By Jurga Bakaitė, LRT.lt.
Lithuania’s effort to block broadcasts from the Russian state-run radio station Sputnik may be short-lived, as the Culture Ministry failed to secure funding needed to continue the interference next year.
Sputnik, which is coordinated and financed by the Russian government, began reaching listeners along Lithuania’s western coast in the spring of 2024 through transmissions from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. The brand operates a global network that tailors its messaging to local audiences. A Sputnik news portal briefly operated in Lithuania before closing, and its content remains accessible through the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
To counter the broadcasts, Lithuania’s state-owned Radio and Television Centre began transmitting “white noise” on the same frequency as the Kaliningrad relay, effectively drowning out the Russian signal.
“In such cases, listeners hear white noise instead of Sputnik,” the Transport Ministry told LRT.lt.
Because the Radio and Television Centre falls under the Transport Ministry, the ministry initially oversaw and funded the jamming effort.
Read more: LRT.LT
