Court to hear alleged terror plot targeting two activists

A Vilnius court will begin hearing a case next week against six people accused of preparing a terrorist attack in Lithuania to kill at least two people, including activist Valdas Bartkevičius, LRT reported. The defendants are also accused of targeting Ruslan Gabasov, a Russian opposition activist living in Lithuania.

The alleged targets were selected because of their political views and public activities, according to prosecutors. Bartkevičius provides support to Ukraine and speaks out against the Kremlin, while Gabasov is publicly active in opposition to Russia’s current authorities.

The six defendants are Bohdan Asieiev, Vadim Duboiskis, Ikhtiandr Karibov, Andrei Liapin, Artur Vartanian and Vikentij Chopozov. They are citizens of Russia, Greece, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. They face charges including involvement in an organised terrorist group, recruiting and financing terrorist activity, travelling for terrorist purposes, illegally collecting private information, possessing software and passwords unlawfully, and possessing drugs without intent to distribute them.

The first hearing at Vilnius Regional Court is scheduled for October 9. The case will be heard behind closed doors, the court said, citing the information in the case and a request from the prosecutor.

Four defendants are in custody and two are subject to intensive supervision with electronic ankle monitors. The court has extended detention for two defendants and continued intensive supervision. A decision on extending supervision for another defendant is expected on Monday, said judge Mindaugas Povilanskas, who will chair the panel hearing the case.

The case was separated from a wider, ongoing investigation by the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau. The investigation, launched in 2025 and led by the Prosecutor General’s Office, is being conducted with the State Security Department and international partners. Fourteen people have so far been formally suspected in the investigation of possible terrorist and other offences.

The investigation began after a Russian citizen living in Lithuania contacted authorities in early 2025, saying an unidentified person had left a tracking device in his car. Investigators later concluded that his life and health were in real danger and identified possible perpetrators and accomplices in a planned killing. They also established that the group was allegedly planning to kill a Lithuanian citizen.

In September, Bartkevičius wrote on Facebook that he hoped the court would assess the responsibility of those involved in the alleged plot against him.