Russian activist who swam into Lithuania was returned and sentenced to six years in Russia

Lithuanian border guards returned a 68-year-old Russian citizen, Igor Odintsov, to Russia in September after he crossed the Nemunas River from Russia's Kaliningrad region into Lithuania. He was later sentenced in Russia to six years in prison for condemning the war in Ukraine. The case has raised questions about whether Lithuanian officials properly handled a possible asylum request.

Escape and handover

Odintsov is a surveyor from the town of Sovetsk in the Kaliningrad region. His friend Boris told the news outlet Sever.Realii that Odintsov had always opposed Soviet rule and, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, also spoke out against Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities.

In a letter received by Alyona Dergacheva, a former journalist of the now-defunct independent outlet Mediazona, Odintsov wrote that he walked 4–5 km barefoot and wearing only swimming trunks before meeting a border patrol. He says he told the officers he was seeking political asylum and had crossed to avoid punishment under Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code. According to him, he was questioned for hours but was never allowed to submit a written application. Around 18:00 he was taken to Panemunė and handed to Russian border guards on the bridge.

Official explanations

Lithuania's State Border Guard Service (VSAT) says that after an individual assessment it decided not to admit the man. Its adviser Giedrius Mišutis said the man's words could not be regarded as a clear request for international protection and that he never said his life or freedom would be at risk in Russia.

Lithuania's Interior Ministry said it trusts the border guards' professionalism and plans no action against them. It stressed that, given Russia's aggressive policies and hybrid attacks, illegal crossings may be linked to espionage or sabotage.

Renata Kulesh, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) representative in Lithuania, said asylum can be requested verbally and that an independent investigation is needed where accounts conflict.