Lithuania investigates case involving citizen suspected of spying for Russia

Lithuanian prosecutors are investigating a Lithuanian citizen suspected of spying for Russia by gathering information on military facilities, equipment, and troop movements. According to Ukrinform, the country's Prosecutor General's Office announced this on Friday, as reported by LRT. It is noted that the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office launched a pre-trial investigation after the Lithuanian State Security Department received intelligence indicating that the suspect had been gathering information using methods associated with Russian intelligence services.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the suspect allegedly established contact via the Telegram messaging app and, acting on instructions from intermediaries linked to Russian intelligence, gathered information about military infrastructure and activities in Lithuania. Investigators claim that court-authorized surveillance revealed that the suspect photographed and provided information about a Lithuanian Armed Forces battalion, a company that manufactures military radar systems, and the movement of military equipment at Vilnius Airport. The suspect also allegedly shared photographs of military equipment and offered to gather similar information while traveling through Belgium.

Prosecutors stated that the evidence gathered so far indicates that the suspect acted intentionally to assist a foreign state and understood that the information was being passed on to an individual who potentially represented the Russian Ministry of Defense. Under the Criminal Code of Lithuania, the collection or transmission of state secrets or other information of interest to foreign intelligence services on behalf of another state or its representatives is punishable by imprisonment for a term of six to fifteen years.