On 1991-07-31 at approx. 5:00 hrs the following people were murdered by firing shots at their heads and other parts of the body in Medininkai Customs Post, murder being motivated by the performance of their official duties:

• Mr. Antanas Musteikis, Vilnius City Customs inspector;
• Mr. Stanislovas Orlavičius, Vilnius City Customs inspector;
• Mr. Ričardas Rabavičius, Vilnius City Customs inspector;
• Mr. Algirdas Kazlauskas, senior policeman of Officers-On-Duty Unit at Traffic Police Team of Traffic Police Board at Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania;
• Mr. Juozas Janonis, Policeman of M-12 Squad under Traffic Police Team of Traffic Police Board at Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania;
• Mr. Mindaugas Balavakas, policeman-trainee serving in Rapid Response Team ARAS of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania;
• Mr. Algimantas Juozakas, policeman-trainee serving in Rapid Response Team ARAS of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania.

Furthermore, attempts were made to murder Vilnius City Customs inspector Mr. Tomas Šernas.


On 1991-07-31 pre-trial investigation was initiated into the facts of murder and attempted murder of the officers of the Republic of Lithuania.

On 2007-10-08 further to the prosecutor‘s decision Konstantins Michailovs (former name Konstantins Nikulins), former militiaman of Special Force Militia Unit in Riga (OMON) belonging to Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry for Internal Affairs, was recognised as the suspect in this case.

On 2007-10-10 Vilnius City 2nd District Court issued a ruling to detain K. Michailovs (arrest warrant).

On 2007-10-30 Prosecutor General‘s Office issued European Arrest Warrants in respect of K. Michailovs, A. Laktionov, A. Ryžov and Č. Mlynik.

On 2007-11-28 K. Michailovs who had been suspected of having participated in the Medininkai slaughter was arrested in Riga.

On 2008-01-28 K. Michailovs was brought from Latvia to Lithuania; he had been served official notification of suspicions against him concerning his involvement in the murder of seven Lithuanian officers and attempted murder of the eighth officer.

On 2008-01-29 Vilnius City 2nd District Court issued a ruling to impose constraint measure – detention – upon K. Michailovs for a term of 3 months.

On 2008-12-22 K. Michailovs lodged an appeal with regard to delayed pre-trial investigation to Vilnius City 1st District Court.

On 2009-01-07 further to the prosecutor’s decision pre-trial investigation concerning K. Michailovs was separated from the general investigation into another file.

On 2009-01-13 revised notification of suspicions was served on K. Michailovs.

On 2009-01-16 participants to the proceedings were informed that the pre-trial investigation against Konstantins Michailovs regarding the murder of seven police and customs officers of the Republic of Lithuania and attempted murder of the eighth officer in Medininkai Customs Post on 1991-07-31 was finished. The time limit for getting acquainted with the pre-trial investigation material was set (deadline: 2009-03-30).

On 2009-01-21 Vilnius City 1st District Court issued a ruling dismissing K. Michailovs’s appeal concerning delay in pre-trial investigation.

On 2009-01-26 Vilnius Regional Court issued a ruling whereby the term of detention of K. Michailovs was extended for 3 more months (starting from 2009-01-28).

On 2009-02-06 K. Michailovs filed an appeal to the Court of Appeals of Lithuania with regard to application of constraint measure he had been subject to.

On 2009-02-10 Vilnius Regional Court issued final ruling beyond the scope of appeal whereby the Court dismissed K. Michailovs’s appeal concerning allegations of undue delays in pre-trial investigation.

On 2009-02-18 the Court of Appeals of Lithuania issued a ruling to dismiss K. Michailovs’s appeal and leave the 2009-01-26 ruling of Vilnius Regional Court in force.

On 2009-04-17 Mr. Rolandas Stankevičius, Prosecutor of Organized Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, referred the bill of indictment whereby K. Michailovs is charged with the murder of the officers of the Republic of Lithuania by reason of performance of their official duties (Article 129, Section 2, Subsections 5 and 10 of the Criminal Code) and the rest of the case material to Vilnius Regional Court.

Investigation with regard to other suspects, i.e. other former OMON militiamen Andrej Laktionov and Aleksandr Ryžov and the unit commander Česlav Mlynik, is being further pursued.




Russian Federation refused to extradite A. Laktionov and Č. Mlynik to the Republic of Lithuania; no response has been received so far with regard to A. Ryžov.