The Lithuanian armed forces have accused Belarusian media of disseminating false information about the Baltic country
VILNIUS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2020) The Lithuanian armed forces have accused Belarusian media of disseminating false information about the Baltic country.
Only in September, the nation's military detected over 260 cases of alleged disinformation, which mostly targeted Lithuania's foreign policy, energy independence, economy, NATO membership, as well as history, culture, education and protection of constitutional foundations.
According to the Lithuanian armed forces, Belarusian government-controlled media much focused on defense issues last month. The military claims that the news outlets spread a narrative that Lithuania is allegedly encroaching on Belarus' territorial integrity.
Through the month, the media also actively promoted the idea that Lithuania "purportedly provokes Belarus by deploying NATO forces to the border," the armed forces said.
"Over this period, hostile portals highlighted the allegedly aggressive nature of NATO and its threat to regional security. News portals controlled by Belarus and the Kremlin are spreading manipulative and misleading information that Lithuania, Poland and the United States want to turn Belarus into a battlefield, and NATO, which is planning 'a big war in Europe, sends caravans of military equipment,'" the military stated.
In addition, the Belarusian media accuse Lithuania of "spreading lies about the inadequate safety" of the Russian-built Astravets Nuclear Power Plant, according to the press release.
Belarus-EU relations took a nosedive after the August 9 presidential election, in which incumbent Alexander Lukashenko secured his sixth term. The opposition has refused to recognize his victory, and its candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is now managing protests in Belarus from her self-exile in Lithuania.
With active support from the Baltic nations and Poland, the EU has refused to recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president and slapped sanctions on Belarusian officials.
