Seven out of ten residents of Lithuania believe that Russia poses a threat to their country's national security, according to a poll carried out by public opinion research company Baltijos Tyrimai and published by Lithuanian public service broadcaster LRT on April 15.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked concerns that the Baltic states, which are among Moscow's biggest critics and Kyiv's staunchest allies since day one of the all-out war, could become the next target for aggression.
These fears are reinforced by Russian President Vladimir Putin's repeated threats to NATO countries.
When asked if Russia poses a real threat to the national security of Lithuania, 29% of surveyed citizens said that it definitely does, and 41% answered that it rather does, according to the survey.
The only group of Lithuanians with significantly different opinions were permanent residents of the country of other nationalities. Among them, 50% disagreed that Russia is a threat, while 31% agreed.
The survey was carried out on March 15-25, During the research, 1,115 adults living across Lithuania were interviewed.
Lithuania remains among the top supporters of Ukraine globally in terms of the share of GDP, with bilateral aid to Ukraine reaching 1.5% of GDP. Additionally, Lithuania’s share of EU assistance for Ukraine amounts to another 0.5 % of the country’s GDP.
Earlier this year, Lithuania pledged a long-term 200 million euro (roughly $215 million) support package to Kyiv.
Dominic Culverwell
