Lithuania: Russian army lieutenant applies for asylum

A Russian army lieutenant who took part in Russia’s war in Ukraine has fled to Lithuania and applied for asylum, TV3 reports. He was detained at Vilnius bus station, after which he applied for asylum. Earlier, the man had crossed the border from Belarus but was pushed back by border guards. In June 2023, a Russian air force pilot gave an interview to BBC and applied for asylum in Lithuania. Evelina Gudzinskaite, director of the Lithuanian Migration Department, noted that Russian army deserters rarely applied for asylum in Lithuania.