According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the new amendments would prevent cultural, entertainment, and sports representatives working in Russia and Belarus from operating in Lithuania.
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“Recent discussions, including at the municipal level, have shown that there is a need to more clearly regulate the participation of representatives of Russia, which is carrying out aggression against Ukraine, and Belarus, which is assisting it, in public activities in Lithuania in the fields of education, science and studies, culture, sports, art, and entertainment,” the ministry stated in a comment to BNS.
“It is important to provide institutions with a clear legal basis for making timely, consistent, and justified decisions so that public activities in the field of culture or entertainment are not used for propaganda, distortion of history, and formation of narratives, with the aim of influencing Lithuanian society and exploiting these areas as a political instrument,” it states.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lithuania, as a democratic state, has a duty to protect the public space from regimes that systematically violate human rights, carry out aggression against neighboring states, and use culture or public entertainment activities as soft power instruments.
“The planned restrictions would aim to create clear, transparent, and equally applicable legal regulation so that decisions in such cases are made based on objective criteria, rather than ad hoc assessments. This is part of broader state efforts to strengthen resilience to the influence of hostile regimes and protect Lithuania’s national security interests,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
According to the amendments to the Law on the Establishment of Restrictive Measures due to Military Aggression against Ukraine, submitted for coordination, Russian and Belarusian natural and legal persons, representatives of organizations wishing to carry out public activities in the fields of education, science and studies, culture, sports, art, and entertainment would not be admitted to Lithuania if it is determined that they carry out or have carried out such activities in Russian-annexed, temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, if they directly or indirectly support the war against Ukraine or participated in it.
It is also proposed not to admit those who take actions or policies that undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence, that undermine Ukraine’s stability or security, as well as those who directly or indirectly support gross human rights violations or repression against civil society and democratic forces in Russia, Belarus, or whose activities pose a threat to democracy or the rule of law.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposes that those wishing to come to Lithuania to carry out educational, cultural, or sports activities would be required to sign a declaration condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, expressing support for the United Nations Charter and its principles, Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders.
This declaration would be made public.
Refusal to sign it would prevent entry into the country.
Russian and Belarusian citizens for whom the aforementioned circumstances are not established could carry out their activities in Lithuania if they do not represent their state of citizenship and participate as neutral participants.
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Compliance with the specified restrictions should be ensured by organizers of public activities in the fields of education, science and studies, culture, sports, art, and entertainment in Lithuania.
With the same project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also seeks to limit the ability of Russians and Belarusians to acquire real estate in Lithuania near strategically important objects.
According to the project, it is proposed to suspend the right of Russian and Belarusian citizens holding residence permits in Lithuania to acquire real estate located in areas near objects important for national security or military training grounds.
In such territories, Belarusian citizens without residence permits in Lithuania and legal entities belonging to them would not be able to acquire real estate. The ability of Russians to buy real estate in Lithuania was restricted earlier.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposes that such amendments come into force from January 1st next year.
Previously, similar proposals regarding both Russian and Belarusian citizens wishing to perform in Lithuania and the prohibition of acquiring real estate near objects important for national security were submitted by the opposition conservatives. Their amendments were not adopted because the Government has the exclusive right to initiate national sanctions.
The Law on Restrictive Measures has been applied in Lithuania since 2023. It aims to demonstrate support for Ukraine and restrict certain rights of citizens of the aggressor countries – Russia and Belarus.
Until now, Lithuania has made separate decisions to prohibit several performers who support Vladimir Putin’s regime and have performed in Russia or Crimea from entering Lithuania.
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