Following the imposition of sanctions on Russian timber, Estonia has seen a surge in heavy timber imports from unexpected countries, where forests are assumed to be scarce, Postimees reports. Henrik Välja, CEO of the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association (EMPL), said that Russian timber continued to flow into Estonia through an illegal scheme whereby…
Lithuania will not veto NATO’s Vilnius summit declaration on Ukraine’s membership even if the text is unsatisfactory, Asta Skaisgiryte, chief foreign policy adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, stated, LRT reports. She emphasised the importance of unity within the defence alliance, noting that efforts were being made to secure the best possible outcome for Ukraine…
The first group of children from the Ukrainian town of Bucha, a scene of Russian war crimes, has arrived in Lithuania’s seaside resort of Palanga for summer vacation, The Baltic Times reports. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and Palanga mayor Sarunas Vaitkus welcomed the children and their accompanying adults. Simonyte wished the children "warm memories,…
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, Rihards Kols (National Alliance), urged member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to designate the Russian private military company, Wagner Group, as a terrorist organisation, LSM reports. Speaking at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Vancouver, Canada,…
The Lithuanian MEP, Viktor Uspaskich, and his former wife, Jolanta Blazyte, are funding a new social media platform and alternative news website, 77.lt, LRT reports. The website, which was launched in April 2023, has attracted users who spread fake news about the coronavirus pandemic, vaccines, and the war in Ukraine. The network operates as part…
The online group of anti-disinformation activists, North Atlantic Fella Organization (NAFO), will hold a “summit” in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, ahead of the upcoming summit of NATO leaders, LRT reports. The community has evolved into an international movement that counters Russian propaganda through sarcasm, ridicule, and witty images. With no clear structure, NAFO operates in a…
Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) has seized business documents of Ukrainian company IC Construction over suspected embezzlement at its Estonian partner, NGO Slava Ukraini, ERR reports, citing Ukrainian news portal Zaxid.net. IC Construction’s office in Lviv was searched on 23 June 2023. CEO Roman Panasyuk said that the company has launched an internal audit….
Lithuanian beer producer Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupe (Kalnapilis-Tauras Group) suffered a loss of EUR 726,000 in 2022, primarily due to the war in Ukraine and other factors, Baltic News Network reports. In 2021, the group made a net profit of EUR 1.6mn. The group’s annual revenue totalled EUR 81mn in 2022, which was up 15% from EUR…
Russia’s Justice Ministry has declared Alexey Gorpinchenko, St Petersburg correspondent for Estonian public broadcaster ERR’s Russian service, a "foreign agent," ERR reports. The ministry accuses Gorpinchenko of "denouncing" Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, disseminating "untruthful" information about the war, and attracting international support. The "foreign agent" designation carries a variety of restrictions and potential fines.