On Monday, the Lithuanian government decided to downgrade diplomatic representation between Lithuania and Russia and ordered the country's ambassador to leave Lithuania in response to the massacre in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. The government decided to close the Russian consulate in the western port city of Klaipeda.
Approached by BNS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that following this decision, the name of the Russian Embassy in Lithuania would remain as it was and Russian Ambassador, Alexey Isakov would have to leave the country within seven days of the delivery of the note.
The ministry states that the Consulate General in Klaipeda must be closed within 15 days of the delivery of the note, and that the staff must leave the territory of Lithuania within the same period.
Lithuania has also recalled its Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarunas from Moscow. In its response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the recalled Lithuanian ambassador is on a business trip during which procedures will be carried out for his recall from his post.
Following Lithuania's decision to downgrade its diplomatic representation, relations will be maintained at the level of lower-level diplomats, i.e. at the level of chargés d'affaires.
The discovery of mass graves and hundreds of brutally murdered civilians in the small town of Bucha, north-west of Kyiv, angered the international community. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of civilian massacre.
Russia rejects the accusations and claims that Kyiv faked the video footage of corpses in Bucha.