Lithuania to Throw Out Russian Ambassador, Close Consulate over Alleged War Crimes

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) – Lithuania on Monday announced that it will expel Russia’s ambassador and recall its envoy in Moscow in reaction to increasing signs that Russian forces may have committed war crimes in Ukraine.

The Baltic country also decided to close a Russian consulate in the port city of Klaipeda.

“Lithuania strongly condemned the atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces in occupied Ukrainian cities, including the brutal massacres in Bucha. All war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine will not be forgotten,” Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement on Monday.

AP reports the Kremlin’s spokesman said Ukrainian claims Russian troops had killed civilians outside Kyiv can’t be trusted, and Russia’s Defence Ministry accused Ukrainian authorities of stage-managing what it described as a “provocation” to smear Russia. https://t.co/6UPCD1Zc0C

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 4, 2022

He added that Lithuania’s ambassador to Ukraine was returning to Kyiv and that Lithuania’s European Union and NATO partners have been informed of its decision to expel the Russian ambassador and he called on them to do the same.

In neighbouring Latvia, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that Riga will narrow diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, according to the Baltic News Service. No decision was made regarding reducing the ties.

With Russian forces having pulled back from their northern positions near Kyiv after encountering fierce resistance, counter-attacking Ukrainians and photo-journalists have encountered scenes of devastation https://t.co/OapB2GdGTH

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