A 68-year-old Russian man who swims across the Nemunas River from Russia’s Kaliningrad to Lithuania in an attempt to seek asylum is sentenced in Russia to six years in a strict-regime penal colony. The outlets report that the sentence is tied to charges including “publicly justifying terrorism.”
The Moscow Times identifies him as Igor Odintsov and says he told investigators he faced persecution in Russia because of social media posts. LRT English reports that his asylum request in Lithuania is denied, and Lithuania-based reporting says he is then convicted in Russia over anti-war statements. Across the accounts, the man’s attempt to reach Lithuania for protection ends with a Russian prison sentence after he is returned and tried.
