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Lithuanian Men in the Forced Soviet Army

An Alien World – Transformation of Attitudes

Gallery

However disastrous the fall of the government in June of 1940 was, the policy of patriotic education undergone in Independent Lithuania for several decades bore its fruits. Although the period of Independence was too short, the increase in the size of intelligentsia and the growth of culture and farms resulted in a strong self-consciousness among patriotic citizens, who were ready to defend the Fatherland.

The “character certificate”, issued by the military unit command for soldier Arvydas Rukšnaitis reads: “During his service in the unit, he was characterised as an undisciplined soldier. He carried out the commands of his commanders and superiors imprecisely, and systematically argued with his seniors in terms of rank or position. He mastered the military, political and special training programme satisfactorily. He knew the statutes of Soviet Army satisfactorily, but systematically violated them. He performed tasks in a dismissive manner and did not comply with the dress code requirements, for which he was punished by the authorities. He was physically developed. He used weapons and equipment satisfactorily. He had no authority among friends. He did not participate in the unit’s social activities. He disturbed the discipline in the unit with his behaviour. He had a penchant for alcoholic beverages. He could be a shooter in the wartime.”
Occupied Ukraine, 1970. The certificate was signed by the unit’s Senior Lieutenant Sosnovsky
Personal archive of Tomas Rukšnaitis
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Cadet Algirdas at a school for Soviet officers. On the other side of the portrait, there is an inscription that reads: “Weave my dim shadow into the wreath of the memories as well…”
Location unknown, 1949. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Raimundas Kaminskas
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A photo of soldier Vytautas with an inscription to his girlfriend Iročka, marked as being in the East German city of Cottbus, but pencilled in below, stating another geographical location – the Far East.
USSR, 1960. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Dovilė Lauraitienė
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A young man, named Mindaugas, near the Neris river in Vilnius with a VEF radio receiver before being enlisted in the Soviet Army.
Occupied Lithuania, 1974. Photo author unknown
Soldier Mindaugas in the Soviet Army.
Occupied Estonia, 1975 Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Elena Matulionienė
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Lithuanian Feliksas with his friends in the Soviet Army. The inscription on the back of the photo reads: “A memento for my Good Friend Džiugas.”
RSFSR (Moscow), 1947. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Graduation album of the Kyiv Higher Engineer School of Artillery of the USSR with a photo of a Lithuanian.
Occupied Ukraine, 1967. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Raimundas Kaminskas
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A portrait of a cadet, named Algirdas, with a Lithuanian inscription. The inscription on the back reads: “To Zigfridas, from your friend in service.”
RSFSR (Novgorod), 1954. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A photo of soldier Antanas with an inscription to a friend on the back: “… don’t forget the black wagons and friends.”
RSFSR (Urals), 1952. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Raimundas Kaminskas
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Soldier Viktoras in the Asian part of the USSR. The inscription on the back of the photo is to a friend: “For a long memory. Even though I will die and my bones will rot, this photo will remind you about me.”
USSR, 1951. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A portrait of a Lithuanian soldier with an inscription to a friend on the back.
Location unknown, 1950s–1960s. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Raimundas Kaminskas
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A Lithuanian MVD soldier with his brother in arms. The inscription on the back of the photo reads: “Remember the friendship… / Remember the pain.. / Remember this picture, Poliut / Why it was sent to you…”
Occupied Estionia, 1950. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Robertas Grigas on the pedestal of a monument to a Russian tank as his service in the Soviet Army was getting close.
Salantai, 1981. Photo author unknown
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
Robertas Grigas “saying goodbye” to his hair and his freedom before being taken into the army. His head is being shaved by his uncle Jonas Grigas, with Sister Regina Teresiūtė of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus behind him. From 1970s to 1980s, Sister Teresiūtė provided moral support to young Lithuanians recruited into the Soviet Army, organised letter writing to support them, and persuaded priests to visit the recruits to make them spiritually stronger.
Leipalingis, 1981. Photo author unknown
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
Robertas Grigas, a soldier of the Construction Battalion, in the parade uniform. He worked in a brick factory under concentration camp conditions. After refusing to take a military oath, he was terrorised by the military leadership throughout his service, but did not break.
Kazakh SSR (Badam), 1982. Photo author unknown
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Leonas, a tank driver, with his brothers in arms. The inscription to a friend on the back of the photo is a mix of Latin and Cyrillic letters.
RSFSR (Far East), 1956. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Soldier Gintaras on holiday with his sister. The inscription on the back of the photo is to his friends: “Lionginas and Elytė – the Army really changes a person, but I hope that I will become a real Man in the Army.”
Druskininkai, 1987. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Raimundas Kaminskas
A soldier’s oath in a “red corner”.
Location unknown, 1970s–1980s. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Recruits next to a monument of the Red Army soldiers.
Vilnius, 1953. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Lithuanian soldiers next to a star-shaped flower garden.
Vilnius, 1953. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Afghanistan War veteran Dalius Didika at his workplace.
Occupied Lithuania, 1988. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Vytas Lukšys
Awards of Afghanistan War veterans that were returned to the Soviet leadership.
Vilnius, 1989. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Vytautas Lukšys
Soldier Mindaugas with his brother in arms.
Occupied Estonia (Keila-Joa), c. 1973–1975. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Elena Matulionienė
Lithuanian cadets at Kaliningrad Naval School next to propaganda slogan: “Officer is a heroic profession”.
RSFSR (Kaliningrad), 1970s–1980s. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Raimundas Kaminskas
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A Lithuanian soldier with his brothers in arms. The inscription on the back of the photo reads: “From a friend, who’s guarding your peace at work and at the dinner table.”
Location unknown, 1980. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Alfonsas Somanavičius
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotraukąPaspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A Lithuanian soldier by a Lenin monument.
Location unknown, 1980. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Alfonsas Somanavičius
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
Paspauskite nuotrauką / Click on the Photo
A notebook with patriotic drawings that belonged to a soldier, named Audrius.
Occupied Latvia (Daugavpils), 1977–1979. Drawings by Audrius Liaudanskas
Personal archive of Audrius Liaudanskas
Lithuanian Gintautas (right) with his friend Aleksandr from Smolensk being forced to serve in a construction battalion. Returning home from military service, Aleksandr changed into civilian clothes in Vilnius railway station district and left his military uniform with some local boys, saying: “I got so sick of this uniform over those two years.”
Rukla, 1979. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Gintautas Terleckas
Paratrooper Remigijus Petraitis-Petruitis in the Southern Ural. The inscription on the back of the photo is to a friend. Petraitis was the nephew of Colonel Jonas Petruitis of independent Lithuania. His parents changed their surname to avoid repression. He was in the army for less than a year, commissioned after surgery.
RSFSR (Southern Urals), 1976. Photo author unknown
Personal archive of Eugenijus Peikštenis
Jonas Algimantas Boruta (middle row, second from right) during a forced service in the Soviet Army. Boruta (1944–2022) was the bishop of Telšiai and winner of the Freedom Prize.
Location unknown, c. 1967–1970. Photo author unknown
Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights