Lituanica

The Vilnius Special Forces units were on alert since 2 am tonight.  The two remaining Soviet statues in the centre of Vilnius were vandalised.  Read full story and see more images of this accident in alfa.lt

I found about it this incident this morning, just before the military parade in Moscow.  Watched all broadcast live on Russia Today.  The Russian commentators only confirmed that the Westerners have a wrong image of the President Medvedev: he will defend Russia’s interests as firmly as the former President Putin.  And by defending it means ‘expanding’ the ‘security’ zone around Russia.

Those who studied the Russian history a bit will understand that Russia suddenly feels a threat when it stops to expand.  At the moment this expansion takes a place not through its tanks but through its banks.  If the Kremlin wished to exhibit the real Russia’s mussel the tanks and the tactical missiles should have been replace by the Gazprom trucks carrying the pipes.  The workers from the oil fields should have replaced the officers and the red flags should have been changed to the blue Gazprom flags.  I am convinced that the new President would have felt much more comfortable observing his ex colleges saluting him.

The new Gazprom ambassadors to the EU such as Mr Schroder, the current Hungarian PM Gyurcsany, PM Berluscony, the ex PM Prodi, the Greek, Bulgarian and the Cyprus leaders should have stood next the President Medvedev.

The commentators kept explaining that this parade is designed for the internal public to foster Russia’s pride and to show that there is a capability to defend the country.  However, it was broadcasted live on the Satellite TV channel.  How local is that!  However, those who know Russia, especially in the Baltic States are not concerned about those tanks too much.  We are members of NATO after all.  We are mostly concerned about the undercover Russian Army, the army of Gazprom, and what its forces doing in the Brussels, and the other Western European capitals.

The incident in Vilnius is disgusting; the hooligans should be caught and punished!  Russia suffered a lot to the extent, which the Russians don’t realise themselves.  The question is from what Russia suffered more, from the WWII or from the Stalin’s regime?  Lithuania suffered much more from the Stalin’s regime, hence the end of the WWII symbolises to us the beginning of another and more bloody war.  The war, which is unknown and took place behind the Iron Curtain.  It should be taken into consideration that Lithuania has lost nearly a 1 million of its population between 1940 and 1953 that is from the beginning for the Soviet occupation until Stalin’s death.  That is one third of its population, the absolutely best third of it!  It is fear to say though that about 200.000 of those were the Jews who perished in Holocaust.

Perhaps we should keep those statues on the Green Bridge to remind us what had happened to our country.  Such reminders should not let us to relax too much in planning our future.  Or better, the Soviet solders’ uniforms on the statues should be upgraded and replaced by the Gazprom uniforms.  And I am very happy that the former President Putin brought back the old Soviet National Anthem and made it to the Russian Anthem.  Every Lithuanian who hears this music feels shivers, that also keeps us alert.  Hence, Welcome to the 21-Century!

The Medvedev’s election, rather than the Presidential election culminated in the Medvedev’s landmark victory.

Some Lithuanians calling to review our relationship with Russia and hence the elections gives a fresh start for it.  The other papers called to suspend Russia from the European Council since there is no difference between Russia and Belarus any longer.  The thers hoped that the west will not make the same mistake as they did with Putin, Medvedev is not a Liberal, and there is not need to play with him.

The Concervative leader made an interesting observation.  Mr Kubilius noticed that it would be interesting to find out what Gazprom is preparing for Lithuania since our country is sandwiched between the two countries one of which leader started to work for Gazprom a and another became a president after serving for Gazprom.

Mr Kubilius observed “As the new Russian president steps in we should prepare for a rocking strategy of a gentle approach which will be more difficult to recognize than rough methods. We can only guess how much of such strategy we have already been subject to”.

However the Lithuanian Parliamentary Vice-Speaker Vydas Gedvilas from the opposition Labour party said that.  “Medvedev is a young politician without the Soviet stamp, he is not linked with special services, furthermore, his first statements indicate his eagerness to maintain good relations with Russian neighbors. It would be naive to expect some major changes from Medvedev, however, Putin’s rule was rather radical in some cases and political scientists forecast that Medvedev’s line would be smoother, which gives hope for discussion”. 

As the BNS reported the Lithuanian PM Gediminas Kirkilas notes that the Russian presidential elections were not completely democratic and did not fully correspond to Western standards.

“I will name just one aspect. All of his opponents named it as well. Whether, for example, all four candidates were provided with the same time slot, the same possibilities to advertise on television or radio”, Kirkilas told Lithuanian National radio.

However, the prime minister remarked, Lithuania hopes that constructive bipartite relations with Russia will be maintained just as they had been up to this day.

“Especially because the new president declares the continuity of President (Vladimir - BNS) Putin’s political course. Therefore, I would think that in this aspect, there should be no considerable changes”, the prime minister said, adding that Lithuania would enjoy more extensive, better and more open relations with Russia.

Kirkilas expressed his opinion that the entire European Union (EU) would enjoy better relations with Russia, and predicted that the negations, which failed last year over the strategic EU-Russia agreement, should see a new light of day this year.

The Lithuanians made an effort to accommodate the Russians in Lithuania. 

A total of 1825 Russian citizens out of over 15,000 countrymen living in Lithuania and possessing the right to vote participated in the elections. Some 1406 of those who participated cast their votes for Medvedev.  The Russian embassy confirmed that more than 80 percent gave their vote for Mr Medvedev.

The Lithuanians really walked an extra mile.  Voting for Russia’s Head-of-State was warranted in the Russian embassy in Vilnius and the Consul-General’s office in Lithuanian port city Klaipeda as well other cities densely populated with Russian citizens - Kaunas, Siauliai and Visaginas, however actual voting took place only in Vilnius, Klaipeda and Visaginas, as the embassy lacked capacities to organize voting in all of the locations proposed by Lithuania. Russian citizens who wished to cast their votes were taken to polling districts by special buses.

What it is to be said about elections.  Well, there is a saying about a special Russian sole.  I would say that in order to ‘decipher’ the Russian sole, one should consult children psychologist.  The Russians never managed to grow out of their serfdom mentality, and would not know what to do with their freedom.  They need guidance, a strong hand, like obedient children.

The Lithuanian Baltos Lankos publishing house introduced its new publication, Edward Lucas’ ’The New Cold War’ in Lithuanian today.  The book was presented during a discussion at the Vilnius’ Book Fair.  Mr Virgis Valantinavicius moderated the discussion.  The book is already well known in Lithuania even before its official appearance.

Some of the commentators joking that the President Adamkus did a promotion for the book during his recent interview to the FT warning the West about a possibility of the New Cold War between the West and Russia.

Well, I am off to read the book, what about you?

This blog wrote about Medininkai Massacre committed by then Riga OMON Special Purpose Police Squad of Russia against the unarmed Lithuanian border guards in 1991.  All suspects of this crime are still at large.  Majority of them are under protection of the Russian Federation.

However, recently the Latvian authorities arrested one of the suspects who was living in Latvia. As the BNS writes the suspect in this 17 year-old case concerning the killing of seven Lithuanian officers and injuring of one, was detained by Latvian law-enforcement officers on Novvember 28 of last year, based on the European warrant for his arrest issued by Lithuania.

The BNS informed that Latvia’s Supreme Court rejected Mikhailov’s (Nikulin) request to not be extradited to Lithuania. He was under the witness security program in Latvia for having helped Latvian officers solve crimes committed in the country’s territory, and was therefore allowed to change his last name. The suspect will be under his new surname in the case being investigated in the Prosecutor General’s Office in Lithuania.The 40-year-old suspect was extradited to Lithuania by Latvia on January 28.

The suspect’s interrogation lasted three hours. The detainee was brought over to the prosecutor’s office by masked and armed Lithuanian SWAT team Aras officers.

The prosecutor hasn’t revealed whether Mikhailov plead guilty with regards to the suspicions presented against him. It is however known that the suspect does not deny having been in Lithuania in July of 1991.The BNS wrote that the Vilnius’ Second District Court set a three month arrest period for the ex-member of OMON, who is a suspect in eastern Lithuanian border check-point murder case.

The prosecutor presented suspicions to Konstantin Mikhailov (Nikulin) for first-degree murder of two or more persons in connection with their duties, i.e. for participating in the massacre at Medininkai check-point.

So far this is the only suspect that the Lithuanian law enforcers have succeeded to find and officially indict.

As the BNS noted a suspect in Medininkai border checkpoint murder case, Konstantin Nikulin, will be extradited to Lithuania.

This decision was made by Latvia’s Supreme Court, which dismissed Nikulin’s request to not be extradited to Lithuania.

Nimkulin should be given over to Lithuanian law enforcement over a period of three weeks.

As the BNS informed and this blog remained the suspect was detained by Latvian law-enforcement officers on Nov. 28 of last year, based on the European warrant for his arrest issued by Lithuania.

Latvia’s Prosecutor General’s Office had agreed to extradite the detained former OMON Special Purpose Police Squad hit man and one of the suspects in a case of manslaughter in Medininkai border checkpoint of eastern Lithuania, 40-year-old Konstantin Nikulin.

The BNS writes that the suspect in this 17 year-old case concerning the killing of seven Lithuanian officers and injuring of one, had appealed to Latvia’s Supreme Court regarding the decision to extradite him to Lithuania, therefore he remained in Latvia until the court reached its final verdict.

Nikulin, together with three other suspects, also ex-members of OMON - Aleksandr Ryzhov, Andrej Laktionov and Ceslav Mlynik - was wanted as suspect in a murder case.

The latter three suspects are Russian citizens, who reside there and are as of yet not accessible to Lithuania’s law enforcers.

After Latvia extradites Nikulin to Lithuania, the prosecution process can be started in Lithuania. According to Lithuania’s legislation, Nikulin will face life in prison for first-degree murder of more than two persons.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has been investigating one of the cruellest crimes committed in Lithuania — the massacre of the Medininkai checkpoint staff — for 17 years.

The BNS reminds that the pre-trial investigation has established that the first 7 police and customs officers of the independent Lithuania were killed and the sole survivor Tomas Šernas was grievously wounded as a result of doing their duty.

Stationed on duty on July 31, 1991, the men died of headshots from Kalashnikov assault rifles.  The data collected in the process of the pre-trial investigation allow the prosecutors to suspect that hit men of the former Soviet Union’s militia special operations unit OMON did the crime from Riga, who were visiting the OMON base in Vilnius on July 30, 1991.

Another group of militia from Riga’s OMON set off an explosive device at the headquarters of the 42nd division of the Soviet Union on L.Sapiegos Street in Vilnius on the very same night.

At the time of the investigation, the larger part of the rifles seized from the victims have been found.

The investigation of the manslaughter at Medininkai checkpoint is aggravated by the fact that the suspects and a lot of important witnesses reside in Russia.

The seven officers were believed to have been killed in Medininkai to cause confusion at the customs of the country that had just declared its independence. At that time, OMON hit men would quite often assault checkpoints and beat up officers stationed there.

Lithuanians were forced to act peacefully by the political circumstances of the time, and the culprits did not receive an adequate response.

There is available information that Medininkai check-point was chosen for the uncanny crime with personal revenge motives.

The BNS reminds that on the morning of July 31st of 1991, killers, who as of yet haven’t been tried, murdered border guards Antanas Musteikis, Stanislovas Orlavičius, Aras SWAT unit officers Algimantas Juozakas and Mindaugas Balavakas, road police employees Juozas Janonis and Algirdas Kazlauskas with shots to the head.

Police officer who experienced heavy injuries during the attack, Ricardas Rabavičius, died in the hospital Aug. 2nd. The sole officer who survived the attack was Tomas Šernas, who also experienced heavy injuries at the time of the attack.

This blog mentioned that the Lithuanian border guards detained two Nashi activists who validated the Lithuanian national border on the December 31, 2007.

On the January 14 the Varėna court pronounced a verdict of guilty to two Nashi activists, Konstantin Goloskokov and Anton Dugin.

As the BNS informed the two Russian citizens were imposed administrative arrest of 35 days each. The court also confiscated the belongings found with them during a search including mobile telephones, navigation equipment, a compass and night-vision devices.

State prosecutor Audrius Matulionis suggested to the BNS that the suspects should be sentenced to 60 days in prison each.  “What is important is that they were found guilty,” Matulionis said.

The time Goloskokov and Dugin have spent in custody after Dec. 31 will be included in the arrest period imposed by the court, this way, the suspects have served almost a half of their sentence.

The BNS maintains that the Nashi activists claimed they were free-lance correspondents and had the task of preparing a story on the guarding of the Lithuanian border.

In addition one of the activists was carrying with himself cash worth of 24K LTL or almost 7K Euro.  Those money will also be confiscated.

Lithuanian authorities believe that the two men wanted to proceed to the Estonian capital Tallinn, where they were to participate in a ceremony at the so-called bronze soldier, a monument to Soviet soldiers.

Lithuania is commemorating a day of Freedom defenders.  17 years ago the Soviet troops – the Pskov division and the KGB elite Alfa Special Forces attempted to crush the newly reborn Lithuanian state.  Some died from the shot wounds; the Soviet tanks crushed some.  In total 14 peaceful civilian freedom defenders lost their lives, hundreds more wounded.

The January 13 events are deeply ingrained in the Lithuanian’s hearts.  I would place this date to one of the most important events in the Lithuanian history.  I would call it Lithuania’s ‘Winter War’, which came some 50 years later.  Same like the Fins in 1939 decided to fight with the much larger enemy despite the fears that the Soviets swiftly will crush the resistance.

The Lithuanian Winter War in January 1991 was a crucial for the survival of our nation as the Žalgiris battle in 1410, as the Lithuanians fights against the Bolsheviks in 1920, as the Partisan War after World War two.  The January events as one Lithuanian commentator noted, materialised and institutionalised Lithuania’s freedom, which was declared in March 1990.

This day is a pride of Lithuania, and the probably the most important day in my life.  In this day a teenager turned into a responsible citizen of a free nation, who was ready to sacrifice his life for motherland and freedom.  I had a honour to be amongst thousands in the square in the front of the Parliament, listening to the creaking Soviet tanks coming after they already ‘done their duty for the Soviet motherland’ next to the TV tower. We heard what happened some hour ago in the front of the TV Tower, we new that the soldiers were using the real bullets; we knew that the tanks crushed the people.

At that moment a rumour had it that during the storm of the TV tower the Soviets killed hundreds of people.  And hence, we were waiting for those same Soviet solders to come to the square, shoot at us, crush us, and take away from us not only our lives but also our freedom.

Freedom from all of us in this square and from all in Lithuania; in the towns and villages who gathered to defend institutions which defined our statehood; the post offices, the TV and radio studios, the train stations, the municipality buildings.  All of us, teenagers who still went to the school, like myself, the pensioners, the students, the teachers, the factory workers, the bus drivers, all of us!

However, the Parliament was the heart of our statehood, the square around it was a human shield which had nothing just their love of freedom, motherland, believe, hope.  Our only weapon was against the Soviet tanks and the Kalashnikovs was our bear arms and our songs, which made a huge crowd as a one body. Your hear the squeak of the tanks, you feel the vibrating ground under your feet, you hear a pledge form the loudspeaker coming out of the Parliament urging the old, women and children to leave the square.  No one moves an inch.

You hear the voice of a priest Grigas, who gives to the people last redemption of signs.  Not to the soldiers who are given orders ‘take the parliament by all means’, but to the people whom those soldiers peppered to slaughter.  Then you hear voice from the loudspeaker to move away from the Parliament’s glass walls, since the falling glass will heart many.  Yes, we heard they the tanks were shooting while storming the TV tower.

Then you wait, hoping that by standing on this spot you will be an obstacle on the way of the solders and tanks that will storm the Parliament.  You, hope that maybe you will prolong Lithuania’s freedom for a tiny wee second.  You catch yourself thinking what you have done in your life, to whom you would like to apologies, to whom you would like to say thank you, or I love you, or I am sorry…  You and people around you are preparing yourself for a final sacrifice, final duty to your motherland…

This was the purest and the strongest feeling I have ever experienced.  It makes my eyes water when I return to those moments in January 13, 1991.  A miracle appeared – the soviet tanks stopped, the soldiers retuned to they barracks and the bloodshed was avoided.  A little nation became a big nation, the Soviet Empire collapsed.

I thank God and my destiny for giving me an opportunity to live through those honourable moments and perhaps understand what a freedom defender felt in the Baltic Forrest during the resistance to the Soviet occupation, or a simple Finish solder facing advancing numerous Soviet troops in the Winter War.  Long live momories of those fallen 14 heroes who sacrificed their lives in January 13, 1991.

Read more on Calr Bildt blog and in the Everyday’s Holiday blog        

According to a survey commissioned last December by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Lithuanians are equally concerned with both the moral and material compensation of damage caused by soviet occupation. A slightly greater part of the population thinks talks with Russia should begin over moral compensation.

The Russians are stating that we should forget history and look to the future.  They also claim that the Lithuanians should remember that the USSR invested into the Baltic States, so the Balts could achieve the decent living standards.  The Lithuanians are maintaining that only acknowledgment of the crimes of the past Russia could start its journey to a civilised future.  This would help Russia not to repeat the crimes against its neighbours again.

Regarding the USSR’s investment to the Baltic States the Lithuanians claim that it is impossible to compare to the value of the lost lives, which resulted in the Soviet occupation.  Another example, which illustrates the damage that the Soviets inflicted on, the Balts lies just to the North of Tallinn; Finland and the Baltic States had very similar living standards just before the Soviet occupation.  And just look at us now!

BNS reported that most of respondents don’t believe Russia would compensate the damage caused in any one way or another.  Some 47 % of respondents are more concerned with compensation of moral damage - Russia’s acknowledgement that the occupation took place at all and an apology. A similar number, 46.8 % of the population, think that material compensation is more momentous. Another 6.2 % of respondents have no clear opinion on the subject.

The country’s youth gives priority to compensation of moral damage, together with university graduates and larger city dwellers.

During the Soviet occupation, Lithuania lost up to one-third of its population to deportations, killings, forced emigration. Lithuania has estimated the damages of 50 years of the Soviet occupation at 80 billion litas (EUR 23 b). Russia is categorically refusing to start discussions on the matter to this day. 

As the BNS reported the Latvian Prosecutor General’s Office agreed to extradite Konstantin Nikulin, 40, former OMON Special Purpose Police Squad hit man and one of the suspects in a case of manslaughter in Medininkai border checkpoint of eastern Lithuania.

The suspect in this 17 year-old case concerning the killing of seven Lithuanian officers and injuring of one, has appealed to Latvia’s Supreme Court regarding the decision to extradite him to Lithuania, therefore he is to remain in Latvia until the court reaches its final verdict.

As the BNS announced the Chief-Prosecutor of Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office Department of Organized Crime and Corruption, Algimantas Kliunka, announced this information in a press conference Thursday. Officers working in his department are investigating this resonant case.Latvian law-enforcement officers detained the suspect on Nov. 28 of last year, based on the European warrant for his arrest issued by Lithuania.

“Nikulin was member of the Special Purpose Police Squad’s group Delta-1. We suspect that members of this group are responsible for the murder of seven officers and attempted murder of one more”, Prosecutor Kliunka.

Nikulin was one of the top 16 most wanted individuals by Lithuanian police.

The pre-trial investigation has established that the first 7 police and customs officers of the independent Lithuania were killed and the sole survivor Tomas Sernas was grievously wounded as a result of doing their duty. Stationed on duty on July 31, 1991, the men died of headshots from Kalashnikov assault rifles.

The data collected in the process of the pre-trial investigation allow the prosecutors to suspect that the crime was done by hit men of the former Soviet Union’s militia special operations unit OMON from Riga, who were visiting the OMON base in Vilnius on July 30, 1991. Another group of militia from Riga’s OMON set off an explosive device at the headquarters of the 42nd division of the Soviet Union on L.Sapiegos Street in Vilnius on the very same night.

The BNS remeinded that the investigation of the manslaughter at the Medininkai checkpoint is aggravated by the fact that the suspects and a lot of important witnesses reside in Russia.

The seven officers are believed to have been killed in Medininkai to cause confusion at the customs of the country that had just declared its independence. At that time, OMON hitmen would quite often assault checkpoints and beat up officers stationed there.

Lithuanians were forced to act peacefully by the political circumstances of the time, and the culprits did not receive an adequate response.

There is available information that Medininkai check-point was chosen for the uncanny crime with personal revenge motives.