Russian who swam to Lithuania seeking asylum is returned and jailed for six years
Igor Odintsov, 68, crossed the Neman River from Russia's Kaliningrad region into Lithuania in September and asked for political asylum, but border guards sent him back. A Russian military court has now sentenced him to six years in prison.
The Baltic Fleet Military Court has handed a six-year prison sentence to Igor Odintsov, a 68-year-old Russian national. In September he swam across the Neman River from Russia's Kaliningrad region into Lithuania and requested political asylum. Lithuanian border guards nevertheless returned him to Russia.
Odintsov was convicted of publicly calling for terrorist activity in social media posts. The news portal Ruwest reported that he had spoken out against Russia's war in Ukraine.
Course of the case
After he fled to Lithuania, the hearing in his case was suspended on 17 September. He was detained again on 21 September, and the verdict was delivered on 30 September.
Lithuania's explanation
Following the expulsion, Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas acknowledged that the man had been sent back despite asking for political asylum. Upon arrival, Odintsov told Interior Ministry and border guard officers about the persecution he faced, but they concluded he should be returned.
The border guard service said his statements about seeking protection were vague. It said it had no information about any danger facing him, any special status or a possible admission into the European Union, and that he does not belong to the category of vulnerable persons. Based on this, it decided not to let him enter the country.
