Lithuania seeks extradition from Greece of suspect linked to planned assassinations

Lithuania has formally requested the extradition of a 55-year-old man detained in Greece in connection with a plot to carry out multiple assassinations in Lithuania, the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed on Friday.

The office issued a statement through its Communications Department head, Elena Martinonienė, confirming that a European Arrest Warrant had been executed and a request submitted for the transfer of the detained individual. “We cannot disclose further details at this stage of the investigation to avoid compromising the case,” the statement read.

According to reports by the BNS news agency, Greek police arrested the man—identified as a Georgian national of Greek descent—in Thessaloniki on February 10. He is alleged to have facilitated the transfer of €5,000 intended to fund the planned killings.

The international criminal case is tied to a Russian intelligence network accused of orchestrating two intended assassinations in Lithuania. Media reports suggest the targets may have included Ruslan Gabbasov, a leader of the Bashkir national movement residing in Lithuania, and Valdas Bartkevičius, a public figure known for raising support for Ukraine.

Greek media indicate that multiple suspects linked to the case had gathered intelligence on the two targets, though the assassinations were thwarted last spring when Lithuanian police conducted a preemptive operation, arresting the suspects before the killings could be carried out.