Via Baltica

Baltic: Malta cancels Russian MFA spokesperson’s visa on Baltic request

Malta has cancelled a visa issued to Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, following joint pressure from the three Baltic states, The Baltic Sentinel reports. According to Russian independent news outlet Meduza, Malta cancelled Zakharova’s visa a day before a ministerial council meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)…

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Estonia: State launches Eesti.ee mobile app

Estonia’s state IT agency, the Estonian Information System Authority (RIA), has launched a mobile application for accessing the Eesti.ee state services portal, ERR reports. The new application will allow users to access the portal’s most popular services on their smartphones. The application’s use for official identification still requires a legislative amendment. The application is available…

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Baltic: Train timetables between Baltic capitals to be coordinated

The passenger train operators of the three Baltic states will begin coordinating their timetables to enable a smooth connection between the Baltic capitals, LSM reports. Estonia’s Elron, Latvia’s Vivi, and Lithuania’s LTG Link plan to align the timetables as of 6 January 2025. Transfer times at Valga and Riga will be around 10-20 minutes. The…

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Lithuania: Homeland Union member suspected of spying for Russia

Authorities in Lithuania suspect a member of the conservative Homeland Union of spying for Russia, BNS reports. Sources confirmed that the suspect was Eduardas Manovas, a dual Lithuanian and Russian citizen from Siauliai. Remigijus Bridikis, deputy director of the State Security Department (VSD), said that the suspect was part of Russian military intelligence’s (GRU) illegals…

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Lithuania: Incoming culture minister defends Russian culture

Lithuania should not censor everything related to Russian culture, the country’s incoming culture minister, Sarunas Birutis, stated, LRT reports. Speaking in an interview with ELTA, Birutis insisted that the “Russian nation was not the same as the Kremlin.” He pointed out that Russians had been neighbours to Lithuanians “for millennia” and would continue to be…

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Estonia: Minister proposes partial privatisation of Eesti Post

Estonia’s Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, Piret Hartman, has proposed privatising part of the state-owned postal services provider, Eesti Post, ERR reports. She said that the earliest date for a possible IPO could be in 2027. The state would nevertheless retain majority ownership of the company, the minister assured. Eesti Post needs additional capital…

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Lithuania: State takes ownership of Klaipeda LNG terminal carrier

Lithuania’s state-owned company, KN Energies, has acquired the LNG carrier, Independence, from Norway’s Höegh Evi (former Höegh LNG) for EUR 138mn, BNS reports. The handover ceremony was attended by the presidents of all three Baltic States and Poland. The floating storage regasification unit (FSRU), which serves as Lithuania’s LNG terminal, arrived at the port of…

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