14 DAY TRIAL // After a recent fall in Lithuanian-Russian relations, several hundred Lithuanian sites have been defaced. On a total of 300 web pages the content was replaced with images of the soviet red flag and anti-Lithuanian slogans and songs. The hacker attack came after Lithuania issued a ban on the soviet flag as well as any other symbols reminding of the soviet regime.
This is not the first time that former soviet countries come under hacker attack. Estonia was similarly hit earlier this year after having removed a Red Army war memorial. A series of DoS (denial of service) attacks that were later traced to Russia soon ensued, although the incident was at the time denied by the Russian authorities.
In 1991 Lithuania obtained independent status after having been under Russian rule for more than 50 years. In 2004 it once again defied "Mother Russia" by joining the EU and NATO.
Relations between the two countries have never been that good to start with. In April for example the EU tried to sit down with Russia and work out a mutually beneficial deal that would substitute the one from 1997. As a member of the EU, Lithuania felt the talks disagreed with its national interests and consequently blocked them. The EU is interested in Russia because it is one of the world's main suppliers of energy (gas and oil).
Lithuania is also unhappy that 14 were killed and hundreds were injured in 1991 and is asking the EU to bring the ones responsible to justice.
It is understandable why the authorities decided to ban all soviet symbols, since they are a constant reminder of a time when Russia ruled with an iron fist. What really angered the Russians was the fact that the same ban also included Nazi symbols.