Lithuania’s parliament has voted to extend and further tighten sanctions on Russian and Belarusian nationals for another year, introducing new travel-based restrictions for Russians residing in the country.

Under the new rules, Russian nationals holding residence permits in Lithuania will lose their legal status if they travel to Russia or Belarus more than once within three months — unless they have a valid and objective reason for the trips, Caliber.Az reports, referencing foreign media sources.

The same restrictions, however, will not apply to Belarusian nationals. A proposal to enforce identical measures on Belarusians was rejected during parliamentary debate. Some lawmakers argued that the scale of the issue involving Belarusian citizens did not warrant such steps.

“Let me point out that the number of Belarusian citizens living and working in Lithuania is steadily declining, so again, the scale of the problem isn’t so great that it couldn’t be dealt with by other means,” said Liberal MP Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen.

During the final vote, parliamentarians approved the measure solely for Russian citizens.

Opposition leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas, from the Homeland Union, said the security risk remains significant due to the tactics used by both Moscow and Minsk.

“We have really become a haven for Belarusian democrats, and we can be proud of that, but unfortunately, the processes have already taken a different shape,” Kasčiūnas said. He added that both regimes could use their citizens for espionage or influence operations, posing a counterintelligence threat to Lithuania.

Lithuania’s intelligence services have echoed these concerns, urging stricter controls on Belarusians and warning that authorities are not equipped to properly screen all new arrivals.

In 2023, Lithuania adopted legislation halting the issuance of national and Schengen visas to Russian and Belarusian citizens, though exceptions exist, including for applications facilitated by the Foreign Ministry.

The new sanctions build on earlier measures imposed following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lithuanian border authorities have also introduced enhanced individual screenings for Russians crossing into the country, citing national security, public order, and foreign policy concerns.

In March 2025, three MPs from the Homeland Union—Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Audronius Ažubalis, and Valdas Rakutis—put forward proposals to revoke residence permits for Russian and Belarusian nationals who frequently return to their home countries.

By Tamilla Hasanova

Source: caliber.az