This was reported on the social network “X” by the Russian independent media outlet SOTA.
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“The situation in Lithuania will become increasingly difficult, also due to its proximity to Russia (…). I want to draw attention to the comments of Lithuanian politicians regarding Leonid Volkov’s statement: they all unanimously said that everything is very bad and that his residence permit should be revoked. However, the court, well, the official institutions refused to do so, but the overall situation is such that there will be pressure, suspicion, and so on,” said S. Smirnov.
A month ago, S. Smirnov stated that “Mediazona” lost donations from Russia (about 10 million rubles per year): “With the cessation of Russian donations, we again have to think about survival.”
“Mediazona” is a Russian independent media outlet, mainly writing about law enforcement, courts, and the penal system in Russia. It was founded in 2014 by Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who served sentences following the trial of the feminist protest punk group “Pussy Riot.”
As BNS wrote, Russian opposition figure and close associate of the late Alexei Navalny, L. Volkov, was granted a permanent residence permit in Lithuania in June.
This decision was made by the institution after analyzing the politician’s own application, gathering public and non-public information, and receiving an intelligence assessment.
L. Volkov has been living in Lithuania since 2019. He left Russia after criminal charges were brought against him by the authorities. In 2021, Russia included the activist on the wanted persons list.
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In Lithuania, L. Volkov initially stayed on a visa, later received a temporary residence permit, and then sought to change it to a permanent one.
At the beginning of the year, L. Volkov caused outrage in the public space when his private correspondence was made public. A screenshot circulating online showed the opposition figure rejoicing over the alleged killing of Denis Kapustin, the leader of the Russian volunteer corps that conducted raids in Russia during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
His comments were then criticized by Lithuanian leaders, and some politicians urged the Russian opposition figure to leave the country himself.
In response to this situation, the Migration Department asked the State Security Department (VSD) to assess whether the politician’s statements posed a threat to the country’s security. The intelligence later concluded that no threat was found.
The opposition figure himself later said he regretted writing such a message, calling it foolish, emotional, and wrong.
In March two years ago, L. Volkov was attacked in Vilnius in a car near his home.
