On February 13, 2024, Russia placed 29 Lithuanian politicians and public figures on a wanted list, including Culture Minister Simonas Kairys, Klaipėda Mayor Arvydas Vaitkus, six Vilnius city council deputies, and other officials linked to dismantling Soviet monuments and the 13 Soviet crackdown case. The Kremlin also included Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, former Latvian Interior Minister Marija Golubeva, 67 Latvian MPs, and others in the list. Russia’s Russian Interior Ministry database reportedly contains close to 100,000 wanted notices. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov justified the search as targeting people taking hostile actions against historical memory and Russia’s interests. Kairys condemned the move, calling Russia’s actions repression aimed at stifling freedom and democracy. The Lithuanian desovietization law enacted the previous year bans promotion of totalitarian regimes, resulting in the removal of related symbols from public spaces. The announcement underscores Moscow’s continued political and legal pressure on Baltic officials engaged in decommunization and anti-Russian historical narratives.
Category: Political & Legal Subversion
Subcategory: Lawfare & Legal Pressure
Incident Type: Weaponized lawsuits & extradition requests
Country: Lithuania
Source report: www.lrt.lt/en/news-i…
