Russian man swims from Kaliningrad region to Lithuania and asks for asylum
A Russian citizen swam across the Neman River from the Kaliningrad region and reached Lithuania, where he asked for political asylum. Lithuanian authorities refused him and returned the man to Russia the same day.
The incident occurred on Thursday, September 17. The Russian citizen was found on the shore within the Pagėgiai municipality. Representative of the State Border Guard Service of Lithuania Giedrius Mišutis confirmed that the man arrived via the Neman from the Kaliningrad region and after being detained was interviewed.
According to Lithuanian media, the man is about 60 years old. He stated that he wants political asylum because he is allegedly being persecuted in Russia due to his activity on social networks.
However, after checking, the Lithuanian services decided not to allow him entry. Mišutis reported that the authorities noted contradictions in the information provided by the man and also received information about a potential threat if he were admitted to the territory of the European Union. The Lithuanian side did not disclose the details of this data.
Lithuanian Minister of the Interior Martinas Katelinas confirmed that the man asked for political asylum, but after consultations with the services, it was decided to return him to Russia. After the crossing, the Russian was provided with dry clothes and his health was checked.
Lithuanian border guards did not say what distance the man swam and how long he was in the water. The State Border Guard Service noted that attempts to get from the Kaliningrad region to Lithuania this way are rare, but the Neman section is constantly monitored by technical surveillance means.
In February 2026, Lithuanian border guards had already detained a man who crossed the border from the Kaliningrad region on the ice of the frozen Neman. As it turned out later, he had citizenship of Russia, Germany and Ireland.
