Lithuania’s State Security Department dismisses Russian deportation claims as propaganda

Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) has dismissed recent claims by Russia that the Baltic states are preparing to deport Russian-speaking residents, calling it another propaganda attack by the Kremlin, LRT reports.

In a statement to ELTA, the VSD described the allegations as part of a long-standing Russian disinformation campaign aimed at undermining trust in the democratic foundations of the Baltic states, inciting ethnic divisions, and discrediting their support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Russian propagandists have repeatedly raised the spectre of deportations, the VSD noted. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the number of Russian citizens in the Baltic states who have had their residence permits revoked for various reasons has increased, and Moscow has sought to frame these cases as mass deportations. The VSD views this as part of a broader narrative falsely claiming systematic violations of Russian speakers’ rights in the region.

The VSD also linked the accusations to Russia’s reported plans to file a case against the Baltic states at the UN International Court of Justice over alleged violations of Russian speakers’ rights. Such moves, the department said, are part of a deliberate and systematic effort by Russia’s authoritarian regime to discredit the Baltic states internationally.

Since the start of the invasion, Russia has increasingly attempted to exploit international organisations as tools against the Baltic countries, the VSD stated. This shift follows the Baltic states’ active support for Ukraine, the initiation of pre-trial investigations by law enforcement into Russian war crimes, and the implementation of preventive measures to curb the activities of pro-Russian entities operating in the region.

The claims were originally aired by Grigorijus Lukjancevas, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Multilateral Cooperation Department for Human Rights, who alleged that the Baltic authorities were preparing for mass deportations of Russian speakers. He suggested the move was an attempt to resolve the so-called “Russian question” and address what he described as an unprecedented issue of statelessness in the 21st century.

Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced plans to take the matter to the International Court of Justice, accusing Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia of systematically violating the rights of ethnic Russians, including banning the Russian language, “rewriting history,” and pursuing policies of repression and intimidation.