Lithuanian border guards at the Miedininkai crossing on the Belarusian border detained two foreigners wanted by Spain, Lithuania, and Germany — a Russian citizen and a Belarusian citizen. The initiating countries were notified, and both detainees were handed over to Vilnius police, the State Border Guard Service reported.
Late on Thursday, officers were inspecting a Setra bus travelling from Kaunas to Minsk. One passenger was found to have been wanted by Spanish police since June 2021. It was also established that the 26-year-old Russian citizen was on an Interpol international wanted list at Lithuania’s request.
A search of his luggage revealed clothing, a backpack with a laptop and a phone, as well as about EUR 4,000. He was held in a temporary detention cell until the police convoy arrived.
A few hours later, during checks of cars entering Lithuania, border guards established that a passenger of a Nissan Qashqai with Russian plates was wanted by German police. Passport checks showed that the 35-year-old Belarusian citizen, travelling with a Polish Schengen visa, was subject to a European arrest warrant issued on 23 October at Germany’s request.
The car’s driver — a Russian citizen — and the second passenger — a Belarusian citizen — were allowed to continue their journey. The wanted man was placed in temporary custody. A search of his belongings uncovered a laptop, a mobile phone, and more than EUR 6,000. He was handed over to Vilnius police an hour later.
According to the Lithuanian Border Guard Service, 749 wanted individuals have been detained since the beginning of this year. Most of them were Lithuanian citizens (646). Others included citizens of Russia (44), the UK (13), Belarus (12) and Latvia (8).
In 2024, 767 wanted persons were detained, 592 of them at airports. The majority were Lithuanian citizens (705). Among others were citizens of the UK (19), Ukraine (16), Belarus (6), Russia (4), Georgia and Moldova (3 each), Ireland (2), and nationals of nine more countries.