Association asks prosecutors to investigate alleged conscript data leak

The Young Market Participants Association has asked Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office to open a pre-trial investigation into the alleged leak of data on 158,391 military conscripts, LRT reported.

The association said an open-source intelligence analysis found that the conscripts’ personal data had been unlawfully collected, organised and published online. The information allegedly included names, years of birth, conscription identification codes and other details about the conscription process.

The association said it had identified at least 218,000 data-processing violations. It said two articles of Lithuania’s Criminal Code define such conduct as the unlawful collection, disclosure or use of information about a person’s private life.

According to the association, the first incident was identified in 2019, while other incidents occurred between 2023 and 2026.

The association said it had contacted prosecutors on Wednesday in the public interest and to defend the rights of five affected people. LRT also contacted the Ministry of National Defence for comment. The report will be updated after a response is received.

Association head Ignas Plunksnis said the disclosed information posed a danger and that he had personally received a threat sent to an email address exposed in the alleged leak.

“People can be identified. There is registration information, the year of birth and details of whether someone postponed service or underwent a medical examination,” Plunksnis told LRT.

From January 1, the Ministry of National Defence plans to stop publicly publishing lists of conscripts. The ministry plans to amend the Law on Conscription and Alternative National Defence Service for this purpose.

Ombudsperson receives conscript complaint

Earlier this year, Seimas Ombudsperson Erika Leonaitė urged state institutions to review the procedure for publicly publishing the personal data of thousands of conscripts.

She said the current legal framework disproportionately restricted conscripts’ rights and could also pose a threat to national security.

According to Leonaitė, a person included on the 2026 conscription list filed a complaint. The complainant said that personal data and conscription status publicly available on a website for conscripts had led to anonymous threats of violence after the person postponed mandatory military service.

Leonaitė also warned that publicly available information could be collected by hostile states, raising questions about whether the current legal framework was compatible with national security and defence objectives.

A total of 42,556 young people were included on this year’s conscription list, while another 3,800 volunteered for service. About 5,000 people are expected to be called up this year.