Police in Vilnius District have decided not to open a pre-trial investigation into an incident when two teenagers from a Russian-language school used a Kalashnikov air rifle to shoot at their fellow student as they have not yet reached the age of 16.
The victim’s mother claims her son was attacked because of his opposition to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
According to the law, only persons over the age of 16 can be punished for public order offences in Lithuania.
“A decision has been made not to open a pre-trial investigation, and officers are now considering taking legal action against the parents for their failure to exercise parental authority,” Julija Samorokovskaja, spokesperson for the Vilnius District Chief Police Commissariat, told BNS on Monday, adding that the decision was made last week.
The incident took place on December 23 in a forest in Vilnius. The teenagers, who attend the same Russian-language school in Vilnius, first ate at a pizzeria and then went to the woods where the 14-year-old was attacked.
The incident was made public by the victim’s mother, Ira Novik, a journalist from Russia. The teenagers first fired at empty bottles and then shot at another teenager. According to Novik, her son was called a “Banderite” when he was shot, and also the anthem of the private Russian military company Wagner was played at the time of the incident.
Novik contacted the police and child rights specialists about the incident.
Last week, Lithuanian Education, Science and Sport Minister Gintautas Jakštas reignited the debate on whether Russian-language schools should be closed in Lithuania, following in the footsteps of the Estonians and Latvians. He later said, however, he did not link this debate to the aforementioned incident.
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