According to the Mayor of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, this will be a great opportunity for foreigners living here to test their Lithuanian language skills, but Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius doubted the municipality’s decision. According to him, it was necessary to first assess how this would affect different groups of people.
Information at the Šeškinė polyclinic is provided only in Lithuanian and English. However, some doctors also consult in Russian, but it is important to register in advance.
“We have gathered information on which languages our staff speak and agree to serve patients in. The registrars see this and register accordingly,” explained Evaldas Pilipavičius, a representative of the Šeškinė polyclinic, in an LNK news report.
The Vilnius municipality has also decided to abandon the Russian language. Information in this language is no longer available on the website and in the customer service system. The city authorities will also no longer accept requests or complaints in Russian.
“There are also Vilnius residents who have lived here for 50 years or more but still speak Russian, so this will probably be an opportunity to check what Lithuanian language skills they have acquired,” Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas told LNK news.
However, the Prime Minister views the changes ambiguously. According to him, some people have no other choice.
“If this concerned Russian citizens, the answer would be different. If we are talking about freedom fighters who have fled the Belarusian regime or Ukrainians, the attitude changes,” Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told LNK news.
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Foreigners working from this year must serve clients in Lithuanian. However, not everyone has learned the language. Inspectors receive many complaints – 213 have already been received this year.
“Most violations of the law are committed by ride-hailing drivers, beauty service providers, and waiters,” said Donatas Smalinskas, Deputy Head of the State Language Inspectorate, to LNK.
Other institutions – “Sodra” and the State Tax Inspectorate – do not plan to abandon the Russian language, at least for now.
“Due to the geopolitical situation, there are many residents from Ukraine and some Asian countries,” said Martynas Endrijaitis, Head of the State Tax Inspectorate.
This year, the flow of Russian-speaking clients has increased significantly.
“By the end of July, we already have data. More than 44 thousand residents called for help by phone. For example, last year, throughout 2025, there were about 38 thousand residents,” explained M. Endrijaitis.
According to him, the Russian language would only be abandoned if decided by the Seimas or the Government.
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