Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Aleksandr Poliackov, a Lithuanian citizen, has been arrested in Russia on espionage charges but has not requested legal assistance.
“We confirm that the Foreign Ministry is aware of this case of detention of a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania in the Russian Federation. The person has not asked for legal assistance,” the Foreign Ministry told BNS on Wednesday, adding that the Consulate General of Lithuania in Kaliningrad forwarded the information about the arrested Lithuanian citizen to the Police Department.
Russia’s independent news website Mediazona reported on Monday that a Kaliningrad resident, believed to be a Lithuanian citizen, had been arrested in Russia on espionage charges.
The Kaliningrad Regional Court sanctioned Poliackov’s arrest back in June, and his appeal was rejected by the Court of Appeal in early July.
No further details of the case are known as such cases are usually classified.
One of Poliackov’s former classmates confirmed to Mediazona that the man had moved from Lithuania to Kaliningrad. Another witness said that Poliackov’s wife owned a furniture shop in Kaliningrad.
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