Russian State Media Deletes Opinion Piece Calling for Attack on Lithuania

Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti removed an opinion piece advocating military action against Lithuania within hours of publishing it on Friday, Sept. 25, according to the non-Kremlin affiliated media Meduza. The column, titled “Russia Is Facing Another Special Military Operation. It Will Be Very Short,” was written by Alexander Nosovich, editor-in-chief of the Kaliningrad-based pro-Russian outlet RuBaltic.ru which is said to have links to Russia’s foreign intelligence services.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. RIA Novosti said the article “does not align with the editorial team’s views, editorial policy, or the state policy of the Russian Federation.” An archived copy of the article remains available. Column follows Lithuania’s nuclear weapons debate The article appeared to respond to Tuesday’s move by Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas, to lift constitutional restrictionson stationing nuclear weapons and foreign military bases in the country. Earlier this month, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of its Security Council, threatened that Lithuania would “disappear from the map of the world” in a conflict if Vilnius lifted the nuclear weapons ban. Nosovich claimed European countries “continue to push the idea of moving unconventional weapons to Russia’s borders.” He described Lithuania as “willing to become a nuclear depot” and called it “a suicidal country with no brains whatsoever.” Other Topics of Interest Putin’s Reported Granddaughter Named Tikhonova, Despite Father’s Zelensky Surname Leaked border records reportedly reveal the name used by the eight-year-old daughter of Putin’s youngest known daughter and a Russian ballet star. Drawing parallels with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation,” he argued that an attack on Lithuania would not require ground troops. “Only missiles with the appropriate payload,” he wrote, implying the use of nuclear weapons. Putin denies plans to attack Europe The column appeared days after Putin said Russia had no plans to attack Europe. Speaking at a Sept. 19 meeting of Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission, Putin accused some European leaders of portraying Moscow as a threat to justify what he described as excessive spending related to the war in Ukraine. He nevertheless said Russia would respond to perceived threats and outlined plans to strengthen its nuclear forces, air defenses, drones and precision weapons. 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.