According to Mediaskopas data strategist Vilūnė Kairienė, pro-Kremlin media paid much less attention to this event than, for example, to the Baltic countries' withdrawal from the BRELL ring.
„Even in the pro-Kremlin media, Eduardas Vaitkus's visit was not significant news. Still, it was used as a rhetorical tool to support the Kremlin's narratives about „failing democracy“, „persecuted opposition“, and „state repression“ in the Baltic countries.
Despite the limited coverage, this case showed how the pro-Russian information space can exaggerate the importance of marginal figures and exploit their statements for propaganda purposes,“ Kairienė told ELTA.
According to her, the press conference in Minsk, attended by the pro-Russian Vaitkus, received half a thousand news items in the media, spreading the narrative of authoritarian Russia.
„For example, when the Baltic states disconnected from the BRELL electricity ring, there were thousands of news reports. Moreover, there was no diversity of sources in this case – most of the publications appeared only on a few Belarusian and Russian-controlled channels. In contrast, independent or international sources did not discuss this topic.
This shows that Vaitkus' visit was not considered a significant event even in the pro-Russian information space, and its communicative value was low,“ said Kairienė.
Belarus paid the most attention to the event
A study of the information space shows that almost 77% of publications appeared in the Belarusian media, especially in the state news agency Belta. This agency also published reports in Spanish and German, but received no response from these groups.
„Belta published headlines such as 'Lithuania has no legitimate president' and 'Baltic governments are pushing Europe into war with Russia', which corresponded to pro-Russian narratives and were intended to spread propaganda about the political systems of the Baltic states,“ said Kairienė.
At the time, the official Russian media did not pay much attention to Vaitkus – only three news items were published.
Vaitkus' statements commented on the Telegram platform: Lithuania portrayed as a repressive state
Mediaskopas' analysis shows that Vaitkus' statements were also noticed on the Telegram platform, with at least 46 posts recorded across dozens of channels.
„Most of the publications appeared on the Sputnik and BALTNEWS channels. In them, Vaitkus is presented as a persecuted 'patriot' whose words about the „illegitimacy“ of the Lithuanian government, 'repression of Christian democracy' and 'the collapse of the state' are portrayed as the truth in the face of a repressive state. The reports repeatedly claim that Lithuania punishes criticism and that the country 'could disappear within 100 years,' Kairienė emphasised.
She claims that the tone of these Telegram posts was emotional, characterised by conspiracy theories and attempts to stir up discontent.
„In some cases, Vaitkus' statements were used as a rhetorical basis for criticising politicians in other Baltic countries, especially Latvia. For example, the Telegram channel 'Латвия и я' (Latvia and I) called for a comparison between Vaitkus' courage and the alleged inaction of Latvian politicians to stir up internal discontent,“ summarised the Mediaskopas data strategist.
ELTA recalls that at a press conference in Minsk, Vaitkus stated that Lithuania does not have a legally elected President. Lithuanian politicians called the former Presidential candidate's remarks anti-state.
The Vilnius County Police launched a pre-trial investigation into the politician's statements. It was initiated under the article of the Criminal Code, which provides liability for actions against Lithuania.