Lithuanian border guards force Russian conductors to erase letter Z from train carriage – photo

Lithuanian border guards have refused to allow a Moscow-Kaliningrad transit train that had the letter Z and "Vilnius is a city of Russia" painted on the carriages to pass through Lithuania.

Source: Lithuanian Border Guard Service; Delfi, Baltic states news website, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Lithuanian border guards said the Moscow-Kaliningrad transit train arrived at the Kena checkpoint last week.

Border guards noticed the letter Z and "ZOV", symbols of the Russian army, painted in black on one of the carriages. Another carriage had "Vilnius is a city of Russia" scrawled on it.

The train staff could not explain where this graffiti had come from, the border guards added.

The Lithuanian border officials insisted that unless the graffiti was removed, the passengers would have to move to other carriages, and the graffitied carriages would be unhooked and not allowed to enter Lithuania.

The train manager and his subordinates, under the border guards’ supervision, erased the graffiti using sand.

When all the necessary checks were complete, the train continued on its way along the established route.

Background: 

• Lithuania has banned all symbols of Russia's war in Ukraine, such as the letters Z and V and the St George's ribbon. Violators face fines and liability under the Code of Administrative Offences.
• Since May 2023, the propagation of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes and their ideologies has also been banned in Lithuania.

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