Russia Seeks Investigation of Lithuanian Red Army Deserters

**Aunt Hilda** · 09-09-2014, 03:28 AM

Many Lithuanians in Soviet Army Deserted After Lithuania Declaration of Independence

Russia has asked Lithuania to help investigate an individual who refused to serve in the Soviet army in the early 1990s, the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office said Monday.

The request suggests that Russia is reopening criminal investigations against Lithuanian residents who refused to serve in the Soviet army after Lithuania declared its independence in 1990, before the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The request concerned one Lithuanian citizen who had left the Soviet army, said Elena Martinoniene, head of communications at the Lithuanian prosecutor general's office.

She said the office would analyze the appeal before making a decision, but noted that similar requests filed by Russia some 10 years ago were rejected because the activities listed as illegal by Russia weren't considered to be crimes in Lithuania.

A spokesman for the Russian prosecutor general's office declined to comment.

Some Lithuanians faced persecution by Soviet authorities, including criminal charges, after leaving the army in the wake of Lithuania's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

The Lithuanian State Security Department said it strongly advised Lithuanians who withdrew from the Soviet army in the early 1990s to refrain from traveling to Russia, Belarus or other countries outside the European Union or North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Travel to such countries may threaten personal security, it said.

The request comes just days after tensions increased between Baltic neighbors Estonia and Russia, following the apparent abduction and detention of an Estonian security officer by the Russian FSB security service. It also follows President Barack Obama's pledge to defend the Baltic states as NATO members during a visit to Estonia last week.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/russi...ter-1410191086