Lithuanian foreign minister explains why he is surprised by calls not to punish "ordinary Russians" with sanctions

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has expressed his disagreement with those who argue that "ordinary Russians" should not be affected by Western sanctions against Russia, as they cannot be considered responsible for the war unleashed by the country's leadership.

"I hear talk of ordinary Russians’ innocence, but then I see ordinary Russians murdering ordinary Ukrainians. I see ordinary Russian mothers saying goodbye to their ordinary Russian sons and wishing them good luck with their ordinary Russian war crimes. I see ordinary Russians celebrating murder," Landsbergis said on X (Twitter), clearly in response to remarks made by Putin critics who were recently released in a prisoner swap between Russia and the West.

I would like to address the recurring question of those “ordinary Russians” who “shouldn’t be sanctioned”.🧵1/7

– Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) August 4, 2024

The list went on, with "ordinary Russians" dressing their young children in military uniforms and making cardboard models of tanks for them to take part in events, and "ordinary Russians" lining up in the shape of the letter Z.

"Ordinary Russia is sick. Healing will be a long and gruelling process which can only start when Russia, not just Putin, is defeated. Without a defeat in Ukraine, Russia will just keep spreading. So about those ‘unfair’ sanctions against ‘ordinary Russians’... Well, anything which slows down Russia’s total war machine will have ordinary Lithuanians’ support," the Lithuanian foreign minister tweeted, concluding the thread with the slogan "Glory to Ukraine," he said.