Lithuania to strip residence permits of Russian, Belarusian citizens who frequently travel back home
Lithuania to strip residence permits of Russian citizens who frequently travel to Russia, Belarus
They already stripped and/or barred Russians from becoming citizens a few years back, so this kind of follows that trajectory.
The argument from Lithuania as I understand it that purging Russians reduces the 'protecting Russians abroad' narrative from Putin. Though it does mean one less place where Russians who oppose Putin can go while also displacing potentially thousands of Russians into Putin's other narrative that western/NATO powers are out to get them.
Hope this maneuver pays off, I guess.
Bravo Lithuania! The rest of the EU and ECC should do the same until Russia somehow becomes a normal country.
I dunno chat, as a Lithuanian (as if it matters) this feels like a bit of an over reach in a war on terror in US type of way. This isn't the only law that explicitly targets Russians/Belarussians as a security threat that has been enacted.
These people are often just nationals, citizens of their country and not automatically foreign agents. If they were here doing espionage, they would report back using encrypted channels on the internet which is much cheaper than traveling back and forth. If they were smuggling tools for terrorism like bombs, it's much easier to smuggle them over the border or even obtain them locally than having the foreign agent themselves smuggle.
I can't help but view it as discriminatory in a similar way how Muslim and Arab populations were treated post-9/11, it just doesn't make much sense unless I'm missing something.
Same. I’m in western europe, I have a couple friends who are Russian and oppose the invasion.
The male ones haven’t gone back to see their family because they fear conscription.
Those who can go back to see family are super cautious and scared because they don’t wanna be sent to gulag.
It’d be a shame if they got another barrier to going home they had to worry about.
Much cheaper, but not more secure.
Excluding that, if my country had started a territorial way of aggression, and I was now living in a country that's been threatened by said country in the recent past as well, I wouldn't be traveling back, let alone often.
Combined with actual continual examples of Russians not only spying but carrying out assassinations in foreign countries (like the UK) and sabotaging infrastructure almost every month, and if anything, this is pretty light retaliation.
You personally wouldn't travel back and forth, but this doesn't necessarily apply to everyone - there were and still are a decent amount of Russian nationals working/living here with their families, distant or otherwise, still living back home in Russia/Belarus. No matter your nationality, you might want to go back to your home country and visit your family. What if there's an emergency/funeral you have to attend after visiting? It might not be a valid reason to go back (given how vague the articles are), and you might lose your residence because of it. It's only one example of course, but there definitely are more scenarios like this one.
Also, reading one of the news articles, counter-terrorism prevention isn't even mentioned once, and it wouldn't make sense given how I already outlined how it would be easier to get tools for terrorism locally, much safely too given how you don't have to go through security that scrutinizes you more due to war-time, not to mention it doesn't prevent terrorism from foreign agents who don't own a residence here. If anything, the article mentions how these methods are there to further sanction Russia, to show solidarity to Ukraine and "limit specific Russian/Belarusian citizen rights".
The fanatic Russophobia and scaremongering is rampant.
Don't expect people to be reasonable.
Ah yes. The country with a main channel having a programme that openly discusses nuking countries. With Meidviedev openly calling for annexation of baltic states. Beliteling other countries.
Country that occupied a lot of Europe and denied independence
Country that invaded Georgia.
Country that annexed Crimea.
Country that genocides Ukraine.
Russophobia came out of nowhere.
russia. The country that did nothing wrong.
This is pretty clearly a massive violation of the UN human rights convention.
At least one member of the EU has balls.
As a lithuanian: woo! Yeah! That's what we're talking about, that's what it's all about! Woo! 🇱🇹🇱🇹🇱🇹
Cartoon villain shit
Cartoon villain shit is russia not paying pensioners in baltic countries their hard-earned pensionst and blaming the baltic states for that and using that to justify genocide, invasion, torture, rape, theft and murder.
Nice bait
Russia fucking with the whole world out of an inferiority complex fuelled envy? Then yes.
Does taking out your anger on random civilians help?
As of May 3, citizens travelling back to Russia and Belarus must have documented a valid reason for additional trips within the three month timeframe.
"Well you shouldve thought of your cousins wedding before going to your nephews birthday"
Like imagine being able to visit your own country 4 times a year and every other visit can be denied by some disgruntled bureaucrat who doesn't think visiting a wedding is a valid reason.
Genuinely how does this help anyone except just hurt russians. Reeks of russophobic "cruelty is the point".
Fuck off and go live in your shit-fest if you dont like it.