For harmfulness

Since August 17, Russia has been introducing restrictions on the import of dairy products from Lithuania: according to the Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service, antibiotics have been found in them. Kommersant reports the words of its interlocutors in the Lithuanian government, who stated that there are no prohibited substances in their dairy products, and the whole reason is political disagreements with Russia. The previous “milk” conflict occurred between Russia and Belarus against the backdrop of a serious deterioration in relations between the two countries. For most Lithuanian dairy processing enterprises, the Russian market is key, and the restrictions imposed by Russia (with an open date for their lifting) could hit the Lithuanian economy. The executive director of the Pieno zvaigzdes company, Linas Sasnauskas, quoted by Kommersant, said that his company does not have any antibiotics, although complete laboratory control of all purchased milk is not carried out, but its suppliers treated their cows with antibiotics. And the head of the Lithuanian veterinary service, Kazimiras Lukauskas, even said that everything was fine with their dairy products. Apparently, the problem, as usual, is not in milk, but in oil. In 2006, Kommersant recalls, Lithuania offended Russia by selling the Mazeikiai oil refinery to the Polish company PKN Orlen. For this, Russia announced the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline and cut off oil supplies, which were never resumed. And now Russia again wants to buy the above-mentioned plant. After this story, Lithuania began, as we would say, to take an openly anti-Russian position on key issues: it repeatedly blocked negotiations between Russia and the European Union on a new partnership and cooperation agreement, and lobbied for the admission of Georgia and Ukraine to NATO. The situation has not changed with the arrival of the new president. The announcement of restrictions on the import of Lithuanian milk was preceded by the introduction of enhanced inspections for Lithuanian trucks at the Russian border. Transport Minister Igor Levitin promised the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Russian Ambassador to Lithuania Vladimir Chkhikvadze also spoke about this, assuring that there is no politics on the issue of milk imports. Something doesn't look the same.