Several Lithuanian MPs have suggested that Leonid Volkov, a prominent figure in the Russian émigré opposition, should be stripped of his residency in Lithuania after expressing criticism of Ukraine’s leaders.
Volkov, an associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and a former chairman of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, currently resides in Lithuania.
He drew criticism from Lithuanian politicians after Anna Tiron, a former employee of the Anti-Corruption Foundation who later joined the Russian Volunteer Corps fighting in Ukraine, published a screenshot of her conversation with Volkov. The screenshot appeared to show Volkov welcoming the reported killing of Denis Kapustin, the leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps, which has carried out cross-border raids into Russia during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the messages, Volkov described Kapustin as a “Nazi” and a “gift to Kremlin propaganda”.
Volkov said he hoped others associated with him would be jailed, including senior Ukrainian officials, such as former presidential administration head Andriy Yermak, who recently resigned amid a high-profile corruption investigation, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, and former intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.
Volkov argued that Ukraine could not succeed while relying on figures like Kapustin and “the rest of the gang of propagandist, hypocritical thieves”.
Kapustin, also known as White Rex, is a controversial far-right activist and militant.
It later emerged that Kapustin’s killing had been staged. Ukraine’s military intelligence said the operation was conducted to prevent an assassination ordered by Russian special services.
Lithuanian MP Remigijus Motuzas, who chairs the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, said state security institutions should evaluate Volkov’s statements and decide whether to deprive him of residency in Lithuania or the European Union.
“We will consult with the National Security Committee and others,” Motuzas told BNS. “I believe this should be done, and only afterward should final conclusions be drawn as to whether Mr Volkov can live in Lithuania, in the territory of the European Union, or not.”
The Migration Department said later on Tuesday it had asked the State Security Department (VSD), Lithuania’s main intelligence agency, to look into Volkov’s statements.
“On Tuesday, the Migration Department appealed to the State Security Department for additional consultations regarding a possible threat to state security and asked it to assess the statements of a foreigner that appeared in public,” department spokesman Rokas Pukinskas told BNS.
Following the publication of Volkov’s messages, opposition conservative leader and former defence minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said Lithuania should not become “a safe haven for all kinds of defectors from Russia and Belarus”.
“After reading his statements, I had to read them again – the question arose whether this was really a text by [former Russian president] Dmitry Medvedev,” Kasčiūnas wrote on Facebook. “Unfortunately, it was not. These are the words of a representative of the Russian opposition that we are hosting.”
Kasčiūnas also criticised what he described as excessive protection and oversight gaps surrounding Russian opposition figures in Lithuania, calling for a change in policy.
Motuzas said Volkov’s remarks were surprising and that the exchange looked troubling, but added that Volkov should be heard directly before conclusions are drawn.
“Some of these questions are worth considering,” Motuzas said. “But of course, it would be necessary to hear Volkov himself in more detail.”
Late Monday, Volkov posted a statement on X, describing the message as emotional and harsh and saying it was addressed to a former colleague.
He said Tiron had joined a campaign against the Russian opposition and had spread false and defamatory claims about him and the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Volkov said he should not have written the message and acknowledged that he failed to control his emotions.
Volkov said he has long opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and described Russia’s war against Ukraine as an unconditional evil that must be defeated. He also reiterated his position that campaigns promoting hatred toward all Russians or assigning collective guilt based on nationality are misguided and serve Kremlin propaganda.
Volkov is legally residing in Lithuania and holds a temporary residence permit.
In March 2023, he was attacked in his car near his home in Vilnius. An assailant smashed his car window, sprayed tear gas and beat him with a meat mallet, breaking his arm and injuring his leg.
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