ZCZC
BFF-25
LITHUANIA-RUSSIA-ESPIONAGE-RESPONSE
Moscow will respond in kind to Lithuania’s pardon of Russian spies: spy
chief
MOSCOW, Nov 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Moscow will respond in kind after
Lithuania pardoned two Russians jailed for espionage, the head of Russia’s
foreign intelligence agency said Friday.
“According to my information, it is reciprocal measures,” Sergei
Naryshkin, director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) told Russian
news agencies in response to a question about Moscow’s reaction.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Friday pardoned two Russians
jailed by Vilnius in 2017 for espionage, Nikolai Filipchenko and Sergei
Moiseyenko.
The pair could be exchanged for two Lithuanian citizens, Yevgeny Mataitis
and Aristidas Tamosaitis, convicted in 2016 of spying in Russia, the Baltic
News Service said.
The two Lithuanians were sentenced in Russia for allegedly passing Russian
military intelligence to Lithuania.
Lithuania and its fellow Baltic states Estonia and Latvia have strained
relations with neighbouring Russia.
A Norwegian, Frode Berg, convicted of spying and jailed in Russia could
also be part of the spy swap, the BNS said, quoting senior officials who
requested anonymity.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1720HRS