Prime Minister Inga Ruginene says that the statements of Russian opposition figure Leonid Volkov about Ukrainian military personnel and officials are unacceptable, and hopes (a subtle push on the relevant authorities) that his residence permit in Lithuania will be revoked.
“In my personal opinion, such statements are unacceptable, and such a person should not remain in Lithuania,” the Prime Minister told journalists at the government on Wednesday.
“Leonid Volkov's statement (...) is absolutely unacceptable. The State Security Department (SSD - BNS) is conducting an investigation, and after this investigation, the Migration Department will provide its assessments. I really hope that the investigation will be thorough, and in the future, we can avoid both such statements and people who allow themselves to make such statements,” Ruginene assured.
The BNS agency reported that the Migration Department had approached the SSD for additional consultation regarding a possible threat to national security and requested an assessment of Volkov's statements that had appeared in the public domain.
The publication of a conversation with Volkov, who resides in Lithuania, caused outrage among some politicians and public figures. The conversation was published by Anna Tyron, a former employee of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), who later joined the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) fighting in Ukraine.
In a screenshot that spread online, the opposition figure expresses joy over the alleged killing of Denis Kapustin, the commander of the RDK, who conducted raids into Russian territory during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
“The Nazi died, who by his very existence was a gift for Kremlin propaganda. Who, with his clownish 'corps', was solving murky tasks for the vile village political technologist (former head of Ukraine's military intelligence Kirill - BNS) Budanov,” Volkov wrote.
“I hope that Kapustin's friends will follow. Ermak (former head of the administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Andriy Ermak - BNS) will be imprisoned, Podolyak (Zelensky's advisor Mykhailo Podolyak - BNS) will be imprisoned, Budanov and all the other propagandist hypocritical thieves will be imprisoned. And then Ukraine will have a chance to win. But as long as it bets on the Kapustins, it has no hope,” he claimed.
Volkov, as a former associate of one of the leaders of the Russian opposition Alexei Navalny and an employee of the FBK, has a temporary residence permit in Lithuania.
The laws stipulate that a temporary residence permit can be revoked if a foreigner's stay in Lithuania poses a threat to national security, public order, or public health.
The SSD indicates that within its competence, it monitors and weighs all risk factors and threats to national security.
At the same time, in its response to the BNS agency, it is noted that “such rhetoric can be used by regimes hostile to Lithuania and Ukraine for their propaganda purposes.”
In March of the year before last, Volkov was attacked in Vilnius, in a car near his home.
The attacker broke the car window, sprayed tear gas, and began to beat Volkov with a meat hammer. He suffered a broken arm and a damaged leg.
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