ARCHIVE – Members of the Lithuanian Border Guard Service patrol the border with Belarus. Photo: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP/dpa
Keystone
In Lithuania, the parliament has extended a special law on national sanctions for Russian and Belarusian citizens for another two years. The regulation was passed in April 2023 in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and is valid until the end of 2027 following the decision now taken by the parliament.
The law provides for restrictions for Russians and Belarusians to obtain Lithuanian visas and residence permits, for example. Russians are subject to additional rules when entering Lithuania and purchasing real estate in the Baltic EU and NATO country.
Lithuania borders the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad as well as Russia’s ally Belarus, whose territory is considered a deployment zone for Russian forces. The Baltic state feels threatened by Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago. An armored brigade of the German Armed Forces will also be permanently stationed in Lithuania in the future.