Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office said on Monday it is conducting a pre-trial investigation into a plot to assassinate a Russian political exile and a Lithuanian pro-Ukraine activist.
“The investigation was launched last year. At present, 13 individuals have been named as suspects in the pre-trial investigation. Nine are in Lithuania – seven of them are in custody, while two are subject to less restrictive measures,” Martynas Jovaiša, acting chief prosecutor of the Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department, told reporters on Monday.
He added that extradition procedures are underway for two further suspects. Those under investigation include one Lithuanian national as well as individuals from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Latvia, Moldova and Greece.
One suspect has been detained in Greece. A first-instance court has already approved his extradition to Lithuania, although the decision has been appealed and a ruling from a higher court is pending.
“For this crime – murder for terrorist purposes – a sentence of life imprisonment may be imposed,” Jovaiša said.
The deputy head of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, Saulius Briginas, said authorities had recently seen a rise in acts directed against European Union countries, their national security interests and individuals who support Ukraine.
“In essence, the nature and objectives of these criminal acts correspond to those of the Russian Federation. During the investigation, a unique large-scale operation was carried out, which prevented the planned murders of two individuals in Lithuania,” he said.
Briginas identified one of the intended targets as a Lithuanian citizen, Valdas Bartkevičius, who is actively supporting Ukraine, providing assistance and strongly criticising the Kremlin.
The other would have been Ruslan Gabbasov, a Lithuania-based Bashkir activist from Russia.
“This investigation began in March 2025, when the Russian national discovered tracking and positioning equipment in his car – essentially by chance or due to his attentiveness,” Briginas said.
“In response, and through proactive investigative measures, we identified possible perpetrators and accomplices,” he added. “We also established that there was a real threat to this individual’s life and health, and that plans were being made to kill him.”
“At the same time, through covert investigative actions, countermeasures and monitoring of the suspects’ activities, it was established that these individuals were also planning the murder of the Lithuanian citizen,” Briginas said.
On March 12 last year, officers from the Criminal Police Bureau, together with the anti-terrorist unit Aras, carried out an operation in which they detained suspected perpetrators while they were in an active stage of preparing the crime.
“One suspect was detained, effectively at the scene, near the potential victim’s home. As the investigation continued, and in close cooperation with authorities in Poland, Greece and Ukraine, a large-scale international operation was carried out earlier this year, leading to the arrest of other suspects linked to organising and carrying out these crimes,” Briginas said.
In Thessaloniki, Greece, a 55-year-old man was detained for helping transfer €5,000 intended to finance the planned killings in Lithuania.
According to prosecutors, the Greek national, originally from Georgia, was arrested on February 10 under a European arrest warrant.
According to Briginas, investigators established that the suspects also gathered intelligence on military infrastructure in Greece and may also have been involved in organising the arson of Ukraine-bound military equipment in Bulgaria.
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