Ivan Korolyov, a 26-year-old Russian army lieutenant who took part in the war in Ukraine, has applied for asylum in Lithuania after being detained at Vilnius bus station, TV3 News reported on Friday.
Saulius Nekrasevičius, deputy commander of the State Border Guard Service, has told LRT TV that the man was detained because he was in Lithuania illegally and did not have the necessary documents. Korolyov applied for asylum after his detention, according to the official.
The Migration Department has accepted his asylum application for consideration.
According to TV3, this is the second time the Russian military officer has entered Lithuania. The first time he crossed the border from Belarus but was pushed back by border guards.
Following his detention in Vilnius on Thursday, the Russian lieutenant was taken to the Lavoriškės border checkpoint and then moved to the Foreigners Registration Centre in Pabradė. He is not allowed to leave the centre while his asylum request is being considered.
This is not the first time that a Russian military officer has deserted to Lithuania. Two months ago, the British public broadcaster BBC published an interview with Lieutenant Dmitry Mishov, a Russian military pilot.
Mishov arrived in Vilnius without the knowledge of the authorities and it was only after his interview with the BBC that he applied for asylum in Lithuania.
According to Evelina Gudzinskaitė, director of the Migration Department, although no statistics are kept, Russian army deserters rarely apply for asylum in Lithuania, these are rare cases.
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