Lithuania has charged 13 suspects from a number of countries in a case involving preparations for two political killings in Vilnius on orders from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, Reuters reports, citing an announcement made by Lithuanian criminal police chief Saulius Briginas earlier today.
The suspects were detained in March 2025. Investigators say the group planned to kill Bashkir activist Ruslan Gabbasov, who had received political asylum in Lithuania, and a Lithuanian political adviser known for his anti-Russian rhetoric. The alleged killers were promised a total of €40,000, while the organizer was promised €50,000. Members of the group followed the potential victims, photographed and filmed them, and installed a listening device in the political adviser’s car.
The case involves citizens of Greece, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania.
"We are witnessing hybrid-style crimes against European Union countries, their national security, and persons who act in support of Ukraine," Briginas told reporters.
Police also believe the same suspects were behind an arson attack in Bulgaria on military equipment bound for Ukraine, and that they also conducted espionage targeting the Greek military.
In April 2026, at Vilnius’ request, authorities in Thessaloniki detained an unnamed 55-year-old suspect who is described as an ethnic Greek who lived in the Republic of Georgia. A court subsequently ordered his extradition to Lithuania. Investigators believe the man helped finance the operation by transferring €5,000 through intermediaries.
Bashkir activist Gabbasov later publicly confirmed that he was the target of the assassination plot. He said the planned killing was preceded by repeated attempts to lure him back to Russia, including through the arrest of his brother, Rustam Fararitdinov, with an offer to release him in exchange for the activist’s return. Gabbasov said that on the day the attack was allegedly planned, a hitman was waiting for him near his home as he returned with his wife and 5-year-old son.
This is not the first Russian intelligence operation uncovered in Lithuania. In 2025, a Lithuanian court handed down a 40-month prison sentence to an 18-year-old Ukrainian man who set fire to an IKEA warehouse in Vilnius while acting in the interests of Russian security services.
