A cross-border criminal case centres on an alleged Russian spy network that Lithuanian authorities say was planning two killings, with at least one arrest and several named suspects linked to Greece.
The case involves a 55-year-old ethnic Greek from Georgia who was arrested at his home in western Thessaloniki in the early hours of 10 February under a European arrest warrant. He is accused of acting as a cooperating member of a Russian agent network and faces several charges, including assisting an action by another country against Lithuania.
The Thessaloniki Appeals Council has ruled in favour of extraditing him to Lithuania despite his objections, but he is expected to appeal to Greece's Supreme Court, the Areios Pagos, which will make the final decision on whether he is extradited. The man, who denies the accusations against him, argued that his life would be at risk if he were handed over.
The Lithuanian indictment concerns an alleged plan to kill two people: a 46-year-old activist from an independent Russian republic who later sought political asylum in Lithuania, and a Lithuanian political adviser known for anti-Russian rhetoric and actions.
Lithuanian authorities reportedly believe those involved gathered intelligence on the two targets and monitored them using photographs and videos. The plan, however, was not carried out because police conducted an operation on 12 March last year and arrested suspects before the alleged killings could occur. The indictment includes at least seven individuals.
According to information obtained by Voria.gr, the indictment, handled by judicial authorities in Vilnius, includes at least four ethnic Greek names. Three of those individuals reportedly hold only Greek citizenship, while a fourth has both Greek and Russian citizenship. The defendants named in the case include one dual Greek-Russian national, three Greeks, one Georgian, one Ukrainian, two Belarusians and two Lithuanians.
The main defendants do not appear to be the four Greeks. Instead, they are alleged to have coordinated surveillance of the two targets and organised a murder plan in which hitmen would receive 40,000 euros, while the person arranging the killing would receive 10,000 euros. As per the indictment, 5,000 euros had already been paid for preliminary actions, including passports and travel to Lithuania for the would-be killers.
The 55-year-old in Thessaloniki is accused of transferring money through intermediaries. The indictment also reportedly states that on 20 February 2025, two Greek nationals from Georgia sent money through an international remittance company with offices in Thessaloniki's Aristotelous Square to another ethnic Greek from Russia. One of those two senders was later arrested.
Another suspect with a Greek name is accused of helping return part of the money, while a third Greece-linked suspect is accused of finding and contacting a Lithuanian who undertook, but did not complete, the task of obtaining a weapon for the killings. Apart from the 55-year-old, there are no other details on the Greek suspects beyond their names.
The Lithuanian political adviser was shown in images exchanged among the alleged network members, and the police found a listening device under the bonnet of his car to track his daily movements. At least four people are said to have taken part in surveillance using cameras and photographic equipment mounted on vehicles, while one suspect allegedly penetrated the activist's electronic systems.
A dual Greek-Russian national appears to have had a more central role, and the key figure in the case may live in another European country, with information in the file reportedly placing that person in Germany. The investigation into locating and arresting other suspects in other countries may still be continuing.
by Costas Kantouris - adapted from Greek by Vassia Barba
