DISINFO: Lithuania does not respect the Russian history
SUMMARY
Lithuania closed project “Mission Siberia” due to pandemic and lack of perspective of improvement of relations with Russia.
For many years Lithuania has been destroying good relations with Russia. It hinders the efforts of the embassy of Russia to preserve the historical memory of the Great Patriotic war. Russian diplomats could not take care of graves of Russian soldiers or monuments of gratitude for the Red Army. Lithuanian authorities interfere in the activities of veterans' organisations.
“Mission Siberia” would be closed in any way. It could exist only if it would be a mutually respected historical policy between Lithuania and Russia. If Lithuania wants respect for its past it should provide similar respect for the history of Russia.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing Lithuania of historical revisionism.
„Mission Siberia“ was founded in 2006 as a youth project of civic education and preservation of historical memory. Participants of the project went to Russia and former countries of the Soviet Union every year to care for the graves of Lithuanians, deported to Siberia during Soviet times. In 2018 Russia refused to issue visas to project participants. In 2021, it was announced that the project will be closed due to pandemic and lack of perspective of improvement of relations with Russia.
Lithuania has not prohibited the maintenance of the Soviet soldiers' graves. Amends to the rules on how third countries should look after monuments of their own heritage in the territory of Lithuania entered into force in 2018.
See similar cases: Lithuania is fighting against the monuments of the Soviet army and re-writing history of WWII; Ukraine and the Baltic states want to present the USSR as an “absolute evil” in WWII; Lithuanian foreign ministry tries to rewrite the history of World War II.