# Russian man who swam to Lithuania seeking asylum is sent back and sentenced to six years

https://mins.news/en/item/89542

- Meduza, 2026-10-07 11:34 UTC
- World
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/07/a-russian-man-swam-to-lithuania-to-seek-asylum-he-was-sent-back-to-russia-where-he-was-sentenced-to-six-years-in-prison

> The Baltic Fleet Military Court sentenced 68-year-old Igor Odintsov to six years in prison for allegedly publicly calling for terrorist activity on social media. Odintsov had swum from Russia’s Kaliningrad region to Lithuania to seek political asylum, but Lithuanian border guards returned him to Russia. A local outlet reported that he had spoken against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

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- [Asylum-seeking Russian swimmer sentenced to six years in penal colony](https://mins.news/en/item/90497) — euronews, 2026-10-07