Russian nationals in Lithuania to lose their resident permits over frequent trips home

Russian nationals living in Lithuania who travel to Russia or Belarus more than once every three months without an objective reason will lose their resident permits, the Lithuanian parliament decided Thursday under a new law, public broadcaster LRT reported.

However, the parliament stopped short of imposing the same measure on Belarusian nationals, watering down the original proposal, according to the broadcaster.

It recalled that Lithuania's intelligence services had asked politicians to tighten entry restrictions on Belarusian citizens, saying they cannot screen all new arrivals.

Lithuania first passed a law in 2023 under which it stopped accepting Schengen and national visa applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals except when the process is mediated by the Foreign Ministry.

It aims to show support for Ukraine and restrict certain rights of citizens from the aggressor countries -- Russia and Belarus.