Russia protests Lithuania's plans for Soviet war graves

Russia said on Monday that it summoned Lithuania's chargé d'affaires Jolanta Tubaite to protest plans to remove a burial site of Soviet soldiers and officers in the town of Vevis.

The ministry said in a statement that Tubaite was handed a strong protest over "a continuing campaign to eliminate Soviet military graves in Lithuania."

The ministry said the latest dispute follows an earlier Russian protest on April 30 regarding plans affecting another Soviet war memorial site in the city of Siauliai.

Russian officials warned that the destruction, damage or desecration of military burial sites is a criminal offense under Russian law and said individuals responsible for such actions are known to Moscow.

"The Lithuanian representative was once again reminded that the destruction, damage or desecration of military graves, including those located abroad, is a criminal offense in the Russian Federation. All individuals personally responsible for this are well known in Moscow," it said.

Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia would respond to Romania's decision to declare the Russian consul general in the city of Constan as persona non grata and withdraw consent for the operation of the consular office there.

"The unfriendly actions of the Romanian authorities will certainly not go unanswered," Zakharova said, adding that specific retaliatory measures would be announced later.