News

On 12 February, at 3.30 a.m. an act of vandalism was carried out against the Lithuanian Embassy in the Russian Federation. According to the preliminary reports, five bottles with colorific liquid were thrown at the façade of the Embassy, splashing the building, the Lithuanian national flag and the state emblem. During the act, leaflets were thrown protesting the transit order to and from Kaliningrad oblast. The act of vandalism was committed by a group of five young persons. The operative Moscow militia officials guarding the Embassy building apprehended this group and the investigation is going on. The staff of the Embassy and members of their families suffered no damage. On 12 February, the Lithuanian Embassy in Moscow handed a note to the Russian Foreign Ministry (MFA) informing about the act of vandalism and asking to take all the necessary measures to guarantee the safety of diplomats and members of their families. The note stresses that although Lithuania is flexible and constructive in solving the issues of transit to and from the Kaliningrad region, actions against its diplomatic mission are acquiring a regular character. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry is concerned about the growing number of such actions and expresses hope that Russia’s relevant institutions will take concrete actions to contribute to the development of good neighbourly relations.