EditLithuania suspects Russian provocation after funeral wreaths appear at defence company
Almost at the same time, similar wreaths and a photograph of executive David Chur appeared outside the offices of the Czech defence company CSG
Similar incidents occurred almost simultaneously outside the offices of defence companies in Lithuania and the Czech Republic: funeral wreaths and photographs of company executives decorated with black mourning ribbons were left near the buildings.
In Vilnius, several wreaths appeared outside the offices of RSI Europe, a company that produces unmanned systems and supplies FPV drones and remote detonation systems to Ukraine. A photograph of the company’s head, Tomas Milašauskas, with a black ribbon was placed next to them.
Milašauskas is alive and well. He described the incident as an attempt at intimidation.
“We are not afraid. This is ordinary intimidation, a provocation, the usual methods the Russians use. Our reaction is completely normal — we continue working, we don’t react and we don’t get distracted, because their goal is to divert our attention,” he said.
The company had not faced this kind of provocation before, though it had previously been targeted by cyberattacks.
Lithuanian authorities had already warned defence-industry firms about the risk of provocations. Police quickly detained one suspect and opened a pre-trial investigation. Sources say the detained person is a Ukrainian citizen who may have been hired by a Belarusian to deliver the wreaths.
🇱🇹🇨🇿 Similar incidents occurred near the offices of defense industry companies in Lithuania and the Czech Republic almost simultaneously, – Delfi
Funeral wreaths and photographs of company executives wearing black ribbons appeared outside the buildings.
Lithuanian authorities… pic.twitter.com/LhvwFrCJra
— MAKS 26 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) August 30, 2026
Almost at the same time, similar wreaths and a photograph of executive David Chur appeared outside the offices of the Czech defence company CSG, which produces ammunition and military equipment. Investigators are examining whether the two incidents are linked.
Photos and videos of the wreaths quickly spread on social media and Telegram channels accompanied by claims that NATO is waging war against Russia through Ukraine and that European companies supporting Kyiv are profiting from the conflict. Lithuanian officials said this information campaign fits the pattern of Russian hybrid operations.
The head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center said enhanced monitoring after earlier discussions with defence companies helped lead to the arrest. A senior Lithuanian parliamentarian warned that such incidents may become more frequent.
This article is drawing from reporting by EUalive’s partner European Pravda
Caption: Still frame from video published by Delfi.lt [best quality available]
Updated: August 31, 2026 - 06:41
