Lithuania is cooperating with Ukrainian officers as part of an investigation into a Russian-recruited group believed to have planned arson attacks in the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine, Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė says.
“We are cooperating with Ukrainian law enforcement officers, in particular with prosecutors, but I cannot provide more specific information at this moment as more of it is being gathered in Ukraine,” she told LRT RADIO on Tuesday.
“When we have the opportunity and we see that we can provide that information, we will definitely inform the public because they have the right to know,” she said.
Grunskienė said she could not provide any more information because it could undermine the investigations in Lithuania and other countries.
“I do understand people’s desire to know about high-profile pre-trial investigations or those that have to do with our security, but we cannot comment and provide all the information people expect in every case,” the prosecutor general said. “Those pre-trial investigations are very sensitive and the information is very sensitive.”
Further reading
Last week, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that it cooperated with Ukrainian police to neutralise a group that allegedly planned arson attacks in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states.
The group, which, according to the SBU, was recruited by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), planned to target areas visited by large numbers of people: supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, markets.
The ringleader and his accomplice were arrested during a raid in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The criminal group included a total of 19 people and was coordinated remotely by Russian intelligence, Ukrainian officers say.
The suspects recruited potential arsonists from local criminal circles. To be able to travel abroad and obtain protected status in the EU, they were provided with forged documents, including passports, driving licenses, diplomas and medical certificates issued in the name of other people.
The Russians were reportedly planning special information operations to destabilise the socio-political situation in the EU.
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