Embargo on Russian music in Lithuania during the Russo-Ukrainian war of 2022

Abstract

The Russo-Ukrainian war of 2022 has spurred a widespread discussion about re-evaluating Russian culture in contemporary Lithuanian media. Russian music, which has been present in Lithuania since the Soviet occupation, is part of this discussion and is possibly facing a full cultural cancellation. Nearly fifty years of Soviet occupation have shaped the cultural and collective memory of Lithuania and with it, its attitude towards Russian music. Therefore this paper suggests that while an “embargo” on Russian music culture is considered a symbolic act of support towards Ukraine, the issue should be viewed in a wider framework that considers geopolitical and historical contexts from the perspective of memory studies. Based on a critical discourse analysis of Lithuanian media coverage on Russian music, this paper suggests that the embargo on Russian music in Lithuania entails distancing itself from the oppressor and from the cultural space that Lithuania and Russia once shared.