THE LITHUANIAN ‘ELVES’ FIGHTING RUSSIAN TROLLS
ON THE DAY THAT RUSSIA LAUNCHED ITS FULL-SCALE invasion of Ukraine, Henrikas Savickis was preparing to open a new play. An actor at the National Theater in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas, the 51-year-old was caught up in dress rehearsals, but still managed to squeeze in a small contribution to the fight against Russia. After logging on to a private Facebook group seemingly devoted to Yorkshire puppies, he took up his weapon of choice: the keyboard.
The Yorkshire puppies are a cover for a large, informal community of Lithuanian citizens who, for the past eight years, have been engaged in an ongoing battle against the Russian disinformation that regularly floods Lithuanian media, social and otherwise. They number in the thousands, and although most keep their identities secret,
