Lithuania has dismissed Russian Federation’s claim about alleged "deportation of Russian speakers" as fake news, - media
The Lithuanian State Security Department has dismissed as propaganda a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry alleging that the Baltic states are preparing to carry out mass deportations of Russian-speaking residents.
According to Censor.NET, this is reported by Delfi.
The Lithuanian ministry stated that this was yet another disinformation campaign by the Kremlin, aimed at undermining trust in the democratic institutions of the Baltic states, fuelling inter-ethnic tensions and discrediting those states that have consistently supported Ukraine.
The Department emphasised that Russian propaganda has for many years been spreading false claims about the alleged deportation of the Russian-speaking population. Following the outbreak of full-scale war against Ukraine, there has indeed been an increase in the number of cases where residence permits for Russian citizens have been revoked in the Baltic states, but this applies only to those who have lost their legal grounds for staying in those countries.
The ministry also suggested that such allegations might form part of Russia’s preparations for a possible case before the International Court of Justice against the Baltic states over alleged violations of the rights of the Russian-speaking population.
According to the Lithuanian security service, Russia has, since the start of the full-scale invasion, been increasingly attempting to use international organisations as a means of exerting pressure on and discrediting the Baltic states.
Earlier, Grigory Lukyantsev, Director of the Department for Multilateral Cooperation on Human Rights at the Russian Foreign Ministry, claimed that the authorities in the Baltic states were allegedly preparing for the mass deportation of Russian-speaking residents.
