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According to the Attorney General’s Office, which referred the case to court in January this year, the defendants do not know each other and their activities differ, but data from the pre-trial investigation suggest that they were involved in crimes against the state. Lithuanian for the Federal Security Service of Russia (FST), an official of the Border Board of the region, who presented himself with a fictitious identity and spoke excellent Lithuanian.
Aleksej Greičius and Mindaugas Tunikaitis, Director General of the Baltic Youth Association Juvenis, were charged with espionage in this case.
In 2015, M. Tunikaitis, who lives in Pagėgiai, on the border with Karaliaučiai, was a candidate for the municipal council for the Lietuvos Lietuvos political party.
In 2015, A. Greičius and the Russian Lithuanian Union ran for the Klaipėda City Council.
The pre-trial investigation began upon receipt of the collected material from the Department of Homeland Security (SSD) by the means provided for in the Intelligence Act.
During the investigation carried out by the Klaipėda regional prosecutors, the Klaipėda Police Criminal Police and the Department of State Security, it was established that a resident of the Klaipėda region came to the attention of a Russian intelligence officer in 2014 .
The acquaintance began as if they were in casual contact crossing the Lithuanian-Russian border crossing and as with insignificant requests from a man who had introduced himself to Peter, such as buying a calendar or a bottle of wine hanging on the wall in Lithuania. In the long term, according to law enforcement agencies, it became the execution of orders directed against Lithuania.
In carrying out the tasks of a foreign intelligence organization, the defendant had to photograph specific objects, collect information about the referred persons, participate in certain events, acquire and transmit the requested publications, publicly publish certain information, and perform other tasks.
The defendant was paid in cash for the transmitted data, in the form of “health support” or “reimbursement” of visa fees.
During the investigation, the defendant admitted to having complied with the instructions, although after a while he began to realize that they could be illegal and that the person who was communicating with him was not the one presenting. According to him, although he had thoughts to apply to the forces of order, he did not dare to fear blackmail.
The defendant also admitted that he had contacted Peter, who had entrusted him with the task, carried out the task assigned to him and transmitted the data obtained secretly, using various means of conspiracy, which also strengthened the suspicion of illegal actions.
Another defendant met with the same Russian intelligence representative in 2016 on one of the social networks.
According to the police, the accused was acting as the head of a public organization at the time, so he was not surprised by a message received privately in which he was interested in the activities of the organization. The correspondence lasted several months, after which the defendant met with the person who introduced Peter to Sovetsk.
The conclusions of the pre-trial investigation suggest that the defendant agreed with Piotr that the latter would fully or partially finance the events organized by the defendant.
The defendants also undertook to photograph and film these events, the people who participated in them or only observed them and to pass this video to Piotr, as well as to collect information related to these events, prepare and publish texts in the Lithuanian media. specified and pass on Piotra information confidentially.
According to the study, at least ten events financed by Piotro were organized.
The defendant continued his communication with Piotr even after SSD officials realized that he was a Russian FST official performing the task of gathering information of interest to Russian intelligence in Lithuania and influencing the social and political processes taking place in Lithuania.
According to the investigation, the defendant was also actively involved in providing contact information and introducing Piotra to other people who could cooperate, secretly performing other tasks of collecting information and transmitting the data received.
Both individuals were arrested in early March of last year. They are currently subject to preventive detention without custody.
Ela Andrejeva, a member of the Klaipėda Council, was also detained in this pre-trial investigation last spring. His lawyer, Natalya Fochenko, later told BNS that the politician had been granted special witness status.
A person can be sentenced to between three and fifteen years in prison for espionage.
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