Lithuania removes Russia-glorifying textbook from circulation – minister

VILNIUS – A Russian language textbook portraying Russia as an attractive democratic state and inviting Lithuanian high-school students to visit Crimea has been withdrawn from circulation and schools have been informed that it cannot be used for teaching, Education, Science and Sport Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene said on Thursday. 

Siugzdiniene was speaking to reporters after a meeting with textbook publishers.

"We have agreed that the publishers will review all the textbooks they publish within two weeks so that there are no situations like the one we have with the Russian language textbook," the minister said.  

"The Russian textbook has been withdrawn from circulation and from all systems, and a letter has been sent to schools to inform them that this textbook cannot be used. It has also been removed from the archives," she added.  

According to the minister, other Russian textbooks will also be reviewed.

"These are places that glorify Russia and are totally unacceptable in the context of the brutal war," she said.

LRT Radio has reported recently that textbooks used to teach Russian as a foreign language invite 6-12 graders to travel around Russia and visit the annexed Crimean peninsula, and present the country, which continues its war against Ukraine, as an attractive democratic country.

The publishers of the Russian language textbooks say they removed them from sale after Russia invaded Ukraine. 

This year, over 110,000 students, or 75 percent of all 6-12 graders, in Lithuania chose Russian as their second foreign language.