RIA Novosti briefly publishes, then deletes column threatening nuclear strike against Lithuania
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti published and then removed a column that openly threatened a nuclear strike against Lithuania, days after the Lithuanian parliament moved to lift its constitutional ban on hosting weapons of mass destruction. The agency said the piece reflected only the author's personal opinion, not its editorial or state policy.
Key points
- RIA Novosti published the column on 25 September; it was deleted approximately three hours later
- The article, titled 'Russia awaits another SVO. It will be very short,' contained direct threats of a nuclear strike against Lithuania
- The author was Aleksandr Nosovich / Oleksandr Nosovych, editor-in-chief of RuBaltic.Ru
- Nosovych wrote that a Baltic conflict would not resemble the war in Ukraine and that Russia could rely on missiles with appropriate warheads rather than a ground contingent
- On 22 September, Lithuania's Seimas voted to support removing the constitutional ban on hosting weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons; two further votes are required
- RIA Novosti stated the article did not reflect the opinion of its editorial board, editorial policy, or Russian state policy
- Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation characterized the publication as part of Russia's official intimidation messaging toward the Baltic states
Why it matters
A Russian state-affiliated outlet explicitly floated a nuclear strike against a NATO member, marking a notable escalation in nuclear rhetoric aimed at the Baltic states. The episode followed Lithuania's legislative steps toward possibly hosting weapons of mass destruction and highlighted how quickly Russian media messaging can cross thresholds, even when subsequently walked back.
What happened
On 25 September, RIA Novosti published a column by RuBaltic.Ru editor-in-chief Aleksandr Nosovich titled 'Russia awaits another SVO. It will be very short.' The article directly threatened a nuclear strike against Lithuania in response to the Seimas's 22 September vote supporting removal of the constitutional ban on hosting weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. Nosovych argued that a Baltic conflict would not resemble the war in Ukraine and suggested Russia could use missiles with appropriate warheads instead of deploying a ground contingent. He also called Lithuania a 'kamikaze' and a 'suicidal country without any brains.' RIA Novosti removed the article roughly three hours after publication, stating that it reflected only the author's personal opinion and not the agency's editorial line or Russian state policy. A copy was preserved in a web archive.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All five Ukrainian-language sources covering the story converge on a single narrative: RIA Novosti published, then quickly deleted, a column that openly threatened Lithuania with a nuclear strike. They frame the piece as a direct response to Lithuania's constitutional vote on hosting weapons of mass destruction and highlight Vilnius's response that Russian threats will not influence its decisions and that Lithuania is already a potential Russian target as a NATO member. Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation is cited as characterizing the publication as part of Russia's official intimidation messaging toward the Baltic states.
Where reporting differs
The author's name is spelled inconsistently across the source material: 'Aleksandr Nosovich' in some accounts and 'Oleksandr Nosovych' in others. The two forms refer to the same person.
Background
On 22 September, Lithuania's Seimas voted to support a proposal to remove from the Constitution the ban on hosting weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons; two further votes are required for final adoption. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev had earlier said Lithuania could 'disappear from the map of the world' if it allowed nuclear weapons on its territory. Lithuania has previously blocked 12 websites distributing programming of the sanctioned Russian radio Sputnik. According to investigations by the Dossier Center and Lithuanian outlet LRT, Nosovych is described as part of an influence network coordinated by employees of the Russian Presidential Administration and the Foreign Intelligence Service, and is also reported to be a member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and a co-founder of the Valdai Discussion Club.