{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Lithuanians shiver amid accusations of energy blackmail from former master Russia' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c3e5d8eafeecae164ba6' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c3e5d8eafeecae164ba6' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nLithuanians shiver amid accusations of energy blackmail from former master Russia\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eJanuary 22, 20131. Wide view of VilniusJanuary 23, 20122. Mid, street scene of VilniusJanuary 23, 20123. Set up shot of Romanas Ziabkinas4. Wide of Ziabkinas showing radiator and heating pipes5. SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Romanas Ziabkinas,...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eJanuary 22, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide view of Vilnius\u003cbr/\u003eJanuary 23, 2012\u003cbr/\u003e2. Mid, street scene of Vilnius\u003cbr/\u003eJanuary 23, 2012\u003cbr/\u003e3. Set up shot of Romanas Ziabkinas\u003cbr/\u003e4. Wide of Ziabkinas showing radiator and heating pipes\u003cbr/\u003e5. SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Romanas Ziabkinas, local resident:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Electric heating elements are installed at the bottom of the radiator. From the top through the filler hole is filled with water and can be filled with oil. The radiator is hermetically sealed, and electric heating elements heat the water.\"\u003cbr/\u003e6. Wide of Ziabkinas showing the radiator and electrical wires\u003cbr/\u003eVilnius, Lithuania - January 22, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e7. Wide of electrical plant and chimneys\u003cbr/\u003e8. Wide of chimneys and smoke\u003cbr/\u003e9. Wide, set up shot of Rimantas Germanas, commercial director of Vilniaus Energija\u003cbr/\u003e10. Mid of computer screens\u003cbr/\u003e11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rimantas Germanas, commercial director of Vilniaus Energija:\u003cbr/\u003e\"First - natural gas is imported, bio fuel is local fuel, it means we are creating some kind of production here in our district. Next - because of Co2 natural gas is increasing Co2, bio fuels decreasing Co2, and price for a users because cheaper  fuels. Price of heat energy is cheaper.\" \u003cbr/\u003e12. Various of biomass plant\u003cbr/\u003eJanuary 22, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e13. Mid, set up shot of Vytas Ratkevicius collecting fire wood\u003cbr/\u003e14. Mid of Ratkevicius taking wood to house \u003cbr/\u003e15. Mid of Ratkevicius putting wood into fireplace\u003cbr/\u003e16. SOUNDBITE (English) Vytas Ratkevicius, local resident:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We are using this fireplace like one of the escape routes from this situation when outside it's very cold and to warm up and heating. Centralised heating sometimes cost very, very expensive and we try to balance between reality and our capabilities and we rebuild old fireplaces. Now we are burning some wood around and buying cheap wood. And that way we try to survive.\"\u003cbr/\u003e17. Wide of chimneys showing smoke coming out\u003cbr/\u003eTo save money during the harsh Baltic winter, Romanas Ziabkinas did something unremarkable: he turned off his central heating and installed a cheaper electric heater. \u003cbr/\u003eHe explains the simple way in which the device works. \u003cbr/\u003e\"Electric heating elements are installed at the bottom of the radiator. From the top through the filler hole is filled with water and can be filled with oil. The radiator is hermetically sealed, and electric heating elements heat the water,\" he says.\u003cbr/\u003eIt looked like a seemingly smooth way to counter his rising bills.\u003cbr/\u003eBut now he finds himself neck-deep in legal woes. \u003cbr/\u003eHis utility company refused to recognise the switch and is suing him for some 25-thousand litas (10-thousand US dollars) in unpaid utility bills for his apartment in Lithuania's capital. \u003cbr/\u003eZiabkinas plight is extreme but his frustrations over heating costs are shared by a majority of Lithuanians, who have seen prices soar over the past several years by 450 percent, or from 169 US Dollars to 769 US Dollars per 1-thousand cubic meters.\u003cbr/\u003eThe small Baltic nation of 3 (m) million people was forced to import more expensive Russian gas after shutting down its nuclear power plant in 2009. \u003cbr/\u003eLithuania has a long-term supply agreement with Russia's state-owned gas monopoly Gazprom, which runs out in 2015 and the cabinet is hoping to review it before then.\u003cbr/\u003eRussia has justified the price rises by saying the deal allows it to index gas rates to oil prices. \u003cbr/\u003eThe catch is that Russia has given discounts to friendly nations, while sticking to the full price for those with which it has disputes. \u003cbr/\u003eLithuania's previous centre-right government sued Gazprom in international arbitration court over the gas price hikes and has called on the EU to investigate the company's alleged unfair pricing policies. \u003cbr/\u003eRegardless of the legal outcome, heating now seems a luxury many Lithuanians can't afford.\u003cbr/\u003eLast winter a 77-year-old pensioner in the southern district of Alytus was found frozen to death in his house. \u003cbr/\u003eIn another case, an 80-year-old woman who lived alone died in her bed in 2011, her body stuck to the frozen bed sheets. \u003cbr/\u003eConsidering that globally gas prices have tended to decrease thanks to new-found deposits of shale gas, the high prices are particularly vexing for Lithuanians.\u003cbr/\u003eMany Lithuanians feel they are being punished by Moscow for unsolved political issues like demands for occupation compensation. \u003cbr/\u003eLithuania has demanded compensation from Moscow for alleged damages incurred during the Soviet occupation from 1945 to 1991, and last year enacted a European Union directive to separate gas supply and distribution, a direct blow to Russia's commercial interests in the country. \u003cbr/\u003eEstonia and Latvia, which also receive all their gas from Russia, have done neither, and are thus rewarded with relatively cheaper prices.\u003cbr/\u003eBut Lithuania is also trying to find some home-grown solutions. \u003cbr/\u003eAt the Vilniaus Energija biomass plant in Vilnius, commercial director Rimantas Germanas explains that while natural gas is all imported, bio fuels are locally produced. \u003cbr/\u003e\"It means we are creating some kind of energy production here in our district,\" he says. \u003cbr/\u003eThe cost of bio fuels is decreasing, and that means cheaper heat for customers Germanas adds. \u003cbr/\u003eThere's a plan to build a new liquefied gas terminal too, but that has also increased fuel costs slightly through a tax designed to fund the project. \u003cbr/\u003eFor some local residents however, the cost of heating their homes with winter temperatures dropping and staying below  -10 degrees Centigrade for long periods of time, has become too much. \u003cbr/\u003eNot surprisingly, Lithuanians, who have one of the lowest personal income levels in the entire 27-member EU and higher than average heating costs, aren't waiting around and are searching for alternatives.\u003cbr/\u003eVytas Ratkevicius chops wood near his home, an old fashioned remedy, to keep warm in the coldest months. \u003cbr/\u003e\"We are using this fireplace like one of the escape routes from this situation when outside it's very cold and to warm up and heating,\" he explains.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Now we are burning some wood around and buying cheap wood. And that way we try to survive.\"\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan class=\"star-rating\" aria-label=\"3.5 out of 5 stars\" role=\"img\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci 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