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Russia, Lithuania carry out ‘spy swap’

On Friday, the website of the Lithuanian president posted the decree on pardoning two Russian nationals who were convicted to 10.5 and ten years behind bars, respectively, for spying for Russia in 2017

© Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

VILNIUS, November 15. /TASS/. Russia and Lithuania have exchanged pardoned persons who were convicted on espionage charges, the press service of the Lithuanian president said on Friday.

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"Two Lithuanian citizens — Jevgenij Mataitis and Arstidas Tamosaitis — who were imprisoned in Russia were successfully returned to Lithuania," the press service said, adding that along with the two Lithuanian nationals, Frode Berg, a Norwegian citizen, convicted in Russia for espionage, "was also returned and handed over to the Norwegian Embassy in Lithuania."

On Friday, the website of the Lithuanian president posted the presidential decree on pardoning Russian nationals Sergei Moiseyenko and Nikolai Filipchenko who were convicted to 10.5 and ten years behind bars, respectively, for spying for Russia back in 2017.

The Lithuanian mass media reported in October that Vilnius and Moscow had agreed to exchange persons convicted for espionage activities. According to the reports, Lithuania was getting prepared to hand over Filipchenko and another Russian national while Russia was to hand over Mataitis and Tamosaitis who were convicted in 2016.

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