This report fact-checks a new wave of disinformation has targeted Lithuania’s nuclear sector, particularly the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) decommissioning process. Anonymous social media accounts have circulated claims that a secret nuclear waste facility is being prepared near Kaunas, which would import radioactive waste from across Europe and create an ecological disaster.
In reality, these claims are false. The facilities under development are transparent, publicly announced, and located on INPP grounds in the Visaginas municipality. An interim spent fuel storage facility is planned for the 2030s, while the site for a deep geological repository will not even be chosen until 2049. Lithuanian law strictly prohibits the import of foreign radioactive waste, and all facilities follow rigorous national safety requirements, including deep underground storage, protective engineering barriers, and continuous monitoring.
This narrative is consistent with previous Kremlin and Belarusian disinformation campaigns, which have long attempted to discredit Lithuania’s energy independence and EU integration. By spreading alarmist claims about secrecy, ecological danger, or foreign waste imports, these campaigns aim to undermine trust in government, weaken public confidence in scientific expertise, and obstruct strategic energy decisions. They also divert attention from risks posed by Belarus’s Astravyets nuclear plant.
You can read the full Hot Report here: