On March 11, 1990, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare its independence.
Almost two years before the dissolution of the USSR, the largest and southernmost Baltic state opened the way for other countries that had lived for half a century in Moscow's orbit.
After resisting an economic blockade and then foiling an attempted coup d'état orchestrated by the Soviet army in January 1991, the young Lithuanian democracy attempted to free itself at all costs from Russian influence by rediscovering its own history and its own culture.
But in recent years, the country has once again been a favored target for Vladimir Putin, who considers the disappearance of the Soviet Union to be a historical tragedy and judges that Russian minorities living in the Baltic States are oppressed.
The conflict in Ukraine and then the Russian invasion only worsened already tense relations.
Also read: For linguist Patrick Sériot, “Vladimir Putin makes fun of the fate of Russian speakers in Ukraine”
Feeling threatened themselves, the Baltic countries and Poland, members of the European Union and NATO, have firmly supported kyiv for two years.
On the other hand, Russia seeks to undermine this support through disinformation campaigns.
The Kremlin also tried to intimidate dozens of Baltic officials.
In February, Russian authorities notably placed Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on a wanted list.
Moscow accuses them of having authorized the dismantling of monuments to Soviet soldiers dating from the Second World War, which the Kremlin considers an "insult to history".
A look back at the issues at stake in this cultural battle between Moscow and the Baltic States with Minister Simonas Kairys.
France 24: What historical narrative is Russia trying to impose in Lithuania?
Simonas Kairys:
Russia is still in “imperialist” mode.
My inclusion on their wanted list shows that they think and act with the conviction that countries formerly part of the Soviet Union - sovereign, independent countries like Lithuania - are still part of Russia.
Russia has its own legal system, which - from its point of view - applies in free countries [in the Russian criminal code, "destroying monuments to Soviet soldiers" is an act punishable by a sentence of five years 'imprisonment].
The way they interpret the current situation in the world is absurd and unbelievable.
Read alsoBaltic officials wanted by Moscow, symbol of the reaffirmation of “a Russian world”
If they say, for example, that they are "protecting" objects of Soviet heritage in a foreign country like Lithuania, they are spreading their belief that this country is not free.
But we are not slaves, and we are taking this opportunity to speak out and say that Russia is promoting an incorrect version of history.
Why is countering Russian disinformation essential to Lithuania’s national security?
This is not important for Lithuania but for the EU, for Europe and for the whole free world.
The war in Ukraine is taking place just a few hours from France.
Culture, heritage [and] historical memory are also battlefields.
Adding me to their wanted list is just one example.
When we see how Russia falsifies not only history but also all information, it is important to speak out loud and clear.
Lithuania has achieved a lot in this area, as have Ukraine and France.
When Paris assumed the [rotating six-month] presidency of the EU [early 2022], we made several joint declarations.
We signed a sixth package of sanctions against Russia and designated six Russian television channels to be blocked in the EU - this was the first step in considering information as a weapon.
In other words, Russia uses information to convince its society and influence public opinion in other European countries.
Our foreign partners often ask us on what criteria Russian information can be considered disinformation.
Today, it is very important to emphasize that any information - whether television broadcasts, news or other television productions - coming from Russia is automatically considered disinformation, propaganda and “fake news”.
We must understand that there is no truth in what Russia is trying to say.
This fight against disinformation is crucial because we are in a phase of great progress in technology and artificial intelligence.
We must ensure that our societies are prepared, able to think critically and understand what is happening in the world today.
Olympic and world champion Ruta Meilutyte swims across a pond colored red to signify blood, in front of the Russian Embassy in Vilnius, April 6, 2022. © Andrius Repsys, AP
To borrow an expression from the Czech writer Milan Kundera, would you say that Lithuania was "kidnapped from the West" when it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940?
In the Middle Ages, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
We were the same country as Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.
We were looking to the West and not to the East.
In much older times, at the time of Kievan Rus' [East Slavic principality which existed from the mid-9th to the mid-13th century] Moscow did not even exist;
there were only swamps and nothing else.
But with Russia's [growing] imperialism, they began to portray history in a different way.
However, our memory is like our DNA, our freedom and our evolution are rooted.
The eastern flank of the EU currently embodies the values of Western civilization much more forcefully than in the past.
Also read: Closure of the Finnish border: “The Russian propaganda machine wants to create anxiety”
[During the Cold War], not only was our freedom taken away, but Russia tried to erase our history to paint a picture that began when Russian imperialism entered our territory.
But we remember what happened in the Middle Ages;
we remember how the modern Lithuanian state was born after the First World War and how we regained our freedom in 1990. It is impossible to erase this memory and label Lithuania as a country that is not free.
Once you breathe freedom, you never forget it.
This is why we understand Ukrainians and are so active in defending not only the territory of Ukraine, but also the values of Western civilization.
How did the war in Ukraine influence the Lithuanian way of life and culture
?
We increasingly understand that culture plays an important role in this war.
We can clearly see in Vladimir Putin's statements that it is obvious that culture, heritage and historical memory are being used as a pretext to justify the war that Russia is waging in Ukraine at the moment.
[To justify the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin insisted that Russians and Ukrainians are one people and that their union is a historical inevitability].
Important collaborations are being established with Ukrainian culture and artists.
It is important to give them a platform - so that everyone sees that Ukraine is not defeated, that Ukraine is still fighting, that Ukraine will win, that we will help it.
The best response to an abuser is to continue living your life, with all its traditions, habits and cultural heritage.
This fight is also that of our way of life.
The situation is not such that we must stop living and only think about weapons and defense systems - we must live, work, create, continue to undertake and lead a cultural life.
Article translated from English by Grégoire Sauvage. The original can be found here.
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