THE BRIDGE OF SPIES

As silence shrouds the unprecedented spy swap between Lithuania and Russia conducted earlier this month, the Norwegian freed in the exchange didn’t shy away from the spotlight. Frode Berg inadvertently revealed the location of the swap – on the border with Kaliningrad, which may have been on a bridge over the Nemunas River – and also  detailed his ordeal   in Russia and the road to freedom via Lithuania.

Berg has also revealed he is now writing a book.

Meanwhile,  silence   on the Lithuanian side, critics say, could be an attempt to hide state failures to provide for the families of the men sentenced in Russia. One of those speaking out is Lithuania’s former prime minister, Algirdas Butkevičius.

HAS ANYONE SEEN NATO?

French President Emmanuel Macron’s words sent tremors across NATO, but also found a recipient in Estonia’s conservative EKRE party. Its chairman and the country’s interior minister, Mart Helme,  said   in an explosive interview that Estonia was preparing a “plan B” to NATO together with the other Baltic states.

Almost everyone across the Estonian political spectrum condemned his statements, and denied a plan has ever been considered. Helme later said his words were misinterpreted.

ALL QUIET ON THE EASTERN FRONT

Despite NATO’s political bickering, people in the Baltics feel safe, a new survey  shows  . Lithuania also displayed the highest sense of national security.

MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS

A new banking scandal is  brewing in the Baltics,   as the Swedish public broadcaster is due to release an investigation alleging that SEB bank was involved in money laundering.

Before the news of  SEB shares sliding   15 percent could settle, another Swedish bank operating in the Baltic states was hit by yet another scandal – this time, it’s about connections with Russian weapons industry. Documentary by the Swedish public broadcaster, SVT,  here  .

MORE MONEY, LESS PROBLEMS

Meanwhile, Maxima supermarket chain owner tops Lithuania’s  rich list   with an estimated wealth of €1.1 billion. Nerijus Numavičius, the majority shareholder of Vilniaus Prekyba (VP), now lives in London and is mostly engaged in retail trade and real estate.

THE BROWN NOTE

On the flipside, a tenth of Lithuanians make do  without a flush toilet  , while only Bulgarians and Romanians have less comforting time alone in the EU.

During the World Toilet Day on November 19, Eurostat revealed that 27.7 percent of the population in Romania, 15.3 percent in Bulgaria, and 10.6 percent in Lithuania, have no access to an indoor flushing toilet.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP IN LITHUANIA

Despite a referendum on dual citizenship failing back in May, head of the Lithuanian World Community Dalia Henke  called on the country’s Constitutional Court   to change its position.

Almost a million people supported expanding dual citizenship during the referendum, which represents “a strong mandate” for the president, parliament members and the Constitutional Court, she said.

DECADE-OLD CONTROVERSY RETURNS TO LITHUANIA

The saga of Neringa Venckienė, a former member of the Lithuanian parliament and judge recently extradited from the United States,  began   on October 5, 2009

Venckienė is charged with refusing to obey a court order, resisting a police officer, hindering a bailiff, and hitting Laimutė Stankūnaitė, the mother of her niece. On November 19, Venckienė was released on a 10,000-euro bail. Latest  here  .

REBURIAL OF 1863 UPRISING PARTICIPANTS

The reburial of 1863 uprising participants is due to take place on November 22, which will see the  Polish   and Lithuanian presidents attending. Belarus, however, is staying humble by  sending   Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko.

The 1863 uprising   against Tsarist Russia swept territories across present-day Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. Only recently, some of the participants and leaders of the rebellion in Vilnius were found buried on Gediminas Hill.

On Friday, LRT English will bring you live streams via our  Facebook page.

CHINA SUBVERTING MEDIA IN THE BALTICS

China is successfully meddling   in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Baltics, by using content-sharing strategies, as well as outright acquisition of outlets that could spread a positive image of Beijing and attack democracy movements in Hong Kong.

In Lithuania, Chinese ambassador’s highly ideologically-flavoured op-eds were published in several print outlets, a strategy that was repeated across Eastern and Central Europe.

EDITOR’S PICKS:

Here are some weekend reads you may have missed:

As  Baltic refugees  moved West, they brought along their institutions – including,  the Baltic University.

Justė Jocytė is turning 14 this month, but she is already being  crowned   the  supertalent of Lithuanian basketball.  She recently scored her first points playing for the women’s national basketball team.

LRT.LT