As Russians flee mobilisation – Lithuania's solution: what awaits them

For its part, Lithuania, although it has closed its borders to Russian citizens, with some exceptions, intends to assess the application of each conscientious objector on an individual basis.

„Lithuania does not have the intention and capacity to issue visas on humanitarian grounds to all Russian applicants. This also requires checks related to national security issues. Therefore, applications from Russian citizens will continue to be assessed in the normal way, taking into account all the circumstances and on an individual basis, to avoid threats to Lithuania's national security and to keep the door open to persecuted representatives of civil society and the opposition.

We will continue to consult with regional partners and at the EU level on how to respond,“ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a reply sent to lrytas.lt.

Giedrius Mišutis, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) spokesperson, said that no additional action would be taken in the border areas with Russia and Belarus for the time being, as border protection there is already maximally reinforced.

The border guards are now assessing the information and monitoring whether the flow of Russian citizens trying to enter Lithuania will change.

„In every crisis, it is expected that the situation may change. We are now working in a state of an emergency situation, which means that border control has been reinforced since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Of course, even more attention is being paid, information is being evaluated, and different situations are being prepared for.

There is no need to take any special measures because everything is already reinforced. However, the situation is being monitored, and if it becomes apparent that additional measures or reserves need to be taken, this will be done,“ Mišutis explained to lrytas.lt.

According to the representative of the SSAT, each Russian citizen who tries to enter the country due to draft evasion will be assessed individually and will have to justify his/her claims.

„A Russian citizen fleeing the regime if he or she does not have a visa, and if there is a reason for entry, he or she will apply for asylum in Lithuania. But if he goes undocumented, or with documents but without a visa, the circumstances will be assessed, the situation will be assessed in each case, the threats.

Saying that we are running away from something has to be very clearly argued, confirmed, etc. Taking advantage of this situation, we may find people who are not necessarily fleeing from some threats, but simply trying to enter the EU,“ Mišutis commented.

„It will have to be checked whether he is running away from mobilisation or whether he has some other goals. For example, the people who were fleeing the Belarusian regime, practically all of them, even those who cross the border in illegal places, are seeking asylum,“ he added.

The representative of the SSAT pointed out that, since the country's borders are closed to Russian citizens, far fewer of them are trying to enter the country. Last day, 1,603 Russian citizens entered Lithuania, while 21 were refused entry because they did not fall under the exemptions provided.

Following a regional decision to exclude also some Russian citizens who have already received visas, only those meeting the criteria approved by the Government are allowed to enter Lithuania: Russian diplomats, dissidents, employees of transport companies, family members of EU citizens, as well as Russians holding residence permits or long-stay national visas from Schengen countries.

Persons fleeing the Russian regime can also enter Lithuania. To prove that the Russian authorities are persecuting them, they need to present a summons, a court order or similar documents from the police, as well as information circulated in the public domain. Russian citizens can continue to transit through Lithuania by train to and from Kaliningrad Oblast.

Evelina Gudzinskaitė, Director of the Migration Department, pointed out that the number of Russian citizens applying for asylum in Lithuania increased slightly only after the outbreak of the war, but even then, according to her, the number of applications was low. Gudzinskaite did not predict whether the number of Russians applying for asylum in Lithuania would increase after the Kremlin's partial mobilisation.

„There is a possibility, but since the mobilisation is partial and not general mobilisation, the number is not that high for such a country. So even if there are (asylum seekers – editor's note), it is unlikely that there would be very many of them. However, we have to be prepared for the possibility of an increase in asylum applications,“ the director of the Migration Department told lrytas.lt.

Although Lithuania has closed its borders to Russian citizens, with some exceptions, it intends to assess the asylum application of each person fleeing conscription on an individual basis.

According to Ms Gudzinskaitė, the Migration Department will take decisions on whether to grant asylum to Russians fleeing mobilisation very carefully.

„They will have to justify their asylum request, why they are asking for it. They will have to look at all sorts of factors – it will not be a simple assessment. Everyone will have to be thoroughly assessed, checking the person's history, personality, their views.

If there are any such requests, they will be time-consuming and require complex investigations,“ said Ms Gudzinskaitė.

For his part, Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas stated that Lithuania's borders should remain closed to Russians fleeing mobilisation.

„If you think about it carefully, the Russians fleeing mobilisation is not fleeing political persecution because it is happening in their own country, which Putin has not occupied. So the borders must remain closed.

And, as always, Putin has added that it is forbidden for men under the age of 65 to leave (and to move within Russia) unless they have the necessary military certificate. And there are no more free tickets for trains and planes“, the Minister wrote on his Facebook account.

„A sad day for those who saw the Russo-Führer's delusions but did nothing,“ he added.