The Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania (LRTK), responding to disinformation spreading on the social media platform TikTok about the so-called “Klaipėda People’s Republic,” has appealed to the platform’s operators, urging them to take immediate action to curb the dissemination of such content.

As part of its mandate to supervise the dissemination of public information and ensure that unlawful content is not distributed, the LRTK has initiated measures to assess the identified content and limit its spread.

According to the LRTK, videos published by the account “klaipeda.republic” violate Article 19(1) of the Law on the Provision of Information to the Public of the Republic of Lithuania, as they disseminate disinformation aimed at undermining the independence and territorial integrity of Lithuania.

The identified posts feature AI-generated imagery and slogans promoting separatist narratives, such as “Klaipėda People’s Republic” and “Make Klaipėda Russian Again,” while also falsely claiming that the Port of Klaipėda belongs to Russia.

The State Security Department has stated that content of this nature is consistent with information operations used by the Russian regime to incite separatism and destabilize society. The National Crisis Management Centre has also warned that social media algorithms can amplify the spread of misleading and polarizing content.

Similar disinformation narratives have been observed across the region. In March of this year, Estonia faced a propaganda campaign in which social media users promoted the idea of a so-called “Narva People’s Republic.” Estonian intelligence authorities consider this activity to be a possible element of broader destabilization efforts.

A similar attempt was recorded in Lithuania in 2015, when a Facebook account titled “Vilnius People’s Republic” was created to imitate the activities of a separatist movement.

A pre-trial investigation has also been launched in Lithuania in connection with these posts. Prosecutors are investigating possible assistance to a foreign state acting against the Republic of Lithuania.

LRTK Chairperson Mantas Martišius emphasized that these incidents reflect coordinated activity on a broader regional scale:

“We are observing a coordinated information attack, the effects of which are visible not only in Lithuania, but across the Baltic states. Such campaigns exploit social media algorithms and user engagement, while their dissemination patterns correspond to the mechanisms identified in LRTK’s disinformation research. These are not isolated incidents — this is a systematic attempt to influence the information environment of the entire region.”

The Commission also notes that user behavior can contribute to the spread of disinformation, as sharing or commenting on such content increases its visibility. Residents are therefore encouraged to follow basic principles of information hygiene: avoid sharing questionable content, report it to platforms, and rely on trustworthy sources of information.

The LRTK will continue cooperating with national institutions and international platforms to help ensure that Lithuania’s information environment is protected from coordinated disinformation campaigns.