On the social network “Facebook,” D. Kubilius raised the topic of the Russian language appearing on Lithuanian trains.
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The producer emphasized that this language is not international, so inscriptions in it should not remain on trains, and demanded clear answers from the company “LTG Link.”
“I do not understand the hieroglyphs decorated with Vytis on Lithuanian trains.
Is this a new internationally recognized language in the world?
Are we encouraging the still ongoing invasion of this language at the same time when the situation is heating up day by day, when speakers of this language are increasingly threatening not only to wipe out the Baltic countries but also to strike Berlin itself?!
LTG Link is a state-owned company. The state has recognized Russia as a terrorist country. Don’t you feel the dissonance?! Or is the hearing failing here? Although absolute hearing is certainly not needed to hear this dissonance.
Lithuanian Railways are truly admirable, how they have changed, modernized, and how convenient it is to travel by them. So if you have modernized so much, why do the announcement boards shine as if we were still standing in sausage queues and drinking kvass from a three-liter bottle?
This is not an international language. It is nothing special or distinctive and is understood only by older people from post-Soviet countries. Therefore, seeing these hieroglyphs before our eyes feels like we are inviting the occupiers ourselves.
You might say that the largest ethnic minority in Lithuania is Russian speakers. Yes, but they live here and must understand the state language. And if they haven’t learned it in 36 years of independence, that is their problem, not the state’s.
You might say it is similar elsewhere, in healthcare institutions or other state enterprises. Yes, options to receive information in Russian remain in many places, and I do not understand why this is still the case.
In Lithuanian Railways, it is not a choice that can be avoided by not pressing a button, but an intrusive SIGN glowing with LED letters.
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For traveling tourists, the SECOND LANGUAGE OF ALL OF US shines before their eyes.
In the 36 years of INDEPENDENCE, it is high time to have ONE STATE LANGUAGE AND ONE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE (Russian does not belong to either of these categories).
P.S. Vilnius has officially announced reducing the use of the Russian language in the municipality and its subordinate institutions and companies. The option for the Russian language has been removed from the municipality’s website and customer queue system; requests and complaints in Russian will no longer be accepted. An employee can inform or direct a person in Russian or other non-EU languages only verbally and only if they themselves know that language,” wrote D. Kubilius.
A storm of comments poured in
The post received hundreds of reactions and comments in just an hour.
“This is for those who have lived all their lives in Lithuania but still cannot or do not bother to learn their native language. The saddest thing is not that a person makes mistakes – we all do. The saddest thing is when not knowing the language becomes a principle, and efforts to use it correctly are considered unnecessary.
Language is not just words. It is our history, identity, and respect for the country we live in. Therefore, before boasting about your ‘principles,’ perhaps it is worth first asking yourself how much respect we have for what should be familiar and dear to all of us,” wrote one commentator.
“I will say it as I have seen in many comments – let’s not provoke war, let’s not invite the occupier. Such hieroglyphs are a medium for the occupier to thrive, as if saying ‘here, it will be convenient for you.’ I am for rejecting such hieroglyphs. We can replace them with something else we want to attract, but certainly not neighbors from the east,” shared another social media user.
LTG Link’s response also published
Among the comments, the explanation from the company “LTG Link” also appeared.
“Good day, the situation at ‘LTG Link’ is known. Due to a human error, the information system on one of the oldest rolling stock was launched with factory settings, so the display showed text in the wrong language. According to ‘LTG Link’ rules, information intended for passengers is shown in Lithuanian and English. Thank you for the observation; we inform you that we are already taking additional measures to prevent such cases in the future. We remind you that after adding 9 new electric and 6 battery-powered ‘Stadler’ trains to the fleet, the mentioned oldest rolling stock will be phased out,” reads the LTG Link comment.
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