Estonian court decides to extradite Russian citizen suspected of terrorism to Lithuania

An Estonian court has decided to extradite Eldar Salmanov, a Russian citizen living in Ida-Virumaa County, based on a request from Lithuania. Salmanov is suspected of involvement in terrorist acts in Europe, in particular, together with his partner, Estonian citizen Gelena Guseva. The detention took place in response to an arrest warrant issued by the Lithuanian prosecutor's office.

Source Eurointegration

In September 2025, a group of people who planned to commit four terrorist acts in different European countries were detected in Lithuania. These actions were related to postal items containing improvised explosive devices that were supposed to reach the UK and Poland. Studies point to the possible role of Russian intelligence services in these terrorist acts, which is a cause for concern in Lithuania and other European countries.

Given the suspicions against Salmanov, his extradition is an important step in the fight against terrorism in the region. It is expected that the process of transferring the detainee will take place in the near future, which may help Lithuanian law enforcement agencies in their investigation.