelled a total of ten Russian diplomats, the foreign ministries of the three Baltic countries said on Friday. Lithuania expelled four diplomats…

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Lithuania’s Prime Minister joins paramilitary volunteer force

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte was sworn in on Friday as a member of the Riflemen’s Union, a paramilitary volunteer force that supports the police and the…

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UPDATED: Lithuania tightens state of emergency, limits free speech

VILNIUS, March 10 (Reuters) - Lithuania imposed a stricter state of emergency on Thursday in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, limiting rights to free expression and peaceful assembly, in what critics…

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Lithuania asks International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in Ukraine

VILNIUS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Lithuania's government announced on Monday it will ask prosecutors at the International Criminal Court to investigate "war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine". "There is new…

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Poland and Lithuania say Ukraine deserves EU candidate status due to ‘current security challenges’

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Ukraine deserves European Union candidate status, and Poland and Lithuania will support it in this goal, the presidents of the two countries said in a joint declaration…

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German army reinforcements reach Lithuania

RUKLA MILITARY BASE, Lithuania (Reuters) - A German army convoy of 130 soldiers and 60 vehicles reached Lithuania, bringing almost half of planned reinforcements for the country's German-led NATO battlegroup…

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Lithuania warns banks of cyber attacks, power cuts amid fears of war in Ukraine

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Lithuania's central bank has told the country's banks to prepare for power cuts and cyberattacks as Russia's standoff with Ukraine risks spilling over into a military conflict, according…

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German troops arrive to reinforce Baltics amid tensions over Ukraine

Lithuania, Feb 14 (Reuters) - A German military aircraft carrying troop reinforcements landed in Lithuania on Monday, the first of several planned NATO deployments amid fears in the region about…

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Lithuania prepares to take in refugees from Ukraine if needed

Lithuania would be ready to take in people fleeing war in Ukraine if Russia decided to invade its neighbour, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said this week. “While we do…

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China suspends Lithuanian beef imports as Taiwan row grows

BEIJING, Feb 10 (Reuters) - China has suspended imports of beef from Lithuania since Wednesday, the General Administration of Customs said, amid a growing trade spat with the Baltic nation…

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Lithuania seeks to make U.S. troop deployment permanent

RUKLA, Lithuania, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Lithuania will ask the United States to permanently station troops in the country to help boost security, the Baltic nation's president said on Wednesday.…

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The Netherlands to increase troops in Baltics

RUKLA, LITHUANIA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The Netherlands will increase the number of its troops in a NATO battlegroup in Lithuania to 350 from 270, Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren…

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NATO considers bolstering allies if Russian troops stay in Belarus

VILNIUS, Feb 7 (Reuters) - NATO is looking to increase its military presence in the Baltic states and Poland in case Russia keeps its troops in Belarus after a planned…

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Kaunas kicks off European Capital of Culture programme

Lithuania's second city officially launched itself as the European Capital of Culture 2022 on Saturday with an opening event showcasing its contemporaneity and cultural potential. Kaunas ECC programme kicked off…

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U.S. clears Baltic states to send U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department has cleared Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send U.S.-made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the decision said, as President Joe Biden…

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Lithuania says Russian troops in Belarus pose “direct threat”

VILNIUS, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Russian troops arriving in Belarus for what Moscow and Minsk say will be joint military exercises are a direct threat to NATO member Lithuania, and…

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Mikhail Gorbachev accused of war crimes by six Lithuanian citizens

Relatives of victims of a 1991 Soviet crackdown against Lithuania's pro-independence government filed a civil lawsuit in Vilnius against former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, 90, claiming he failed to stop…

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Taiwan to invest $200 million in Lithuania

Taiwan said it would create a $200 million fund to invest in Lithuanian industries and boost bilateral trade as it tries to fend off diplomatic pressure on the Baltic state…

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Lithuania extends migrant detention limit to a year

Migrants who cross into Lithuania from Belarus can be detained for up to a year, the Lithuanian parliament decided on Thursday, increasing an initial six-month detention limit. Eighty-one lawmakers backed…

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Lithuania says Belarus will keep testing West, urges NATO rethink

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Sunday that the NATO military alliance needed to adjust its stance towards Belarus, whose military, he said, was becoming more integrated with Russian armed…

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Lithuania, in spat with China, urges Europe to brace for ‘coercion’ from Beijing

Lithuania will adapt to "short-term" economic pain dealt by China over its moves to enhance ties with Taiwan, foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Wednesday, while urging Europe to brace…

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Taiwan opens office in Lithuania, brushing aside China opposition

TAIPEI, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Taiwan opened a de facto embassy in Lithuania on Thursday in a diplomatic breakthrough for the Chinese-claimed island, brushing aside Beijing's strong opposition to the…

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Photo Story: Kaunas will be the European Capital of Culture for 2022

People walk at Medieval Kaunas Castle, Lithuania. The Lithuanian city Kaunas will be the European Capital of Culture for 2022. The grand opening of 'Kaunas 2022' is scheduled for 22…

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Lithuania border, camps in state of emergency over migrants from Belarus

Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday declared a state of emergency at the country's border with Belarus and at camps hosting migrants who arrived from there, a tally of votes showed. The…

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Lithuania starts building first European wall to ward off migrants from Belarus

Lithuania has built the first stretches of a steel wall on its border with Belarus since migrants from the Middle East and other areas began entering from Belarus this year.…

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Lithuania says its rocky ties with China are a ‘wake up call’ for Europe

China's treatment of Lithuania is a "wake up call" for Europe, Lithuania's deputy foreign minister said, calling for the European Union to be united in dealings with Beijing. China demanded…

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Lithuania rolls out next-generation 5G plans

The Lithuanian Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) has launched an auction for three 700 MHz radio frequency blocks to be used to deploy next-generation 5G mobile networks and provide 5G e-communication…

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Lithuanian hospitals stop accepting non-urgent patients amid COVID-19 surge

Two of the three largest hospitals in Lithuania's capital Vilnius stopped accepting non-urgent patients due to influx of COVID-19 cases, a hospital executive director said. Several regional hospitals around Vilnius…

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Lithuania to offer booster shots to all citizens

Lithuanian health authorities have announced that they will shortly start offering Covid-19 booster shots to everyone. Lukas Galkus, adviser to the Health Ministry, told LRT Radio that a mass booster…

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Armenia seeks Lithuanian support for stronger relations with EU

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step up implementation of democratic reforms. In a bilateral meeting, Nauseda pointed out that the democratic government led by…

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Lithuania records largest coronavirus caseload since January

There have been 1,847 new coronavirus cases in Lithuania over the past 24 hours, the country’s statistics office has said – the highest number of cases since early January. The…

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China’s Xiaomi hires expert over Lithuania censorship claim

China's Xiaomi Corp said it was engaging a third-party expert to assess allegations by Lithuania that its smartphones carry built-in censorship capabilities. Lithuania's Defence Ministry last week urged consumers to throw away…

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Lithuania wants more U.S. attention as it launches camp for American soldiers

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called on the United States to pay more attention to his nation's security on as Lithuania faces increased migration from Belarus which it claims is created artificially by…

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Lithuania says will complete Belarus border fence by Sept 2022

Lithuania said on Monday it would complete a 508-km (315-mile) fence along its border with Belarus by September next year to stop migrants it says are crossing in record numbers orchestrated…

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