Vilnius court releases two suspects in DHL flammable parcel case

A Vilnius court has ordered the release of two men accused in the high-profile case involving flammable DHL parcels, though both will remain under strict supervision, LRT reports.

Vilnius Regional Court ruled on Wednesday to release 63-year-old Ukrainian citizen Vasilijus Kovačas and Russian citizen Eldaras Salmanovas, both of whom had been held in pre-trial detention. Each must now post a €30,000 bail, wear an electronic monitoring device, and comply with a curfew restricting their movements between 8 PM–10 AM and 2 PM–5 PM daily.

Kovačas, who resides in Kaunas, must also report regularly to local police for six months. The court warned that any violation of these conditions—including failure to appear when summoned, obstructing proceedings, or committing new offenses—could result in his re-arrest. His bail must be paid by Sunday to the court’s designated account; if forfeited, the sum will transfer to the Lithuanian state.

Salmanovas, based in Vilnius, faces identical restrictions and must surrender his Russian passport. He is required to check in with Vilnius police three times weekly. Both men retain the right to appeal the decision within 20 days; prosecutors have three days to challenge the ruling.

Kovačas’s defense attorney, Oksana Leontjeva, stated that her client—who was extradited from Latvia under a European Arrest Warrant—maintains his innocence. He claims he was asked by a friend of his godson to collect a parcel of “massage pillows for the neck” from a Latvian post office and deliver it to Vilnius without payment. According to Kovačas, he left the unsealed package in his car while shopping, only to later receive a call confirming its retrieval.

The case centers on allegations of terrorism linked to a network of flammable parcels intercepted in Lithuania. Five individuals—including Kovačas’s stepson, Ukrainian citizen Vadymas Borsukas (currently free pending trial)—were initially detained. The remaining suspects, Aleksandras Šuranovas and Daniilas Jencius, were not addressed in Wednesday’s ruling.