Lithuanian parlt reminds of need to demand occupation damages from Russia

VILNIUS – As Lithuania marks the 80th anniversary of Soviet deportations, the country's parliament, the Seimas, has reminded of the need to demand the compensation of occupation damages from Russia, according to a resolution adopted on Tuesday.

The document was backed by 103 lawmakers, with one vote against and three abstentions.

"The 80 years that have passed since the occupation and major deportations have not erased those deep wounds that remain in the society. They are still felt to this date," National Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, a historian, said when presenting the draft resolution.

The document states the need to demand the compensation of occupation damages from the Russian Federation as it took over the rights ob the Soviet Union.

Lithuanian lawmakers propose to continue and promote historic investigations of totalitarian crimes against humanity and war crimes as they would build the society and the state's resilience to disinformation spread by hostile states, reduce polarization within the society, and also promote citizens' mutual trust.

The resolution also calls for the removal from public spaces in Lithuania of symbols of occupying totalitarian regimes, and also bolstering of citizenship, patriotism and will-to-resist principles in pre-school, formal and informal education.

The Day of Mourning and Hope as marked in Lithuania on Monday as 80 years ago the Soviets started mass deportations of Lithuanian residents into remote areas of the Soviet Union after the Baltic country's occupation.

Soviet repressive structures started mass deportations of Lithuanian residents into remote northern areas at 3 a.m. on June 14, 1941. Some 18,000 Lithuanian residents were deported over the course of several days, according to the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania.

The Soviet Union occupied Lithuania on June 15, 1940 and imprisoned and deported some 280,000 Lithuanian citizens over the occupation period.