In all Lithuania the restoration of burials of the Soviet soldiers, of the memorials devoted to the lost in fights with fascism on the Lithuanian ground is carried out. In total there are 176 of them where almost 75 thousands servicemen of the Soviet Army, victims of the Great Patriotic War, are buried.
Published:
1 August 2000 y., Tuesday
Majority thinks, that the consular department of embassy of Russia in Lithuania is a division, which solves questions concerning only the issue of visa, passports, solves certain problems of the Russian citizens living in Lithuania. Actually this is only a part of activity of this department.Together with the machinery of the military attaché also carries out the huge work directed on keeping the memory of heroes of past war. In all Lithuania the restoration of burial places of the Soviet soldiers, of the memorials devoted to the lost in fights with fascism on the Lithuanian ground, is carried out.
- When we have started restoration of a military cemetery in Rudamine, which is situated in Vilnius region, the head and the leg of a monument to the Soviet soldier was broken; tablets from a memorial plate have disappeared, - Azamat Ablaev, the consular department manager of embassy of Russia in Lithuania tells. - Now the monument is restored. In order this work to be done it was necessary to hire a sculptor.
- The memorial really looks well cared, but it is obvious, that old cement gravestones go into pieces and a bit later will collapse, they will simply disappear. Is anything done for their restoration?
- We shall completely replace tombstones. We have already ordered them in the local workshop that is specializing on manufacturing monuments. The masters of high qualification are making the plates. Tablets with surnames of the fallen soldiers are made of a marble. Masters give 100 years of a guarantee. In August we are going to finish the works on revival of a memorial in Rudamine and in September we expect to organize some kind of a solemn opening and to invite Juryj Zubakova, the Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia in Lithuania, to participate there.
- Why Rudamine was chosen for the restoration of a military cemetery?
- Not only Rudamine. Since March employees of the embassy have made a lot of trips on Lithuania, have met mayors of cities and areas, workers of self-governments. Contracts concerning realization of repair works on military burial places in Alitus, Vilnius, Druskininkai, Kaishiadoris, Raseiniai, Shiluve, Rudamine, Ukmerge with local communal-operational firms were made. These works will require more than 250 thousands Lt. We constantly receive calls from veterans and public organizations asking for the help in restoration of military burial places. So we do answer their requests.
- Azamat Irekovich, what is the attitude of the local authorities at your activity? During the dominance of "Sàjudis" it was appealed to liquidate places of military burials. The soldiers who died in the fights with fascism were named invaders.
- Local authorities approve our work on restoration of military burial places. The period of radicalism that existed just after restoration of independence of Lithuania has passed. The majority of the Lithuanian politicians understand that we have good intentions.
- The main military memorial in the Antakalnis region in Vilnius is also cared for by the embassy of Russia, isn’t it?
- We have already repaired the ladder that leads to a memorial; we have also fixed the plates. But we have still a lot of work to do. It is necessary to clean marble slabs, to repair a fence and other ladders, to put in order gravestones with names of the lost soldiers.
- Will the work on restoration of burial places be limited to the named places?
- We expect to restore all the military cemeteries in Lithuania. In total there are 176 of them where almost 75 thousands servicemen of the Soviet Army, victims of the Great Patriotic War, are buried.
-Where does the embassy of Russia find means for this high costing reconstruction works?
- Financing of these works lays within the framework of the governmental program. Means are allocated from the federal budget of the Russian Federation. Intergovernmental agreements concerning the status of the military burials were made with many countries of Western and Eastern Europe; in April, 2000 the new project of the similar agreement was submitted to the Lithuanian side for consideration.
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