Context: Although earlier media reports have mentioned plans to introduce a fee for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran denies charging such a fee. However, an Iranian parliament representative admitted that such intentions exist and have already begun to be implemented. Against the backdrop of the crisis surrounding the Strait, fuel prices rose — not only in Europe, but also in Belarus.
In Latvia, surveys have shown that the increase in fuel prices has not yet led to widespread abandonment of cars, though some owners have reduced their trips. On the First National Channel of Belarusian Radio, the reaction of the Latvians was presented as follows:
“A quarter of Latvia’s residents have given up using personal cars due to high fuel costs. They are forced to get to work by public transport or on foot,” a news show reported on 7 April 2026.
In March 2026, Citadele Bank and the research agency Norstat Latvija surveyed changes in car user behavior. Over a thousand Latvians participated. The survey did not show that people were giving up cars. Rather, it showed that one in four car owners has cut back on personal vehicle trips. Conversely, half of the respondents did not alter their behavior despite the surge in fuel prices.
The following statement was also made in the news broadcast:
“Pensioners in Lithuania have been pushed to the brink of survival, local media report. Monthly payments are not enough even for the most modest needs. The benefit amount is only 85% of the subsistence minimum.”
CTV TV channel was the source of this information, and the radio repeated it word for word. The reference was to the global pensions study produced by Moorepay. Instead of comparing state pension sizes across countries to subsistence minimum, the comparison was made to an estimate of the cost of living based on Numbeo data. Numbeo’s methodology includes not only basic spending, but also a broader set of expenses, such as taxis, restaurant meals, and fitness club memberships. These expenses may not always equate to the most modest needs.
For instance, Numbeo’s calculations indicate that the monthly cost of living in Belarus exceeds $540 per person. Meanwhile, the official subsistence minimum for retirees in the country is much lower, at around $120. The average pension falls in between, at around $370.
The situation in Lithuania looks better than it was described on the radio. From this year on, the average old-age pension is €750. This is sufficient to cover both the official minimum needs and the average cost of living, as calculated by Numbeo.
The broadcast further added:
“Moreover, according to Eurostat data, in 20 out of 39 European countries, pensions do not reach the minimum level. The most difficult conditions are recorded in Georgia, Moldova, and Albania, while among EU member states, the Baltic countries and Cyprus are among the worst performers.”
Several metrics have been mixed in here. The study classified countries as either having a state pension sufficient to cover the average cost of living, as per Numbeo’s calculation, or having an insufficient state pension. The Baltic States were indeed in the “red zone.” However, this does not mean that pensioners are barely getting by or that their pensions do not reach the official minimum.
Georgia, Albania, and Moldova were indeed at the bottom of the list. Belarus was not part of this rating at all. However, using the same logic, if it were included in the comparison, it would be below Lithuania, near the bottom of the list, and ahead of Moldova. Researchers calculated that the Belarusian pension would cover only about half of the average living expenses. This suggests that, within the same study, Belarus would appear worse than Lithuania, which was portrayed in the broadcast as a country where pensioners allegedly barely survive.
