Ukrainian Flags on Lithuania's Independence Day

Angela Howard
March 28, 2022

Our intern visited Lithuania this month and shared these notes and pictures:

I had the pleasure of visiting Lithuania for the first time on March 11th, the 32nd anniversary of the restoration of Lithuanian independence from the Soviet Union. A major national holiday, there were concerts planned, crowds had gathered, and Lithuanian flags decorated every street corner—to be expected. However, what I saw out the bus windows rolling into Vilnius that I did not expect—which struck me and moved me—was that for every Lithuanian flag I saw, I saw at least as many (if not more) Ukrainian flags. Ukrainian crests, colors, balloons, and banners of support peered out the windows of homes and stores, decorated the walls of the president's residence, and stood alongside Lithuanian flags in Cathedral Square, the heart of Vilnius. Local police cars featured a Lithuanian flag on one side and a Ukrainian flag on the other. The front desks at museums, cafés, and hotels featured small blue and yellow stickers or hearts. People on the street painted Ukrainian flags on their cheeks or wore blue and yellow buttons on their chests. Billboards and bulletin boards posted calls for increased aid to Ukraine or messages of support for Ukrainian refugees. On March 11th, I learned just how deeply the people of Lithuania value their sovereignty, how they choose not to take independence for granted, and how that valuation means they cannot forget their Ukrainian brothers and sisters defending their own right to independence, life, and peace.