The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Lithuanian government should not interfere in the affairs of the canonical Orthodox Church. Special Representative of the Russian Foreign Minister, Gennady Askaldovich, pointed out the violation of the rights of the canonical Orthodox Church in Lithuania.

The mayor of the city of Vilnius recently said that he considered it illegal that the Orthodox churches of the Vilna-Lithuanian diocese belong to the canonical Orthodox Church, and that he believed it possible to take them away in favor of another Church, the diplomat indicated in a statement published on the the Russian Foreign Ministry website. "We shall leave aside that the mayor's words can be regarded as a call to commit a criminal act — the seizure of property or banal racketeering. In general, in Europe this is yet another case of open pressure by the state authorities against the canonical Orthodox Church, an act of direct state interference in the religious sphere," Askaldovich said.

This policy, the Russian diplomat pointed out, leads to lawlessness and arbitrariness, creating conditions in which no one — believer or non-believer — feels protected. "Or is this Lithuanian-style electoral democracy, which works for some but ignores the interests of others?" In his statement, Askaldovich voiced categorical disagreement with such a policy and demanded strict observation of generally recognized legal norms concerning non-interference in church affairs, as well as freedom of religion for all citizens and confessions in Lithuania.