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Lithuania seeks tougher sanctions on Russians, Belarusians over Ukraine war

27.07.2026 14:00
Lithuania's Foreign Ministry wants to tighten sanctions on Russian and Belarusian citizens, proposing entry bans, mandatory loyalty declarations and expanded property curbs targeting those linked to Moscow's war in Ukraine.
FILE PHOTO: Smoke and fire rise from burning vehicles at a site of a Russian strike, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in a location given as Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on July 26, 2026.
FILE PHOTO: Smoke and fire rise from burning vehicles at a site of a Russian strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a location given as Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on July 26, 2026. State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv Region/Handout via REUTERS

The draft would require Russians and Belarusians entering Lithuania for cultural, sporting, educational, scientific or artistic purposes to sign a declaration condemning the war and affirming Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Anyone refusing would be denied entry.

Entry would also be barred outright for people or organizations from either country who supported the invasion, operated in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, or backed challenges to Ukraine's sovereignty, as well as those tied to the crackdown on civil society and pro-democracy movements in Russia and Belarus.

On property, the ministry wants to widen existing purchase restrictions near sites of national security or military importance, currently applied to Russian nationals, to also cover Russians and Belarusians who hold Lithuanian residence permits.

The ministry said the changes would give authorities clearer legal grounds for such decisions and help prevent public activities from being used to spread propaganda or distort history.

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Source: Polish Radio