Lithuania’s State Security Department declines to comment on president’s warnings of possible Russian attacks

Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) has declined to comment on President Gitanas Nausėda’s statements about potential Russian actions against individuals who consistently support Ukraine or are linked to opposition against the Kremlin, LRT reports.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Latvia’s president on Wednesday, Nausėda said Lithuanian institutions had received information about such threats. He noted that Latvia’s president had referenced possible measures against individuals actively aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia, as well as those connected to Russian opposition figures.

“Yes, such information has helped us even prevent potential kinetic actions against these individuals,” the president said.

When asked to comment on the president’s remarks and whether such threats had been recorded in Lithuania, the VSD provided no additional statements to ELTA.

ELTA recalled that in 2024, Lithuania thwarted a possible assassination attempt against public figure Valdas Bartkevičius, who actively supports Ukraine. Ruslan Gabasov, founder of the Bashkir National Movement Committee operating abroad, also stated in May that Lithuanian special services had prevented an attempt on his life.

Greek media reported that a 55-year-old man was detained in Thessaloniki, accused of facilitating the transfer of €5,000 for a murder planned in Lithuania. Authorities in Lithuania have linked a suspected Russian spy network, allegedly planning two murders, to this case. At least one of the detained individuals, along with several other suspects in the plot, has ties to Greece.

Additionally, in early 2024, Leonid Volkov, an associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was attacked near his home in Vilnius. Earlier this year, Polish authorities submitted an indictment against Russian citizen Anatoly Blinov, who is suspected of, among other things, ordering the assault on Volkov.

Nausėda previously told TV3 Žinios that Russia is planning selective kinetic operations against neighbouring states. He noted that while Russia lacks the capacity for large-scale military operations on two fronts, provocations remain possible. In response, Lithuania has strengthened protection for critical infrastructure, including energy and transport facilities, with support from the military.

ELTA also noted that in June, the Ministry of the Interior warned that Russia might be planning provocations against objects in the Baltic states. In early July, The Telegraph reported that the US had warned Warsaw of a possible limited military provocation by Russia against Poland in the coming months. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski neither confirmed nor denied the report but acknowledged its publication by a reliable source.