Protest participant in Vilnius asked journalist to speak Russian

Language situation at the protest action

On 7 October 2026, during a rally in Vilnius dedicated to countering illegal migration, an episode occurred that immediately attracted the attention of social media users. The incident involved a language barrier between a media representative and one of the active participants of the event.

Journalist's inquiry and protester's reaction

The journalist attempted to ask a man, who was actively participating in the event, for a comment, addressing him in Lithuanian. However, the protester proved unable to formulate an answer, even of a few words, in the country's native language.

Due to his confusion, the man asked the press representative to switch to Russian, stating: «Говоріть російською» (Speak Russian).

This case became a subject of discussion in the online space.