Lithuania culture minister calls for systematic shift away from Russian language

VILNIUS - Lithuania's culture minister on Thursday called for a systematic approach to phasing Russian out of public administration as Vilnius moves to stop accepting written requests and complaints in the language, saying the policy should take into account the needs of national minorities and Ukrainian refugees.

"The most important thing is that in government institutions and municipalities, we communicate in the state language. (...) Traces of Russian influence in place names, street signs and elsewhere are disappearing. Regarding the withdrawal of the language itself, it should be systematic," Alsys told Ziniu Radijas on Thursday.

The minister emphasised that Vilnius is home to many national minorities for whom Russian remains a primary language of communication, as well as Ukrainians who may currently find it easier to communicate in Russian.

Alsys said he was confident that the municipality had assessed these risks when making its decision, adding that Russian should generally not be used in government institutions.

"We are a Western, democratic European Union state where we have a state language and other European Union languages, such as English and French," he said.

Vilnius city municipality announced last week that it would no longer accept written applications and complaints in Russian. Information in Russian and other non-European Union languages will only be provided orally if a specific employee speaks the language.

The Russian language has also been removed from the municipal website and administrative queue management systems. Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said the decision was part of a consistent municipal policy.

The municipality also announced last week that it was expanding Lithuanian language learning opportunities for foreign residents. More than 1,000 people are expected to participate in free courses and remote training this year, supported by an additional 300,000 euros in funding.

Furthermore, language clubs will launch at various locations across the city this autumn. By the end of the year, foreigners living in Vilnius are expected to have access to a dedicated platform for independent Lithuanian language study.