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"Vilnius under the zmahary!" Azarenok deliberately presented part of a Lithuanian advertisement as a British-made video
The referenced video is actually made in Lithuania and is part of an advertisement by the Vilnius Business and Tourism Development Agency.
A few pro-government Telegram channels published a negative video about Vilnius depicting the Lithuanian capital as backward and provincial. These channels allege the video to be made in the UK. The Weekly Top Fake team has sourced the original video.
The video featuring scenes of Vilnius appeared on the "Azarenok. CTV. Belarus" Telegram channel on January 6, 2025. It was also reposted by "ZhS Premium" and "Shkvarka News" channels the same day.
"How Vilnius has blossomed under the zmahary!” (a derogatory Belarusian term for opposition — translator's note) The UK-made video is in English, but everything is easy to understand and very funny," the caption under the video says.
The referenced video is actually made in Lithuania and is part of an advertisement by the Vilnius Business and Tourism Development Agency. Belarusian Telegram channels did not show it in full, cutting out 41 seconds to distort its meaning.
The scenes in the video are staged. In the first part used by the pro-government channels, the video alludes to the stereotype still prevalent in Western countries portraying Lithuania as a former Soviet country. The second — omitted — part shows Vilnius for what it truly is — a modern, green, cultural city full of unique gastronomy.
