Many Belarusians and Russians living in Lithuania have started a petition which urges the government to grant them Lithuanian citizenship. They claim that they meet all the criteria, and some of them even say they should have been granted Lithuanian citizenship two years ago.
However, a member of the National Security and Defense Committee advises the opposite. According to Arvydas Anusauskas, the government should refrain from granting citizenship to Russians and Belarusians, Schengen.News reports.
Data from the Migration Department reveals that nearly 62,000 Belarussians and 15,000 Russians live in Lithuania.
“It’s Strange to Live in Lithuania With Another Citizenship”, Belarusian National Applying for Lithuanian Citizenship Says
Jevhenijs Šapovalovas, a Belarusian citizen who has been living in Lithuania since he was one, is trying to obtain citizenship. He says that he grew up in Lithuania, finished school, and plans to graduate college to start working in the country later. He applied for Lithuanian citizenship one year ago, while his mom did so in 2022.
It’s strange to live in Lithuania with another citizenship when you are basically so connected to that country; I don’t plan to travel anywhere, I plan to continue living here, and I should probably live in Lithuania with Lithuanian citizenship, I don’t see any reason for me to stay with Belarusian citizenship.
On the other hand, the Lithuanian politician Anusauskas argues that foreign residents, except for voting, have equal rights to citizens.
However, Viktoras Vorontsovas, a businessman who has obtained citizenship and has lived in the country for twenty years now, points out that people actually come to Lithuania because they do not want anything to do with their countries, for example, Russia and Belarus.
Well, I’m very sorry, but people were checked by the VSD seven times, and we don’t give citizenship to those people who have integrated into society, but we invite people from Central Asia; how can we check those people.
Netizens Strongly Object Lithuanian Government Approach Against Granting Russians & Belarusians Citizenship
Many people, foreigners as well as native-borns, took to Reddit to express their opinions about the current situation of the government not granting citizenship.
A commenter said that the majority of Belarusians who come to Lithuania do not want anything to do with their country, and many of them might even be exposed to danger if they return.
If we think logically – what people were seeking Lithuanian citizenship? Spies? Vatniks? No, it was the opposite – people who hate everything about Belarus and want nothing to do with it. And now, once their permits expire, we’ll send them back to the old dictator? I’m sure he’ll be glad to see them, maybe even arrange a few prison cells.
Another one, who claims to be a Russian-born citizen with Lithuanian citizenship, in a now-deleted comment, pointed out that the new law will not affect those who support the regime, indicating that those in vulnerable states are more likely to be impacted by the measure.
As a Russian who’s now living in Lithuania and who’s been against Putin since 2012, I find this new law a little bit sad. I can no longer consider having a mortgage and think of the possibility of staying here for a lifetime as a future citizen. The saddest part is that it won’t do anything against those who support Putin; they either already have European citizenship and real estate or won’t go outside of Russia.
According to Statistics Lithuania, 194,881 foreigners were holding temporary residence permits in 2023. Another 19,604 were holders of permanent residence permits, while 7,3463 were EU citizens and their family members.