Lithuania fails to return Russian citizen who jumped from train a year ago

Lithuania has been unable to secure the return of a Russian citizen who disappeared from a transit train and fled to Finland nearly a year ago, public broadcaster LRT reports.

Danila Mukhametov, 21, allegedly jumped from the Adler–Kaliningrad transit train near Kybartai in mid-June 2025 and vanished. Despite an extensive search involving police units, border guard helicopters, canine teams, and drone operators, no trace of him was found.

An internal review by Lithuanian authorities concluded that officials had followed proper procedures in responding to the incident. Prosecutors later launched a pre-trial investigation into illegal border crossing, alleging Mukhametov exploited Lithuania’s transit rules to enter the country unlawfully.

Foreign media reported that Mukhametov, a former railway worker, had fled to avoid military conscription in Russia. After disappearing in Lithuania, he traveled by car and taxi to Latvia, then Estonia, before reaching Finland by ferry. Finnish authorities later rejected his asylum application.

A spokesperson for the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to ELTA that Mukhametov remains a suspect in the ongoing legal proceedings. “The person in question has been declared a suspect by prosecutorial order. Legal procedures and international cooperation for his extradition to Lithuania are continuing,” the statement read.

Under Lithuanian law, illegal border crossing carries penalties ranging from fines to up to two years in prison. The Adler–Kaliningrad train travels 227 kilometers through EU territory without stops. Satellite data suggested Mukhametov may have jumped between Pilviškiai and Kybartai, about 25 minutes before the train’s scheduled arrival.

Human rights activists have argued that Mukhametov’s case highlights the right to conscientious objection to military service, as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, Finnish officials cited the end of Russia’s official mobilization period—based on statements by former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin—as grounds for rejecting his asylum claim.