Lithuania Moves to Ban Russian, Belarusian Artists Who Performed in Occupied Ukraine

Lithuania’s government has approved a proposal to bar Russian and Belarusian artists and other cultural figures from performing in the country if they had previously worked in occupied or annexed Ukrainian territories. The government backed the measure on Wednesday, Sept. 30, Lithuanian media LRT reported. The ban would also cover anyone who has directly or indirectly supported Russia’s war against Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Exemptions would apply to those who have “clearly acted against aggression, occupation or annexation, publicly demonstrated their opposition to these actions and whose activities objectively did not contribute to the implementation of the interests of the occupying authorities,” according to the proposal. Awaiting parliament’s approval The amendment must still pass Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas. If approved, it would take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. The government has not yet set out the specific criteria for determining who would fall under the ban. Until now, Lithuania has handled such cases individually, barring several performers who support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and have performed in Russia or in occupied Crimea from entering the country. Around the same time on Wednesday, the Lithuanian government also backed a separate measure to ban Russian and Belarusian nationals from owning property near strategic sites. The restrictions, however, would not apply to ownership acquired through inheritance. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Completes 17 of 42 Resolutions Needed to Unlock $29.5B in Aid The government has entered “maximum austerity” mode and wants the remaining decisions made within two weeks, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said. The move follows similar steps by both Finland and Latvia, who had already restricted property purchases by Russian and Belarusian citizens, exempting those who hold residence permits. Meanwhile, Estonia is working on comparable legislation. Possible risks for anti-war artists Under the proposal put forward by Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry, artists and cultural figures would be required to sign a publicly available declaration condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and supporting its territorial integrity. Those who refuse would be barred from working in Lithuania completely. However, signing such a declaration poses significant risks for Russian citizens. Since the full-scale invasion, Russia has prosecuted numerous civilians for anti-war statements and has also moved against Yabloko – its only registered liberal party – whose ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in August along with an 11-year prison sentence for its deputy chairman. In July, Turkey deported a 24-year-old anti-war activist Ariadna Litvinova to Russia, where she faces up to seven years in prison for writing slogans such as “Peace to Ukraine” on banners at a pro-war exhibition in St. Petersburg. Rights advocates said the case was part of a wider pattern of transnational repression targeting Russian anti-war exiles. Moscow courts have also ordered the arrest in absentia of anti-war pop singer Monetochka, who now lives and performs in Europe, and sentenced novelist Boris Akunin to 14 years in prison in absentia after he voiced support for Ukraine, The Moscow Times reported. Such sentences would take effect if the exiled artist returned to Russia or were extradited. Rising tensions with Moscow The measures come amid heightened tensions between NATO members, particularly the Baltic states, and Moscow. On Sept. 11, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said Lithuania would “disappear from the map of the world” if it lifted its long-standing ban on nuclear weapons. Russia’s embassy in Belgium warned on Sept. 28 that Moscow was ready to use its entire arsenal if NATO countries tried to isolate Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave bordering Lithuania. NATO dismissed the warning, condemning Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric while reiterating that it is a defensive alliance. Vilnius rejected the threat by framing the warnings as a form of psychological pressure. The warning came days after Putin claimed on Sept. 25 that the rights of Russian speakers were being violated in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, while insisting that Russia had no plans for military action against Europe. The Kremlin used similar unfounded claims to justify its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.