Russia has announced plans to take the Baltic states to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing them of discriminating against ethnic Russians. Last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry commissioned a Moscow-based law firm to prepare the case, assisted by prominent Russian propagandists described as "Baltic experts" with ties to Russia's security services.
"The Russian community in Lithuania is very diverse, but probably the last thing Russians in Lithuania would want is for Russia to defend their interests, because it is Russia that has created the greatest problems for us," said Pavel Lavrinec, an associate professor at Vilnius University's Department of Slavic Studies.
However, the Kremlin appears to pay little attention to the views of Russians living in Lithuania. On the contrary, it has devoted increasing attention and resources to what it describes as defending the rights of Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltic states.
Last week, when presenting a joint report with Belarus on the human rights situation in selected countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that the Baltic states were openly preparing to deport Russian-speaking residents.
"Apparently, they hope finally to resolve the 'Russian question' and the unprecedented problem, especially in the 21st century, of mass statelessness in their territories," a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
