Russian politician's claims on Baltics ignite tensions
Russian politician Aleksey Zhuravlyov stated that the Baltic countries should belong to Russia. The deputy also spoke about the Suwalki Gap, which could facilitate land deliveries to Kaliningrad. "[Russia] is unfamiliar with the language of culture and civilization," said Ukrainian politician Anton Gerashchenko.
Much of the information reported by Russian media and government representatives is likely not true. Such reports may be part of an information warfare strategy by the Russian Federation.
Another dispute has erupted between Russia and Lithuania. This time, it's about the name change of the museum dedicated to Lithuanian poet Kristijonas Donelaitis. The institution will now be known as the Museum of Literature. Donelaitis was a Lutheran pastor from Little Lithuania, notes Belsat. He was buried in a church in the village of Chistye Prudy in the Kaliningrad region, near the border junction with Poland and Lithuania, where a museum dedicated to him was established.
Russia's decision to rename a museum dedicated to Kristijonas Donelaitis, a classic of Lithuanian literature, is yet another unacceptable attempt at rewriting history. Even though the old inhabitants of Lithuania Minor, now part of the so-called Kaliningrad Oblast, are long gone, the last signs of Lithuanian culture there must be safeguarded. No matter how hard Russia tries, Karaliaučius (Königsberg in Lithuanian) will never become Kaliningrad!, wrote the Lithuanian president on X.
Russian officials reacted strongly to these statements. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the Lithuanian politician a "cardboard fool" and accused him of succumbing to "historical fantasies."
As Belsat adds, Zakharova stated that Lithuanians are ungrateful, because they received their present capital and the Vilnius region as a gift from Joseph Stalin in 1939.
In even stronger words, the chairman of the Defense Committee of the Russian Duma, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, sparked controversy with his statements about the Baltic countries belonging to Russia. "The Baltics should belong to Russia," Zhuravlev stated.
According to the ANSA agency, Aleksey Zhuravlyov emphasized that Vilnius was part of the Tsarist Empire, and the Suwalki Gap, separating Belarus from Kaliningrad, could facilitate Russia's land deliveries to the Kaliningrad region. He urged Lithuanian politicians to remain silent, claiming that the Lithuanian army would not withstand a confrontation with Russia even for one day. According to the US army, the Suwalki Gap is one of the potentially most volatile points.
"These statements are no longer just coming from propagandists on television; they are being voiced by Russian officials. Russia has discarded its last inhibitions and no longer pretends to care about international law," stated Ukrainian politician Anton Gerashchenko. "[Russia] is unfamiliar with the language of culture and civilization. Its only method of communication is violence: threats, sabotage, bombings, and war," he added.
