On Tuesday in Vilnius, the Seimas of Lithuania approved a special law providing for national sanctions of Lithuania against citizens of Russia and Belarus due to the war in Ukraine, Bns.lt reports.

The bill is entitled "On restrictive measures in connection with military aggression against Ukraine."

The law is scheduled to enter into force on May 3, 2023 and expire on May 2 next year.

76 deputies of the Seimas voted for the draft law on the introduction of restrictive measures in connection with military aggression against Ukraine, 13 were against, and 34 abstained.

According to the draft law, it was decided to limit the opportunities for Russians and Belarusians to obtain Lithuanian visas, import Ukrainian hryvnias, come to Lithuania for citizens of Russia, purchase real estate, and their applications for issuing residence permits in Lithuania will not be accepted until May 3 next year.

At the stage of adoption of amendments, the proposal to temporarily not accept Russian and Belarusian applications for Lithuanian citizenship was rejected.

This bill was submitted to the Seimas by the Lithuanian government.

He proposed to transfer into law the restrictions on issuing visas to citizens of Russia and Belarus, as well as the entry of Russian citizens, established in the decree on the state of emergency.

According to the adopted law, the acceptance of visa applications of citizens of Russia and Belarus is suspended, with the exception of cases when the visa application form is submitted through the mediation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.

Also, until the middle of April next year, Russian citizens will not be accepted for the issuance of a temporary residence permit in Lithuania.

The exception will apply to those who have intermediaries in the form of institutions authorized by the Lithuanian government, or those who have a Schengen visa, a national visa or a residence permit in an EU country.

This restriction will not apply to citizens of Belarus.

Deputy Jonas Jarutis called on Belarusians to cross out, because, according to him, it will cause quite serious difficulties for Lithuanian transport companies with the hiring of citizens of this country as drivers.

As in the emergency decree, the law provides for individual additional close control of Russian citizens when crossing the external border of the EU.

They will continue to be assessed for threats to national security, public order, public health or international relations.

This provision will not apply to Russians who have residence permits in EU countries, Schengen or long-term national visas of EU countries, those traveling in transit to and from Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian diplomats.

The adopted law stipulates that Russian citizens and companies founded or managed by them will not be able to purchase real estate in Lithuania, unless they have a residence permit in Lithuania or have inherited this property.

Exemptions will affect only Russians who have a permanent residence permit or acquire real estate in the country by way of inheritance.

The aforementioned ban will not apply to Belarusians.

Restrictions related to the provision of the status of electronic resident are foreseen - after the adoption of amendments to the law, the action of electronic identification and electronic signature of citizens of Russia and Belarus will be canceled.

Exceptions will apply only to persons who have a permanent residence permit in Lithuania.

The Chairman of the Seimas of National Security and Defense

and the Minister of Internal Affairs

proposed to temporarily deny Russians and Belarusians citizenship of Lithuania, but the majority of parliamentarians did not agree and this sanction was rejected.

Since the bill provides for different sanctions for citizens of Russia and Belarus, the president's chief adviser on national security issues, Kestutis Budris, told LRT TV on Sunday that President Gitanas Nauseda could veto such a law.

The term of these restrictive measures is one year from the date of entry into force of the law, from May 3, 2023 to May 2, 2024.

However, the government will have the right to extend the terms if there is a need for such a decision.

Russia's war against Ukraine

• At 5:00 a.m. on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation against Ukraine in the Donbass at the request of the "DPR" and "LPR" groups.

  On February 21, during a televised address to Russians, Putin called the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" independent states within the regions.

  On February 22, the Federation Council ratified this decision.

• Russian troops attacked, including from the territory of Belarus, using airfields, bases and roads.

  Representatives of Lukashenka's regime justify the war, his opponents consider the territory of Belarus to be occupied, many call for resistance to the Russian invaders.

• In 2022, 19 Belarusians were killed in Ukraine fighting for its independence.

  It is known about two Belarusian soldiers who were captured by the Russians.

• On March 30, the UN approved the composition of an independent commission that will investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

  It included people who worked in the analysis of the genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Contrary to Putin's statements about attacks only on military facilities, the Russians are bombing schools, kindergartens and residential areas of Ukrainian cities.

  The Russians are using banned weapons, including cluster bombs, against civilians.

• On April 2, after the liberation of the town of Bucha near Kyiv, photojournalists published dozens of photographs showing hundreds of dead people, victims of mass murders committed by Russian troops.

  Many are buried in spontaneous mass graves.

  The Russian occupation also brought great destruction to the people of Barodyan.

  It is also known about a number of rapes, including babies.

• On May 9, the US President signed the Land Leasing Law.

  This law restores the program from the Second World War, which will speed up the supply of weapons to Ukraine and increase the amount of such assistance.

• On July 29, as a result of an attack on the colony in Alenivka, at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners who defended the "Azovstal" plant in Mariupol and surrendered after completing their combat mission were killed.

  The Russians accused Ukraine of the attack, the Ukrainian side declared the deliberate killing of prisoners by the Russian side.

  The Russian occupation authorities prevented the UN and Red Cross missions from entering Alenavka.

• During the six months of the war, Russia was able to occupy about 20% of the Ukrainian territory.

  In March, the area of ​​occupied land reached 30%.

  However, at the end of the month, Russian troops retreated from the north of Ukraine, as well as from most of the Kharkiv region.

  At the end of August, Crimea, Luhansk and Kherson regions were completely occupied.

  And also 50% of the territory of the Donetsk region, about 70% of the Zaporizhia region, approximately 30% of the Kharkiv region.

• Since February 24, Russia has captured only one regional center - Kherson.

  Russian troops retreated from it and from the right-bank part of the Kherson region in November 2022.

  The city was occupied by Russian troops in the first days of the war without actually fighting.

  Kyiv suspects part of the former leadership of Kherson and the region of treason.

  The former head of the SBU of the Kharkiv region was also detained on such suspicion.

• In September, Ukrainian troops launched a large-scale counteroffensive, as a result of which Russian forces began to rapidly flee from their positions in the Kharkiv region.

• On September 21, Putin announced the mobilization in Russia.

  After this statement, thousands of Russians went to the border crossings and began to leave for Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Mongolia, Finland and other countries.

  In Russia itself, opponents of the war set fire to several military units.

  Even people without military experience began to be conscripted into the army, despite promises that only experienced ones would go to war.

  The mobilization of men into the Russian army also takes place in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

• On October 2, Putin submitted a bill to the Russian parliament, which is an attempt to annex parts of four regions of Ukraine.

  Two new republics - "LPR" and "DNR" - and two regions - Zaporizhia and Kherson will be part of Russia.

  But thanks to the counteroffensive of the Ukrainians, the borders drawn in Moscow are not fully controlled by the occupying forces.

• In October, Ukrainian troops successfully continued their counteroffensive, at the beginning of October they liberated Liman and Yampal, as well as significantly approached Svatov in the Luhansk region, and from there the way to Severodanetsk and Lysichansk opens.

• On the morning of October 10, the Russians began intensive shelling of Ukrainian territory, including the center of Kyiv.

  Rockets also reached Lviv, depriving the city of electricity.

  Since then, Russia has carried out about 10 missile attacks on infrastructure facilities and other civilian targets on the territory of Ukraine.

• On October 10, Lukashenka held a meeting with the Security Council and announced the deployment of a joint grouping of troops with Putin.

• On the evening of November 15, Russia fired 100 missiles across the territory of Ukraine, primarily at energy facilities, and in Poland, two missiles fell in the village of Przewodau, 6 km from the border with Ukraine, killing two people.

  The Polish authorities summoned the Russian ambassador for explanations.

  Then it turned out that this was probably the result of the work of the Ukrainian Air Force, which shot down a Russian missile.

• In November, with the onset of cold weather, Russia intensified its missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

  As a result, many Ukrainian cities and part of Moldova were left without electricity and water.

  Ukraine called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

• On January 1, 2023, the Department of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the death of almost 400 Russians during the attack on the building of the Polytechnic School No. 19 in Makeyevka.

  Russian soldiers were there and mobilized.

  The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation recognized 89 killed.

• On January 14, 2023, as a result of another shelling, a Russian missile hit a high-rise building in the city of Dnipro, killing and injuring dozens of people.

  The rescue operation to find the bodies stretched for several days.

• In February, they take place for Bakhmut, Kramyannaya, Svatava.

  However, US intelligence noted that the Russians do not have enough potential for a full-scale offensive, and the British Ministry of Defense said that the Russians suffered the biggest losses in the year in the first half of February.

• On March 25, Putin noted that the construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons will be completed in Belarus on July 1.

• Independent verification of information about military actions provided by officials of various parties is still impossible.