Lithuanian authorities have launched a search for a man who fled from a Russian Kaliningrad transit train on Tuesday morning.
The Russian national, born in 2004, jumped from the train as it was moving through Lithuania and some 30 kilometres before it reached Russia’s Kaliningrad border.
The Kaliningrad transit scheme was established in 2003 as Lithuania was joining the European Union. As part of the deal, Russian passengers and cargo can move by rail via Lithuania to reach the exclave on the Baltic Sea.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius said the person may have jumped off the train when it slowed down.
“The search is ongoing," he said. "The plans that are in place for such situations have been implemented. Our border guards, police and Public Security Service (VST) are all involved,” Kondratovičius told BNS.
He said there was no information surrounding the person's motives.
“I do not think there’s anything sinister,” Kondratovičius said.
According to the minister, there have been previous cases when someone had left the train without authorisation.
“Our aim now is to find [the person] and make sure this does not happen again. [...] Some decisions have already been made – I do not wish to make them public – but our services are operational and know what they are doing,” Kondratovičius said.
The article was updated at 14:45 to include the comment by the interior minister.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
