DISINFO: Lithuanian authorities criticise the Belarusian NPP to divert public attention from the catastrophic state of economy
SUMMARY
The Lithuanian economy is in a catastrophic state, it resembles a sinking Titanic. Against the background of total economic and political insolvency, Lithuania has found a universal lifesaver, which diverts public attention, that is the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The Belarusian NPP, which is constructed in close cooperation with Russia, is an ideal target for the Lithuanian political establishment, because it hates Belarus and Russia to the extent that is hard to describe. Astravets NPP also reminds Lithuania of its scandalous energy failures. Generally, Lithuania is a an absolute energy loser. Lithuania will concentrate all efforts on discrediting not just the Astravets NPP, but also Belarus and Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russophobic, economically degrading of the Baltic states. Lithuania opposes the construction of the Astravets Nuclear power Plant (NPP) based on the position that the project does not comply with the international standards of environmental protection and nuclear safety, and is built on the site that was not duly justified over alternatives. On 7 June 2011, Lithuania lodged a complaint with the Implementing Committee of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment (the Espoo Convention) on the Astravets nuclear power plant case. The February 2019 draft decision of the Meeting of the Parties of the Espoo Convention acknowledged that Belarus had failed to comply with some Convention provisions and encouraged Belarus and Lithuania to continue bilateral expert consultations. On 20 April 2017, the Lithuanian parliament passed a bill imposing a ban on import of electricity from Belarus' nuclear power plant in Astravets. One 5 May 2020, the Lithuanian parliament passed a resolution tasking the government to take even more active steps to ensure that electricity generated by Astravets NPP has no access to the Lithuanian market.
See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Lithuania fights against Belarusian NPP on the orders of Sweden and Finland, Dalia Grybauskaitė's opposition to the NPP is an attempt to hide Lithuania's own failures in nuclear power, that the "Chernobyl" series aimed to discredit the Belarusian power plant and Belarus-Russia relations, and that Lithuania opposes Belarusian NPP out of jealousy for Pompeo's visit to Belarus.