Main image: The Embassy of Russia in Vilnius. Photo by E. Blazhis / LRT
In Lithuania, the identity of a Russian embassy employee in Vilnius was revealed, who, according to journalists, is also an FSB officer, as reported by LRT.
According to the RuPEP database, created by independent Russian journalists and containing information about public officials, this individual is Dmitry Sergeyevich Kurguz. The information indicates that he has been serving in the FSB since 2017 and has been working in Vilnius since 2023.
Kurguz's name came to light following an incident on April 13, when Belarusian blogger Andrei Pauka came to the Russian embassy in Vilnius to protest after a missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy killed over 30 people. Kurguz got into a verbal altercation with the blogger, and another embassy employee, Igor Alekseevich Khazov, hit Pauka several times and then stole his bicycle, taking it onto embassy grounds. Later, after the arrival of Lithuanian police, the bicycle was returned. On Thursday, Vilnius police confirmed they had begun an administrative investigation into the public order violation by the Russian embassy staff member.
After the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2022, European countries expelled numerous staff members from Russian diplomatic missions. In Lithuania, several dozen individuals were expelled from embassies in Vilnius and Klaipeda. According to experts, in response, Russian intelligence agencies began using local agents more frequently, contacting them via secure messaging apps.
Nevertheless, the incident with Kurguz indicates that Russia may still have active intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover in EU countries. Earlier, Lithuanian police also reported another case related to Russian intelligence—specifically, the detention of an 18-year-old Ukrainian citizen accused of setting fire to an IKEA store as part of an alleged Russian intelligence operation.
