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A year into Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania pays tribute to the victims of Russia's military aggression in this country. The Foreign Ministry reiterates that the Russian military aggression, as well as the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the illegal decision of 2022 on the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, grossly violate international law enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, thus constituting a  crime of aggression and posing an unprecedented threat to international security.

On 26 February we also mark the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol. Nine years ago, Russia's illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol paved the way for systematic restrictions of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. It also laid the foundation for the subsequent full-scale military aggression against Ukraine.

Lithuania strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and its inherent right to defend itself against Russian aggression. Lithuania strongly condemns and will never accept Russia's attempts to forcibly redraw Ukraine's borders recognized by the international community and to annex Ukraine's territories.

By resisting Russian aggression, which has been continuing since 2014, Ukraine defends not only our and the region's security, but also the shared values and freedoms of Europe and the whole democratic world, as well as the principles of the rules-based international order.

Together with our partners, we will continue supporting Ukraine and its people in their heroic fight for freedom and the country's democratic future by all means. We will also actively contribute to the international community's efforts to stop Russian aggression, demanding that Russia immediately withdraw all of its forces and equipment from the territory of Ukraine and pay reparations for the damage caused by its invasion.

To limit Russia's ability to continue its military aggression, Lithuania seeks further tightening of targeted restrictive measures against Russia and its allies and calls on all democratic states that respect international law to isolate Russia globally.  

Russia's war against Ukraine has been marked by brutal war crimes and crimes against humanity since its early days: thousands of Ukrainians, including children, have been killed, tortured, illegally detained or displaced; millions of Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes and country. Russia‘s attacks on civilians and Ukraine's civilian infrastructure constitute another war crime.  

Russia's war against Ukraine has impacted  global food and energy security. Its ongoing disinformation campaign and nuclear threats demonstrate complete disregard for the norms of international cooperation.

Lithuania will continue to actively contribute to the efforts of the international community to ensure that those responsible for war crimes and serious violations of international law, including the crime of aggression, are brought to justice. Lithuania also supports the efforts to create a special international tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression, ensuring accountability not only for direct perpetrators of crimes but also for their initiators — the political and military leadership of Russia and its accomplice  Belarus.

We are convinced that the war against  Ukraine can only be ended by restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Therefore, we also call on the international community to stand in solidarity and actively support Ukraine.

Lithuania remains a reliable ally of Ukraine on its European and Euro-Atlantic integration path and stands ready to provide continuous support in its efforts to join the EU and NATO.