News
Elena Kaminskas (maiden name Shebunova), the former mistress and mother of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's children, previously exposed as the centerpiece of a massive corruption scheme by The Insider, has been banned from entering the Schengen zone for three years, reported Lithuanian media outlet LRT. Kaminskas has also been banned from entering Lithuania for five years and has been deprived of her Lithuanian residence permit (LPR).
During the trial, Kaminskas tried to appeal the cancellation of her residence permit in the country, but the court upheld its decision, and added a ban on entry to the Schengen countries. The question of whether her husband, businessman Adolfas Kaminskas, will retain his Lithuanian citizenship will be decided in the next two weeks. The court hearings were closed, and the authorities have not yet issued more detailed comments.
The publication notes that three out of four Kaminskas’ children have Lithuanian citizenship.
Shoigu's daughter, born out of wedlock, was granted citizenship in 2019 after his ex-mistress Elena Kaminskas (maiden name Shebunova) married Lithuanian Adolfas Kaminskas, who recognized the girl as his daughter and applied to the Lithuanian Department of Migration, LRT reported in its investigation. Before marrying Shebunova, as The Insider learned, Adolfas Kaminskas was a modest entrepreneur – his company sold mopeds and spare parts. After his marriage, he suddenly became rich and emerged as the beneficiary of several Lithuanian businesses with assets worth about 20 million euros in several parts of Vilnius.
After the LRT and The Insider investigations were published, the Lithuanian Department of Migration began investigating Kaminskas' dual citizenship. He did not inform the agency about his dual citizenship within the six months specified by law. If he illegally retained his Lithuanian citizenship after obtaining a Russian passport, the former will be stripped away not only from Kaminskas, but also from his minor and adopted children.