Lithuania plans tougher restrictions on pro-Kremlin Russian and Belarusian nationals, including bans on public activities and tighter limits on buying property near sensitive sites, citing national security and anti-propaganda concerns.
Lithuania is proposing to tighten restrictions on Russian and Belarusian nationals by barring pro-Kremlin figures from carrying out public activities in the Baltic country and further limiting their ability to acquire property near strategically important sites.
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The measures (link in Lithuanian) put forward by the Foreign ministry as amendments to Lithuania's Law on Restrictive Measures in Response to Military Aggression against Ukraine, would prohibit individuals and legal entities from Russia and Belarus from conducting public activities in the fields of education, science, culture, sport, the arts and entertainment if they have supported Russia's war against Ukraine, worked in occupied Ukrainian territories, backed repression in Russia or Belarus, or refuse to sign a declaration condemning Moscow's invasion.
According to the ministry, the changes are intended to prevent Moscow and Minsk from using cultural, educational and sporting activities as instruments of "soft power" to spread propaganda and influence public opinion.
"Establishing these restrictions would prevent situations where cooperation in the fields of education, science and studies, culture, art, and entertainment could be exploited to foster a favorable view of ongoing aggression, disseminate the ideology of aggressor states, and legitimize the politicized and manipulative activities of the Kremlin and Minsk regimes,” the Foreign ministry spokesperson told Euronews. The measures would also "enhance the resilience of Lithuanian society against information threats," the spokesperson added.
The ministry says the legislation would provide authorities with a clearer legal basis for taking consistent decisions based on objective criteria rather than ad hoc assessments.
The proposals also tighten existing restrictions on property ownership. Under current Lithuanian law, Russian citizens without a permanent or temporary residence permit are already barred from purchasing real estate. The amendments would extend the restrictions to Russian citizens who do hold residence permits, but only for properties located near facilities deemed critical to national security or close to military training areas. The same restrictions would apply to Belarusian citizens.
According to Vilnius, the objective is to “significantly” reduce the risk that property near sensitive sites could be used for intelligence gathering, surveillance or other hostile activities.
Lithuania would thus join several neighbouring countries that have introduced similar restrictions.
Estonia already restricts third-country nationals, including Russians and Belarusians, from acquiring property in certain areas important for national security. Latvia has adopted a prohibition on Russian and Belarusian citizens purchasing real estate anywhere in the country, while Finland has, since 2025, prohibited Russian and Belarusian citizens from obtaining permission to acquire property.
If approved by Lithuania's parliament, the Seimas, and signed by President Gitanas Nausėda, the amendments would enter into force on 1 January 2027.