Lithuania's capital Vilnius takes bold stance against Russia

Diplomacy

Published: 15 Feb. 2023, 16:31

Lithuania's capital Vilnius takes bold stance against Russia

Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius [OFFICE OF THE MAYOR OF VILNIUS]

VILNIUS - The spirit of independence is prevalent in the very structures of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, which has withstood centuries of Russian occupations.

The names of Lithuanians who died fighting for their country’s long-fought freedom are etched on a former KGB building in the city, whose residents still lay fresh flowers daily to a monument by the building dedicated to their freedom fighters.

The locals enjoy weekend concerts at the city’s Philharmonic Society, where thousands gathered in December of 1905 and laid the foundations for the country’s independence. Members of the parliament pass by concrete blockades daily, preserved from the days when the Soviet Union cracked down militarily on Lithuania’s independence movements in 1991.

Today the city appears filled with calls for freedom once again, this time with blue and yellow flags flying high.

“That one on the Subacius viewpoint is quite visible from everywhere and will not come down until peace comes to Ukraine,” says Remigijus Simasius, mayor of Vilnius, referring to the flag of Ukraine placed at a popular site for a panoramic view of the city.

The blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags can be seen across the columns of the presidential palace in Vilnius, the doors of cafes and restaurants, in hotel lobbies as well as on balconies of apartments.

An apartment in Vilnius shows several Ukrainian flags hung across balconies on Feb. 9. [ESTHER CHUNG]

The city has been sending more deliberate messages to Russia recently, like hanging a colossal sign on the city hall that reads, “Putin, the Hague is waiting for you,” or changing the name of the street where the Russian embassy is located to Ukrainian Heroes Street.

“I was asked many times, why I wasn’t afraid of being so bold,” said Simasius, speaking at his office on Feb. 7. “But that’s exactly why we can be bold — because we are neighbors with Russia. We have the historical memories and we know very well how they operate."

The city hall of Vilnius ablaze with the letters, ″Putin, the Hague is waiting for you.″ [OFFICE OF THE MAYOR OF VILNIUS]

The city’s celebrations of its 700th birthday this year have also been largely tied with its support for Ukraine. On the first days of its celebrations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy crowned Vilnius the “rescuer city.”

To hear more about how Vilnius and how its residents have been rooting for Ukraine’s independence, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Simasius at his office. The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

Q. It seems there are more flags of Ukraine visible throughout Vilnius than those of Lithuania.

A. The support in the city for Ukraine has been very, very active. The people of Lithuania were able to crowd-fund some 6 million euros within a week to help Ukraine buy weapons for air defense. We also have quite a number of Ukrainian refugees in the city today, making up almost 5 percent of all citizens of Vilnius. Although we didn’t know this at the time, a year and a half ago, we combined all the services for the expat community provided by different municipalities and institutions and began providing them all under one roof, here at the city government. This now serves the Ukrainian refugees as well.

The presidential palace in Vilnius on Feb. 6. [ESTHER CHUNG]

There is an Instagram post on your account showing you standing before presentation material that indicates Russia and some of its neighboring areas as “Mordor.”

That was a narrative of good vs. evil borrowed from Tolkien, because that is what we think when we see the inhumane behaviors of Russian soldiers. It’s not to say that every person [in Russia] isn’t human, it doesn’t mean we don’t have people [in Russia] who would like to change the system from the inside. [Actually] we think it’s the duty of Russian citizens to change their government. For instance, avoiding military conscription doesn’t mean you are against the war. You have to show it by taking action.

Ten years ago Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych walked away from what was a close deal to have Ukraine begin its process of becoming a member of the European Union. This meeting among the EU leaders took place at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Do you think history could have changed if Ukraine had begun its association procedures then?

There are situations when everything depends on a very small but very particular moment. That was the moment when Yanukovych decided that he didn't want to go in the European direction but rather the Kremlin direction. The palace was exactly the place when he decided not to sign [the agreement]. We will be having another important event in the city in July, the NATO summit. Ukraine will be on the agenda, as well as the Finnish and Swedish bid to join the alliance.

The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. on Feb. 6 [ESTHER CHUNG]

Tell us more about the 700th birthday of Vilnius.

The Grand Duke Gediminas wrote letters to merchants, farmers and workers in neighboring regions to come and settle in today’s Vilnius, one of which was written 700 years ago on Jan. 25. We are very proud of this DNA of the city because the letter shows a long-lasting tradition of ours of being a very open-minded and tolerant state.

You have recently returned from a trip to Taiwan. What do you think lies ahead for cooperation between Vilnius and Taipei?

Our collaboration with cities has been mostly with those in Europe, and then with those that we have traditional, emotional or genetic ties with such as those in Israel, the United States and Canada. Today we are very much looking to the Far East as well. Partners such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan are democracies with huge economic potential, and it is only natural that we would like to have better cooperation.

Lithuanian leaders have been comparatively more vocal in Europe when it comes to their support for Taiwan. Why do you think that’s the case?

Maybe we are a little bit romantic. We would like to support Taiwan’s independence and its democratic existence, and we are a little bit bolder than others. I think 10 or 15 years ago maybe the so-called one-state-two-systems was imaginable, but what happened in Hong Kong brought a completely new perspective.
This causes some issues, of course, with our relations with China. China got very angry about the national policies [of Lithuania] but on the other hand, we were able to win collaborations [with Taiwan] that brings in some good economic benefits for us.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]