Russian propaganda targeted Lithuania’s nuclear weapons debate

Russian propaganda focused in July on discussions about removing Lithuania’s constitutional ban on deploying nuclear weapons, LRT reported, citing analysts from the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

Kremlin officials threatened Lithuania and claimed that deploying nuclear weapons on NATO’s eastern flank would force Russia to respond with conventional means.

Russian propagandists sought to frighten Lithuanian society by claiming that such decisions would bring the Baltic states closer to a third world war and that Lithuania could suffer the same fate as Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that deploying nuclear weapons in Lithuania would reduce the country’s security and force Russia to take retaliatory measures.

The military analysts said Russia could continue keeping the nuclear weapons issue in the spotlight, fuelling dissatisfaction in Lithuanian society and disrupting defence policy decision making.

In early July, Lithuania’s parliament began considering a proposal to remove from the Constitution the provision concerning the deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania. Article 137 currently states that weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases may not be located on Lithuanian territory.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces also said they were monitoring an ongoing hostile information campaign alleging that NATO countries were actively involved in organising and carrying out Ukrainian drone attacks. Drone strikes by Ukraine against targets in the Leningrad region have prompted hostile messages claiming that Kyiv had been given access to the airspace or military infrastructure of the Baltic states.

The military said the Kremlin was likely seeking to convince its domestic audience that Russia was at war with NATO and thereby justify its inability to defend itself against Ukrainian drone attacks. Lithuania’s top politicians have repeatedly stressed that the country does not provide its airspace to drones from other countries.

Last week, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said Russia was considering attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region using Ukrainian drones.

Russian information channels also focused in July on the NATO summit in Ankara. Their messages portrayed the alliance as aggressive and claimed that its aim was to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. The propaganda sought to suggest that NATO was continuing its militarisation and escalating the situation.

In the context of the summit, Russian propaganda claimed that support for Ukraine was dividing NATO and that Western societies were no longer interested in financially supporting Kyiv.

Russia also continued its routine messaging about alleged discrimination against Russian speakers in the Baltic states. Lithuania was accused of pursuing Russophobic policies and seeking to politicise sport and culture.