The Lithuanian Armed Forces service and purchase some vehicles from the Kaunas district-based company Ivetra Ir Ko, whose shareholder Anton Hegelmann recently attended a meeting with representatives from Russia and Iran.
LRT.lt previously reported that in June, Russian media covered a meeting between representatives of the Republic of Kalmykia (Russia) and Iran, which included Anton Hegelmann, shareholder of the Hegelmann group of companies and a Lithuanian resident.
Other individuals connected to the Hegelmann group of companies were also recorded at the meeting.
Anton Hegelmann himself develops logistics operations in Lithuania, with over 1,500 employees working in his companies.
Since 2019, the businessman has also owned Ivetra Ir Ko, based in the Kaunas district, which services heavy machinery and trades in parts.
On the company’s Facebook profile, it is evident that the Lithuanian Armed Forces also maintain their equipment there.
“The Lithuanian Armed Forces trust us. We are proud to contribute to Lithuania’s security and well-being by continuously upgrading the Armed Forces’ transport equipment,” reads a Facebook post from 2020.
A review of public procurement records shows that over the past five years, the Lithuanian Armed Forces have purchased services worth over €130,000 from Ivetra Ir Ko, mostly for vehicle parts, painting, and body repair services.
For example, in 2021, the Armed Forces spent €44,500 on repairs and painting of 17 Mercedes-Benz 290 GD off-road vehicle bodies.
In 2022, the Darius and Girėnas District 2nd Battalion of the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Volunteer Defence Force paid €40,800 for painting 13 such vehicles, and the Butigeidžio dragūnų Battalion paid €36,200 for painting 7 of these vehicles.
In total, Lithuanian Armed Forces signed contracts worth over €100,000 in 2022. In 2023, eight Mercedes-Benz 290 GD vehicles were painted for €28,000. In 2024, the Geležinis Vilkas Infantry Brigade’s General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion purchased parts for €215. In 2025, there was a single procurement recorded – the 206th company of the Darius and Girėnas 2nd Battalion paid €774.51 for vehicle repair and maintenance services.
Ivetra Ir Ko director: shareholder’s trip may give a false impression of the company’s stance
Borisas Ignatjevas, director of Ivetra Ir Ko, told LRT.lt that the company does not operate in Russia and has no business interests there. He also said he was unaware of Anton Hegelmann’s trip to Russia until afterwards.
“I found out about the meeting later from the shareholder himself, who explained it was a personal trip,” Ignatjevas said.
He added that the shareholder’s trip might give a misleading impression of the company’s position.
“In my opinion, participating in such a meeting was an ill-considered decision, even if it happened during a personal trip, because such actions can create a false impression of the company’s stance and negatively impact its reputation,” Ignatjevas told LRT.lt.
The armed Forces did not assess the company owners
The Lithuanian Armed Forces, commenting on the procurements, noted that under the Public Procurement Law, the contracting authority must ensure equality, non-discrimination, mutual recognition, proportionality, and transparency in the procurement process.
“There is no legal basis to refuse or otherwise challenge a service provider’s participation if objective criteria – price and technical aspects – are met,” the Armed Forces stated.
They explained that Ivetra Ir Ko is not on any list of hostile parties’or unreliable suppliers, so it fully participates in tenders.
Regarding risks, the Armed Forces said that the company mostly supplies parts or provides painting and repair services for vehicles.
“These are standard services without specific security or other special requirements that might affect national security. Therefore, procurement specialists did not evaluate the company’s owners, their views, or public statements when assessing proposals,” the statement said.
The Armed Forces also noted that purchases made outside of public tenders happen only in exceptional cases related to national security, with corresponding safety requirements, and all purchases are visible in the Central Procurement Information System.
Risks?
Analyst Marius Laurinavičius, commenting earlier on Anton Hegelmann’s trip to Russia, said it poses a threat to national security.
“This is a threat to national security, a very serious threat. From what you’ve sent me, it can be concluded that Hegelmann is a very important partner of the Russian regime. (...) Even a very reliable partner of the Russian regime,” Laurinavičius said.
Following another report revealing that more individuals connected to the “Hegelmann” companies were at the meeting, he wrote on Facebook:
“In my assessment, based on LRT’s revelations, we can conclude there is a broad network of Russian and even Iranian influence operating through the Hegelmann company in Lithuania. I am convinced this company poses a serious threat to Lithuania’s national security.”
Asked by LRT.lt if the fact that Ivetra Ir Ko, whose shareholder visited Russia, services Lithuanian Armed Forces vehicles could pose risks, Laurinavičius said specific services probably do not.
“The threat in such cases comes from the relationships formed. If we understand that Russia uses business not only as a tool of influence but also essentially as another component of intelligence, we must also understand that the threat is not necessarily the specific purchase or service, but the business relations themselves,” he said.
He added that ideally, the Lithuanian Armed Forces should avoid ties with companies whose shareholders have visited Russia.
“In my view, yes, it should be avoided. But there is neither the political will nor the legal framework for this in Lithuania...” Laurinavičius said.
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