A financial backer of Lithuania’s populist party Nemunas Dawn during last year’s parliamentary elections was reportedly connected to Russian oligarchs, while individuals linked to a sitting MP also donated generously, according to an investigative report published Monday by Redakcija.
Citing party financing disclosures and other documents, the report identified Alvydas Brusokas – a Lithuanian citizen who spent much of his life in Russia and held Russian citizenship – as one of the party’s founding members and donors. Brusokas has also been associated with Russian billionaires Dmitry Troitsky and Dmitry Korzhev.
He contributed €2,500 as a membership fee upon joining the party, followed by an additional €2,700 donation. He did not run for parliament himself, however.
Lithuania’s Ministry of Justice told Redakcija that Brusokas ended his membership on June 2.
Party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis claimed he did not know Brusokas and had never interacted with him.
“He’s a Lithuanian citizen. If he wants to be a party member or a supporter, there’s no issue with that,” Žemaitaitis said.
According to the investigation, Brusokas previously held board positions at companies linked to Troitsky and Korzhev. He also briefly owned a gold mine in Georgia, which he acquired through a company established just weeks before an auction. Two weeks after the sale, the shares were transferred at a suspiciously low price to a Cyprus-based firm, which was later taken over by the same two Russian billionaires.
The report also revealed that allies of MP Robertas Puchovičius were active financial supporters of the party. Puchovičius and associated individuals contributed at least €55,000 – nearly one-sixth of the €300,000 the party spent on its campaign.
The Nemunas Dawn party, which entered parliament for the first time in the October elections, officially reported the lowest campaign spending among parties that won seats.
Redakcija also found that some donors had officially declared no income, making their donations legally questionable. Under Lithuanian law, political parties are not allowed to accept contributions from individuals without declared income.
The Central Electoral Commission in May determined that Nemunas Dawn had accepted donations from three corporate entities and failed to disclose certain expenses. In-kind contributions from the companies Jozita, Tvari Statyba, and Socium Agency were deemed illegal under Lithuania’s election law, which prohibits party donations from legal entities.
Nemunas Dawn was founded less than a year before the 2024 general elections. It won 20 seats in the Seimas and joined the governing coalition.
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