Lithuanian broadcaster LRT has revealed details of the detention of a teenager over the inscription “Vilnia nasha” (“Vilnia is ours”), which took place this morning in Vilnius. Police had not previously disclosed details of the incident.
It turned out that the teenager was detained by a passerby, who shared the story with the channel. In the report, he is identified as Pauliaus (name changed).
According to him, on his way to work he noticed an unusual scene near a pedestrian bridge.
“I saw a person squatting and doing something. I didn’t pay much attention at first, but as I got closer, I noticed someone in a hood, dressed in black, who was taking photos,” Pauliaus said.
He then realized the person was photographing a Cyrillic inscription. He had already heard about similar provocative graffiti, which, according to Lithuanian law enforcement, are carried out on instructions from Russian and Belarusian special services to sow discord. Several such inscriptions have recently appeared in the Lithuanian capital.
“I asked: ‘What are you doing here?’ He looked at me, realized he had been caught, and ran,” Pauliaus continued.
The man chased the teenager. On Gediminas Avenue, he called for help from passersby. Eventually, the fleeing suspect stumbled, allowing the man to detain him.
According to Paulius, the boy said he was only 14, began to cry, and apologized.
“He said he didn’t want to draw anything, that he did it because he was threatened: if he didn’t write those words and photograph them, his house would be burned down,” the man said.
Police who arrived at the scene said the teenager was already known to them. Pauliaus also noted that the boy spoke Lithuanian without an accent.
