Lithuanian man sentenced to prison for damaging Ukrainian flag and targeting Ukrainian-owned car

A court in Lithuania has sentenced a 28-year-old man from Pasvalys district to 90 days in prison for stealing and damaging a Ukrainian flag and vandalising a car with Ukrainian licence plates, LRT reports.

Lukas Vaičekonis was convicted of desecrating a foreign state symbol, inciting hatred against a national group, and public disorder. The Panevėžys District Court combined his sentence with a prior unserved term, ordering him to serve the full 90 days in Šiauliai Prison.

The incident occurred in June 2024 in Panevėžys, where Vaičekonis removed a Ukrainian flag from the Special Investigations Service (STT) building on Vasario 16-osios Street. He later forced the flag through the broken window of a Toyota car bearing Ukrainian registration plates. The vehicle belonged to a Lithuanian man whose Ukrainian wife and children had fled the war and relocated to Panevėžys.

Vaičekonis, a former emigrant himself, admitted during pretrial investigations that his actions were motivated by resentment toward Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania and the country’s support for Ukraine. He claimed Ukrainian refugees received unfair social benefits and undercut local workers by accepting lower wages.

The court partially granted a civil claim from the car’s owner, ordering Vaičekonis to pay €1,400 in material damages, €700 in non-material damages, plus 5% annual interest. An additional €587 was awarded to cover the victim’s legal representation.

In the same case, Vaičekonis’s younger brother, Matas, was sentenced to 11 months of restricted freedom (converted from prior unserved terms) and a €2,400 fine for repeatedly using his brother’s ID to secure employment. Matas Vaičekonis, classified as a repeat offender, was also ordered to undergo alcohol addiction treatment and barred from consuming alcohol or psychoactive substances.

Both sentences may be appealed to the Panevėžys Regional Court.