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Disinfo: Russophobic Lithuania plans to tear Belarus away from Russia by dragging it into the Western energy network

Summary

The statement about the ‘nuclear death risk’ for Lithuania posed by the Belarusian nuclear power plant, made by Lithuanian politician Vytautas Landsbergis, is designed to create a negative image of the Russian nuclear energy sector. It also intends to hurt Belarusian-Russian energy cooperation. Lithuania expects to tear Belarus away from Russia and integrate it into the Western electricity network. Such anti-Russian statements are very characteristic of Lithuanian politics as its state policies make Lithuania one of the most Russophobic countries.

Disproof

This message is a conspiracy consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the Western attempts to disrupt Belarusian-Russian relations by any means and Russophobia in the Baltic states.

Lithuania opposes construction of the Astravets Nuclear power Plant (NPP) as the project does not comply with the international standards of environmental protection and nuclear safety, and is built on the site that was not duly justified over the alternative ones.

On 7 June 2011, Lithuania lodged a complaint with the Implementing Committee of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment (the Espoo Convention) on the Astravets nuclear power plant case. In February 2019 the Meeting of the Parties of the Espoo Convention adopted the decision, which acknowledged that Belarus had failed to comply with some Convention provisions regarding site selection and encouraged Belarus and Lithuania to continue bilateral expert consultations.

Lithuania has no intentions to integrate Belarus into Western electricity networks. In fact, Lithuania. Latvia and Estonia, together with Poland and the European Commission has launched the project to synchronize Baltic States' electricity grid with continental Europe, to de-synchronize from Russian and Belarusian system and increase EU energy security.

See earlier disinformation cases claiming that Latvia wants to disrupt Belarusian-Russian relations with its plans to buy electricity at the Russian border and that Poland had similar intentions by not inviting Putin to the WWII commemoration ceremony. See a collection of disinformation cases concerning the construction of the Belarusian NPP here.

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publication/media

Sputnik Belarus - Russian [from 08 to 01:08] (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 163
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26/08/2019
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: Lithuania, Belarus
  • Keywords: Union State of Belarus and Russia, Nuclear issues, Russophobia

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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Lithuania campaigns against Belarusian NPP because it has been offended by the EU

Vilnius is working on the creation of an international coalition against the Belarusian nuclear power plant. Earlier, Lithuania had to shut down its nuclear power plant at the EU’s request, so a situation in which neighbouring Belarus has built a new nuclear power plant offends Lithuania.

September 09, 2019
Disproof

This is a conspiracy in a series of disinformation claims concerning the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) in Astravets.

Lithuania opposes construction of the Astravets Nuclear power Plant (NPP) as the project does not comply with the international standards of environmental protection and nuclear safety, and is built on the site that was not duly justified over the alternative ones.

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Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Skripal poisoning in the UK, attempting to divert attention from Russia's proven responsibility for the attack.

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