Category
Latest news

EU Aid for Ukrainian Refugees Diverted to Russians in Lithuania, Audit Finds

2 min read
Authors
Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko
Dariia Mykhailenko
Author
EU Aid for Ukrainian Refugees Diverted to Russians in Lithuania, Audit Finds
Volunteers load clothes and other humanitarian aid donated by Lithuanian citizens into trucks bound for Polish refugee centers on February 28, 2022 in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Source: Getty Images)

Over €1 million (approximately $1.08 million) in European Union aid earmarked for Ukrainian war refugees in Lithuania was improperly distributed to citizens of Russia, Belarus, and other non-Ukrainian nationals, according to findings from an internal audit reported by LRT on May 28.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour has launched a formal review of the disbursements. Meanwhile, despite the findings, the European Social Fund Agency (ESFA), which supervised the refugee support project, maintains that previous regulations permitted assistance to non-Ukrainians under specific conditions.

Between 2022 and 2023, the EU allocated nearly €17 million (about about $18.36 million) to the “Aid for Refugees from the War in Ukraine” initiative, supporting Ukrainians with food, hygiene products, medicine, legal aid, Lithuanian language courses, and employment subsidies.

However, records show that 813 individuals from 43 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, also received this support while residing legally in Lithuania. The ESFA claims that only 484 of these cases were mistakenly approved.

Jolita Pietraitienė, head of project development at ESFA, stated that the inclusion of non-Ukrainian beneficiaries stemmed from how the original guidelines were interpreted. According to her, the framework allowed “socially vulnerable persons,” regardless of nationality, to access certain supplementary services, such as language training and subsidized employment.

Despite the agency’s explanation, Lithuania’s Ministry of Social Security confirmed that the Lithuanian Employment Service, which implemented the program, will be required to return the misallocated funds within the designated timeframe. The Office of the Auditor General has formally demanded repayment.

Earlier, Lithuania had filed a lawsuit against Belarus at the International Court of Justice, accusing Minsk of orchestrating the flow of migrants toward the Lithuanian border.

Vilnius argues that Belarus’s actions violate international conventions on combating illegal migration. The decision follows failed bilateral efforts to resolve the issue through diplomatic means.

See all