Lithuania: University to review PM’s dissertation for plagiarism

Lithuania’s ISM University of Management and Economics will investigate a possible violation of academic ethics by Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, BNS reports. ISM’s ethics committee will review a complaint regarding alleged plagiarism in Sinkevicius’s doctoral dissertation, which he defended in 2015. Sinkevicius has rejected the allegations, BNS reported. He suggested that the interest in his…

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Baltic: Italy takes over NATO Baltic Air Policing mission

Italy has taken over NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, replacing French and Romanian forces, BNS reports. Italy will deploy an air defence contingent of around 200 personnel with four Eurofighter Typhoon (EF-2000) fighter jets to the Siauliai air base in northern Lithuania. The outgoing French and Romanian detachments consisted of about 210 troops with four…

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Lithuania: Foreign Ministry plans to open embassy in Brazil

Lithuania plans to open an embassy in Brazil in October 2026, BNS reports. The embassy would be located in the Brazilian capital, BrasĂ­lia. Earlier, the Foreign Ministry planned to open the embassy in July 2026, ELTA reported. Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that the embassy would help boost exports to Mercosur countries. Currently, Lithuania has…

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Lithuania: Tunnels used to smuggle migrants from Belarus

Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT) has found several tunnels used to smuggle irregular migrants from Belarus into Lithuania, LRT reports. Speaking in an interview with 15min, VSAT commander Rustamas Liubajevas said that migrants were increasingly using tunnels and caves to cross the border. VSAT discovered the first tunnels in 2025. Digging such tunnels would…

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Lithuania: Former PM Kazimira Prunskiene dies

Lithuania’s first prime minister after the restoration of the country’s independence, Kazimira Prunskiene, has died at the age of 83, BNS reports. She joined the Lithuanian Communist Party in 1980, was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, and helped establish the country’s pro-independence movement, Sajudis. She was appointed prime minister…

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Lithuania: Stricter sanctions on Russians, Belarusians proposed

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has proposed expanding national sanctions against Russian and Belarusian citizens, BNS reports. Under the proposed draft legislation, Russian and Belarusian individuals and organisations would be barred from public cultural or sports events in Lithuania if they have operated in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, directly or indirectly support the war against Ukraine, or…

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Baltic: Farms employ thousands of foreigners yearly

Around 5,000 third‑country nationals come to Estonia every year for seasonal work, mostly on farms, according to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), ERR reports. Most seasonal workers come from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, India, and Georgia. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many seasonal workers came from Belarus as well, but Estonia has since…

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Lithuania: President proposes to restrict migration

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has proposed stricter rules on migration, BNS reports. Under the proposal, labour migrants would be required to leave Lithuania for at least six months after every two years of work. Also, the labour migrant quota would include not only new migrants but also those already in Lithuania. Skirmantas Bikelis, senior research…

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Baltic: Sanctions shutter Russian-owned supermarkets

New EU sanctions have forced the Russian-owned supermarket chain, Mere, to close down its discount stores in Latvia and Lithuania, LETA reports. The EU’s latest package of sanctions against Russia lists the companies operating the Mere chain, and their majority owner, Russian businessman Sergey Shnayder. They were sanctioned for supporting activities that undermine Ukraine’s territorial…

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