Overview
- Prime Minister Inga Ruginene called Leonid Volkov’s remarks unacceptable and said such a person should not remain in Lithuania.
- The Migration Department has requested an assessment from the State Security Department on potential national-security implications of Volkov’s words.
- Officials say a decision on revoking Volkov’s residence permit could follow once the security assessment is completed.
- The uproar began after former FBK staffer Anna Tiron, now working with the Russian Volunteer Corps, posted a Jan. 5 screenshot of Volkov’s private message.
- In the message, Volkov insulted RDK leader Denis Kapustin and said Ukrainian officials including Andriy Yermak, Mykhailo Podolyak, and Kyrylo Budanov would “sit,” later apologizing and calling the note an emotional, harsh private remark; reports of Kapustin’s death were later described as staged.