Lithuania’s Migration Department said on Thursday that it had asked the State Security Department to reassess whether Belarusian businessman Andrei Shimanovich poses a threat to national security following an investigation by Buro and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, or OCCRP.
The joint investigation found that mobile applications marketed as Lithuanian products appeared to have been developed and maintained in Belarus. Technical analysis cited by Buro and OCCRP indicated that some of the apps sent user data to services in Belarus and Russia, raising concerns for users, including exiled Belarusian activists.
The applications include Nicegram, which has been downloaded more than 50 million times, and eSIM Plus, which has recorded more than one million downloads.
Both products list Appvillis, Shimanovich’s Lithuanian company, as their developer. However, investigators identified code and other technical links connecting the applications to Mobyrix, a Belarusian company owned by Shimanovich.
The Migration Department said it would also ask Lithuania’s National Cyber Security Center and Criminal Police Bureau to examine applications linked to Shimanovich. The review will cover their code, possible security vulnerabilities and whether the applications could be malicious.
Shimanovich has held a Lithuanian temporary residence permit as a startup founder since 2023, according to Buro.
He did not respond to a request for comment. His company did not reply to an email, while calls to numbers associated with his relatives and companies went unanswered.
“After receiving all necessary information from other state institutions, the Migration Department will decide on the legal status in Lithuania of the foreigner named in the publication,” the department said.
