Lithuania detains group suspected of spying for Russia

Among the suspects is Algirdas Paleckis, a well-known politician and one of the country’s negotiators in the run-up to Lithuania joining the European Union in 2004, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

He was detained in October, according to IAR.

Another of the detained suspects is Valery Ivanov, a Russian citizen and the former head of a pro-Moscow organisation, according to IAR.

Ivanov was released on Wednesday evening but is set to face trial, IAR reported.

The Lithuanian prosecutor-general, Evaldas Pasilis, has said that the suspects were a threat to national security, according to IAR.

Pasilis said other people had also been detained but declined to name them. He added they had links with parties not represented in the Lithuanian parliament.

(pk/gs)

Source: IAR