Immigration

The New Zealand National Film Unit presents a 1949 piece about Displaced Persons.

Back to the USSR

Travel posters from Soviet, government-run travel agency.

"We shouldn’t forget that causing panic is one of the key elements of information war[.]"

"The Lithuanian State Security Department has issued a booklet with tips on how to recognise a spy and avoid supplying information to foreign agents. It said it did so after an increasing number of calls from people and intensified spy activities."

ADDED: The view from Estonia.

"If I wanted, in two days I could have Russian troops not only in Kiev, but also in Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Warsaw and Bucharest[.]"

Said Putin.

Overview

The three countries from which the blog has gotten the most readers in the last week are:

United States (572)
Russia (98)
Ukraine (95)

The post that has gotten the most "all time" independent hits* is this one.

*Hits not resulting from a link from another blog or site.

“Normally it’s a kind of community organization where young Russians with a nationalist and religious orientation can go and participate in activities like you’d expect from the Boy Scouts – parades, fish fries, that sort of thing[.]”

The Cossack resurgence.

"Sanctions invite Putin agression."

Says Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaitė.

"[W]e are closest neighbors, so we know our neighbor very well."

Unrest in Crimea boosts Lithuanian tourism.

"The more the situation in the region remains unstable, the more Russians and Ukrainians will ponder spending their vacation in an environment similar to the one they were used to in the Crimea. I mean, the language and climate. In that sense, Lithuania really suits them."

Palanga has been a popular beach destination for many years.

"After the United States and Ukraine, the countries named as the most hostile to Russia were the three Baltic states -- Lithuania (25 percent), Latvia (23 percent) and Estonia (21 percent)."

"A survey conducted by an independent Russian polling agency."

(Emphasis added.)

"Despite efforts to hire English teachers for the trolls, most of the comments are written in barely coherent English."

"The bizarre hive of social media activity appears to be part of a two-pronged Kremlin campaign to claim control over the internet, launching a million-dollar army of trolls to mold American public opinion as it cracks down on internet freedom at home."

Memories surface.

"'We see NATO airplanes, we hear them, and it reassures us a little - but will they protect us? I've been a peaceful person all my life, but now the thoughts keep bubbling up: What if…?'"

Another Protest

Chicago Loop, December 1970. Here's one of the last images I have of the Simas Kudirka protest.

A march against Russian aggression will take place this Sunday, April 27, 2014, in Chicago.

Our Easter Table

 
Here's the holiday table (the food is still in the oven). The Margučiai are wooden: most are Lithuanian, but three are from Ukraine.

(Thanks again for the flowers!)

" 'What can we suggest to our American colleagues? To spend more time outdoors, practice yoga, separate their food groups and perhaps watch comedies on television'."

Russia's deputy foreign minister explains how Americans can overcome their "childish tantrums" about the annexation of Crimea.

Eyes on Estonia

"Russia signaled concern on Wednesday at Estonia's treatment of its large ethnic Russian minority, comparing language policy in the Baltic state with what it said was a call in Ukraine to prevent the use of Russian."

See also here.

Soundtrack

Vilnius, Lithuania, March 18. 2014. The United States Embassy in Vilnius has posted this footage of Vice President Biden arriving in Lithuania.

Diplomatic Maneuvers

Russia imposes trade sanctions on Lithuania, and White House announces Vice President Biden will visit Lithuania and Poland next week.

There are ethnic Russians living in Lithuania, too.

Anonymous petition asks residents of Klaipėda "to approve the region's accession to the Russian Federation."

ADDED: Here's a map showing the distribution of ethnic Russians in the Baltic States.

A Discussion about Ukraine

Ambassadors from the three Baltic States discuss the crisis on CNN.

Another View of that Walk

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 1964. Here's another image from our walk to an afternoon party. We'd been invited to visit my paternal Grandmother Tatjana's Ukrainian friend.