DOCSLIB.ORG

Fake News Operations Aimed at Discrediting Allies

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Fake News Operations Aimed at Discrediting Allies JUNE 2020. NO 6 (25). NEWS GRATITUDE EXPRESSED TO OUTGOING U.S. ROTATION SCANDAL-RIDDEN UKROBORONPROM SEEKS Fake news operations FRESH START IN TIES WITH WESTERN ARMS MAKERS aimed at discrediting allies NATO'S PRESENCE nalysts of the Strategic Communi- Lt Gen Christopher G. Cavoli. cation Department of the Lithua- Lithuanian Armed Forces analytical staff EVERT-JAN DANIELS: nian Armed Forces caught sight of also underscore that even as the situation "I AM NOT ONLY A CAPTAIN" Aa complex false information operations that concerning the COVID-19 pandemic is unfolded in several phases aiming to discredit normalising, there are still attempts to use Lithuania's strategic ally, specifically, U.S. it for misguiding people and spreading dis- Amy Europe last week, May 22-28. information. 58 information incidents were Representatives of the Lithuanian Armed identified over the past week, over 60% of Forces inform that the hostile information which were in Russian. In total, 1335 infor- operation began immediately after the 13 mation incidents of different types concern- May 2020 press release from the U.S. Army ing COVID-19 were seen in virtual space in Europe concerning DEFENDER EUROPE Lithuanian, Russian, English, and French, 20 Plus international exercise being renewed from February 1 through May 28. in part of Europe, including Poland. National defence, NATO and Lithuania's The operation was carried out in two allies are the other perennial targets of dis- phases. Two fake news articles were pub- information. The perpetrators seek to fuel SPECIAL lished during phase 1 on May 13 and 27. negativity in the Lithuanian public towards They presented a counterfeit "view" of the Armed Forces and defence financing, POLISH-LITHUANIAN Christopher G. Cavoli, U.S Army Europe, blame the European Union with "provok- USAREUR Commanding General, and ing" civil unrest in Belarus, and the union 1863–1864 INSURRECTION Col Patrick O'Neal, Commander of the U.S. itself is said to lack completely in solidarity, AGAINST THE RUSSIAN TSAR Army 2nd Brigade Combat Team allegedly ability to tackle the challenges caused by the stating the Baltic states and Poland were COVID-19 pandemic, and is on the verge of not capable of training in such exercise. The falling apart. second phase of the fake news operation un- U.S. and Western European media is also folded on May 27: falsified e-mail letters pre- blamed for "spreading" disinformation about tending to have been sent by the Baltic News the COVID-19 situation in Russia. The West Service media organisation and the Minister is falsely claimed to wage an information at- of National Defence of Poland were sent to tack against Russia and use the pandemic the Media, other countries, and internatio- to internationally discredit both, Russia and nal organisations. The letters included links China. to fake news articles and the "senders'" nega- Information by the Strategic Information tive evaluation of the fake statements from Department, Lithuanian Armed Forces News Content NEWS FAKE NEWS OPERATIONS AIMED AT DISCREDITING ALLIES............................................1 NEW RAILHEAD WILL MAKE DEPLOYMENT OF NATO EQUIPMENT MORE CONVENIENT.......................................................................................2 GRATITUDE EXPRESSED New railhead will make TO OUTGOING deployment of NATO U.S. ROTATION......................................................................................3 equipment more convenient SCANDAL-RIDDEN UKROBORONPROM SEEKS FRESH START IN TIES WITH WESTERN new railhead of Pabradė-Pažeimenė railway line of national importance has been completed in May, it will improve condi- ARMS MAKERS..................................................................................4,5 tions for deploying military vehicles and equipment of NATO allies to the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area of the Lithua- nian Armed Forces near Pabradė (Švenčionys region, Eastern part of IN SHORT Lithuania). On May 29 the newly opened transportation capability was LITHUANIA MARKS tested out by the outgoing U.S. rotation deploying home from Lithuania. Part of the railway infrastructure in the 51st kilometre of the Naujoji DAY OF MOURNING AND HOPE Vilnia–Turmantas–Latvian border line was refurbished, roughly a kilo- ON JUNE 14.............................................................................................6 metre worth of a new section was railed, new electricity, communica- tions, signal, and traffic control systems were installed as a result of the completed constructions. NATO'S PRESENCE "This is a strategic project for our country, it will significantly facili- tate deployment of allied troops and equipment to Lithuania and create EVERT-JAN DANIELS: better conditions for the constant military movement between the train- ing areas in Rukla and Pabradė. Swift and effective deployment of allied "I AM NOT ONLY A CAPTAIN".......................................................8 forces to the territory of Lithuania strengthens our security, therefore improvement of military mobility and support rendered by Lithuania as SPECIAL the host nation remains among the top priorities of the national defence system," Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis says. POLISH-LITHUANIAN 1863–1864 Minister also underlined the close cooperation between the Lithua- INSURRECTION AGAINST THE nian and the U.S. forces. "U.S. military presence in Lithuania is our strongest security assurance. The Lithuanian Armed Forces is improv- RUSSIAN TSAR...................................................................................16 ing training area and military mobility infrastructure with the intent to create conditions for allied forces to deploy and train in Lithuania," the Minister said. "Lithuania has been a kind and generous host to the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, and for that we are grateful. Our combined training exercises over the recent months have demons- Military Press Office of Lithuanian Armed Forces Totorių str. 25, LT-01121, Vilnius; trated beyond doubt that we are strong partners and we are ready and Phone (370 5) 210 3897, GSM (370 6) 86 94458; fax (370 5) 273 5550; able to defend. This railhead will further enhance military mobility Email [email protected] within Lithuania, facilitate future troop movements to the Pabrade Publisher — Lithuanian Armed Forces. The opinion of editorial office does not necessarily coin- Training Area, and reduce safety concerns for both troops and Lithua- cide with the opinion of the authors. Pictures, manuscripts are not returned and reviewed. Cir- culation is 300 copies. Printed by the Cartography Center of Lithuanian Military, Muitinės str.4, nian citizens," U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania HE Robert S. Gilchrist Domeikava, LT-54359 Kaunas dist. Order GL-244. said at the event. Information: MoD Photo credit: Giedrė Maksimovicz/MoD 2 Lithuanian Military Digest News Gratitude expressed to outgoing U.S. rotation n May 21 a symbolic farewell and Fighting Vehicles, other vehicles. In its turn, Area in the same month to ask about their liv- decorations ceremony was held at Lithuania ensured full Host Nation Support — ing conditions, support received from Lithu- the General Silvestras Žukauskas accommodation, logistical support, access to ania, their needs and combat training plans. OTraining Area (Pabradė region) for the United training area infrastructure. The U.S. troops were conducting combat States rotational force that were deployed in First troops of the rotational force flew in training events and exercises of medium scale, Lithuania for deterrence and training alongside to Lithuania in mid-October last year, their shred professional expertise with Lithuanian Lithuanian colleagues for 8 months. equipment was brought a little later by roads colleagues while in Lithuania. The U.S. sol- 1st Battalion, 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (1- and railway. diers were also engaged outside of their base 9th Cav), 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Army, based Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt Gen Valde- in Lithuania and direct tasks: they helped set- at Fort Hood in Texas was deployed and train- maras Rupšys visited the rotational U.S. force ting up a gym at General Povilas Plechavičius ing in Lithuania from October 2019 to spring at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Cadet Lyceum School and gladly attended of this year. community events a number of "I thank and I express my re- times. spect to the soldiers of the United U.S. Army soldiers have been States of America for the experi- rotating into the Baltic States and ence they have shared with us and Eastern Europe since spring 2014 as I wish you a safe return home, part of the U.S. Army Operation At- enjoy the travel and stay healthy," lantic Resolve in the eastern part of Commander of the Lithuanian the Alliance. It is a demonstration of Armed Forces Logistical Support the U.S. collective defence commit- Command Colonel Ramūnas ment to NATO allies in ensuring se- Baronas said at the formal fare- curity after the Russian aggression in well ceremony. Ukraine. Half a thousand of U.S. troops Prepared on the basis of information deployed to Lithuania with heavy of the Lithuanian Armed Forces equipment — approx. 30 Abrams Photo credits: tanks, over 20 Bradley Infantry Sgt 1st Class Erikas Suchodolskij June 2020. No 6. 3 News Scandal-ridden Ukroboronprom seeks fresh start in ties with Western arms makers f Ukroboronprom is to continue as any- a tainted reputation," Abromavicius said at an President Volodymyr
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Public Space in the Soviet City: a Spatial Perspective on Mass Protests in Minsk
    PUBLIC SPACE IN THE SOVIET CITY: A SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE ON MASS PROTESTS IN MINSK Arve Hansen (UiT the Arctic University of Norway) Abstract In many capitals, the central public square is the place where people go en masse when they wish to voice their discontent. The squares used for such collective actions are diverse. Each square has its unique combination of symbols and history; they are used in different ways by the public; and they often have distinct physical characteristics. Yet, in social sciences, when determining what makes collective actions successful, space is often overlooked. In this article, I present an approach for analysing public space in relation to mass protests. I then apply this approach to the Belarusian capital Minsk, where virtually no protests have been successful during the post-Soviet period. In what ways are mass protests in Minsk affected by the perceived (symbolic), social and physical elements of the city’s public spaces? I examine the centre of Minsk in general, and analyse two central squares in particular. The article is based mainly on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with protesters, observers and opposition leaders; research literature; and on my own fieldwork and experiences from living in Minsk. I conclude that space is contributing to the difficulties facing the Belarusian opposition in several ways. 1) The perceived elements of Minsk and the two main squares do not have a preferable symbolic value to the opposition. 2) The social elements of the city show that the political centre is avoided by the public, thus making protests less noticeable. 3) This latter point is important, given that the physical elements of the squares makes policing particularly easy and swift.
    [Show full text]
  • Rodyti Naršyklėje
    2014–2020 METŲ EUROPOS SĄJUNGOS FONDŲ INVESTICIJŲ VEIKSMŲ PROGRAMOS STEBĖSENOS KOMITETO POSĖDŽIO PROTOKOLINIS SPRENDIMAS DĖL APLINKOS MINISTERIJOS PASIŪLYMŲ KEISTI PROJEKTŲ ATRANKOS KRITERIJUS, TAIKANT RAŠYTINĘ PROCEDŪRĄ 2021-02-11 Nr. 44P-1 (62) Aplinkos ministerijos pasiūlymai: SIŪLOMA: 1. Pritarti pasiūlymui dėl veiksmų programos 5 prioriteto „Aplinkosauga, gamtos išteklių darnus naudojimas ir prisitaikymas prie klimato kaitos“ konkretaus uždavinio 5.3.2 „Padidinti vandens tiekimo ir nuotekų tvarkymo paslaugų prieinamumą ir sistemos efektyvumą“ Aplinkos ministerijos administruojamos priemonės Nr. 05.3.2-VIPA-T-024 „Nuotekų surinkimo tinklų plėtra“ keturių projektų atrankos kriterijų keitimo: 1. Specialusis projektų atrankos kriterijus. Projekto vykdytojas turi turėti geriamojo vandens tiekimo ir nuotekų tvarkymo licenciją, išduotą Valstybinės energetikos reguliavimo tarybos kainų ir energetikos kontrolės komisijos, ir būti paskirtas regioniniu viešuoju geriamojo vandens tiekėju arba viešuoju geriamojo vandens tiekėju ir nuotekų tvarkytoju.* *Vertinama, ar projekto vykdytojas turi geriamojo vandens tiekimo ir nuotekų tvarkymo licenciją, išduotą Valstybinės energetikos reguliavimo tarybos kainų ir energetikos kontrolės komisijos ir yra paskirtas regioniniu viešuoju geriamojo vandens tiekėju arba viešuoju geriamojo vandens tiekėju ir nuotekų tvarkytoju. 2. Specialusis projektų atrankos kriterijus. Įgyvendinamas projektas turi atitikti pagal Geriamojo vandens tiekimo ir nuotekų tvarkymo infrastruktūros plėtros planų rengimo taisykles, patvirtintas
    [Show full text]
  • Elaboration of Priority Components of the Transboundary Neman/Nemunas River Basin Management Plan (Key Findings)
    Elaboration of Priority Components of the Transboundary Neman/Nemunas River Basin Management Plan (Key Findings) June 2018 Disclaimer: This report was prepared with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 3 1 OVERVIEW OF THE NEMAN RIVER BASIN ON THE TERRITORY OF BELARUS ............................... 5 1.1 General description of the Neman River basin on the territory of Belarus .......................... 5 1.2 Description of the hydrographic network ............................................................................. 9 1.3 General description of land runoff changes and projections with account of climate change........................................................................................................................................ 11 2 IDENTIFICATION (DELINEATION) AND TYPOLOGY OF SURFACE WATER BODIES IN THE NEMAN RIVER BASIN ON THE TERRITORY OF BELARUS ............................................................................. 12 3 IDENTIFICATION (DELINEATION) AND MAPPING OF GROUNDWATER BODIES IN THE NEMAN RIVER BASIN ................................................................................................................................... 16 4 IDENTIFICATION OF SOURCES OF HEAVY IMPACT AND EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ON SURFACE WATER BODIES
    [Show full text]
  • Contributo Scientifico: Secondo Workshop Internazionale
    BOOK OF ABSTRACTS of the 2nd international workshop–conference “RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION OF EUROPEAN HERPETOFAUNA AND ITS ENVIRONMENT: BOMBINA BOMBINA, EMYS ORBICULARIS, AND CORONELLA AUSTRIACA” Belarus Belgium Denmark France Germany Italy Latvia Poland Russia Spain Ukraine www.life-herpetolatvia.biology.lv Daugavpils University, Institute of Ecology 2014 Book of abstracts of the 2nd International workshop–conference: Research and conservation of European herpetofauna and its environment: Bombina bombina, Emys orbicularis, and Coronella austriaca. Project LIFE-HerpetoLatvia, 14-15.08.2014. Daugavpils, Latvia: 42 p. The Project LIFE-HerpetoLatvia is co-financed by European Commission. Natura 2000. 'Natura 2000 - Europe's nature for you. The sites of Project are part of the European Natura 2000 Network. It has been designated because it hosts some of Europe's most threatened species and habitats. All 27 countries of the EU are working together through the Natura 2000 network to safeguard Europe's rich and diverse natural heritage for the benefit of all'. Scientific committee Academ., Dr. Arvids Barsevskis, Daugavpils University, Latvia; Dr. Victor Bakharev, Mozyr Pedagogical University, Belarus; PhD (Biol.) Vladimir Vladimirovich Bobrov, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the RAS, Russia; Dr. Andris Čeirāns, LIFE-HerpetoLatvia, University of Latvia, Latvia; Dr. Jean-Yves Georges, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Department of Ecology, Physiology and Ethology, France; Dr. Dario Ottonello, Cesbin srl, spin-off of Genoa University, Italy; Dr. Aija Pupiņa, LIFE-HerpetoLatvia, Latgales Zoo, Daugavpils University, Latvia; Dr. Artūrs Škute, Daugavpils University, Latvia; Dr. Nataļja Škute, Daugavpils University, Latvia; Dr. Wlodzimierz Wojtas, Instytut Biologii, Cracow Pedagogical University, Poland. Dr. Mihails Pupiņš, LIFE-HerpetoLatvia, Daugavpils University, Latvia.
    [Show full text]
  • Lt * Tai Šiuolaikiškas Meno Ir Kultūros Centras, Aktyvios Tiesiems Ir Profesionalams
    Vilniaus senamiestis dėl unikalumo įrašytas į UNESCO 8 . Nacionalinė dailės galerija * Konstitucijos pr. 22, Vilnius * Tel. +370 5 užima 8 ha teritoriją. Po vienu stogu įrengtos trys slidinėjimo trasos pradedan- Neringoje išvysk fantastišką slenkančių kopų pasaulį, Šiauliuose Tave pasitiks „Saulės berniukas“, laiką rodys pasaulio paveldo sąrašą ir vadinamas „Baroko šedevru“. 219 5960 * www.ndg.lt * Tai šiuolaikiškas meno ir kultūros centras, aktyvios tiesiems ir profesionalams. Bendras trasų ilgis siekia 1 100 metrų. įkvėpk sakais dvelkiančio pušynų oro, pasitik saulėtekį iš Saulės laikrodis, karštą vasaros dieną atgaivins „Saulės komunikacijos erdvė, kurioje žiūrovai susipažįsta su XX a. Lietuvos tapyba, Čia slypi daugybė netikėtų atradimų – atvažiuok, ir jis skulptūra, grafika, fotografija, instaliacijomis ir videomenu. 17. Pažaislio bažnyčia ir vienuolynas * T. Masiulio g. 31, Kaunas * Tel. Kuršių marių ir palydėk saulę į jūrą. Šis unikalaus grožio diskų“ fontanas, o akį džiugins 1236 m. vykusiam Saulės Tave nustebins! +370 37 458 868 * www.pazaislis.org * Švč. Mergelės Marijos Apsilankymo pas žemės liežuvis įrašytas į UNESCO pasaulio paveldo sąrašą. mūšiui atminti sukurtas paminklas ir vitražas. 9. Lietuvos nacionalinis operos ir baleto teatras * A. Vienuolio g. 1, Vilnius Elžbietą bažnyčios ir Kamaldulių vienuolyno ansamblis išsiskiria puošnumu ir * Tel. +370 5 262 0727 * www.opera.lt * Nuo 1974 m. salėje, kurioje telpa beveik prabanga. Apie vienuolyno grožį gandas sklido po visą Europą, jo pasižiūrėti tūkstantis žiūrovų, statomi spektakliai, dainuoja pasaulio operos žvaigždės, buvo atvykę švedų karalius Karolis I, carai Aleksandras I ir Nikolajus I. šoka garsiausi baleto solistai. Teatro repertuare yra daug klasikinių baletų – ne žingsniuok Laisvės alėja, klajok tarp puošnių kiekvienas Europos teatras gali tuo pasigirti. Kaune praėjusių amžių namų ir pasikelk į vaizdingą kalvą senuo- 10.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of the Belarusian National Movement in The
    EVOLUTION OF THE BELARUSIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT IN THE PAGES OF PERIODICALS (1914-1917) By Aliaksandr Bystryk Submitted to Central European University Nationalism Studies Program In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Advisor: Professor Maria Kovacs Secondary advisor: Professor Alexei Miller CEU eTD Collection Budapest, Hungary 2013 Abstract Belarusian national movement is usually characterised by its relative weakness delayed emergence and development. Being the weakest movement in the region, before the WWI, the activists of this movement mostly engaged in cultural and educational activities. However at the end of First World War Belarusian national elite actively engaged in political struggles happening in the territories of Western frontier of the Russian empire. Thus the aim of the thesis is to explain how the events and processes caused by WWI influenced the national movement. In order to accomplish this goal this thesis provides discourse and content analysis of three editions published by the Belarusian national activists: Nasha Niva (Our Field), Biełarus (The Belarusian) and Homan (The Clamour). The main findings of this paper suggest that the anticipation of dramatic social and political changes brought by the war urged national elite to foster national mobilisation through development of various organisations and structures directed to improve social cohesion within Belarusian population. Another important effect of the war was that a part of Belarusian national elite formulated certain ideas and narratives influenced by conditions of Ober-Ost which later became an integral part of Belarusian national ideology. CEU eTD Collection i Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. Between krajowość and West-Russianism: The Development of the Belarusian National Movement Prior to WWI .....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Charitable Activity in the Formation of Vilnius Society in the 14Th to Mid-16Th Centuries S.C
    LITHUANIAN historical STUDIES 17 2012 ISSN 1392-2343 PP. 39–69 THE ROLE OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITY IN THE FORMATION OF VILNIUS SOCIETY IN THE 14TH TO MID-16TH CENTURIES S.C. Rowell ABSTRACT This article examines the development of charitable activity in the city of Vilnius and elsewhere in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before the middle of the sixteenth century by studying the foundation of almshouses to care for the poor and destitute and foster the memory and salvation of pious benefactors. Almshouse foundations developed from increasing forms of practical piety within the GDL from the late fifteenth century, following earlier west European and Polish models. The first, dedicated to traditional patrons of such institutions, St Job and St Mary Magdalene, was founded by a Vilnius canon and medical doctor, Martin of Duszniki with the support of the monarch, Sigismund the Old, and his counsellors between 1518 and 1522. The almshouse swiftly became an established part of the city’s sacral topography. The fashion was adopted by Eastern Orthodox parishes in Vilnius too, and later spread to other confessional groups. Twelve charters are published for the first time in an appendix. Christian charity in public spaces flourished throughout Catholic Europe during the 13th to 15th centuries 1. Indeed, the first chari- table intitutions for the poor are known in England from the tenth century. It behoved the bishop elect on taking his oath of office to protect the poor and the sick 2. Providing lodging and food for the deserving poor over time became the function of almshouses, hospitalia.
    [Show full text]
  • Villages on Move Baltic Renew Your Thinking! from Planning
    Villages on Move Baltic Renew Your thinking! From Planning Culture to Experimental Culture! All events and activities ESLi Sport day for 09.05.2017 Haapakoski, Sport activities for Sport activities, seniors seniors (30 collecting ideas Finland participants) ESLi Sport activities for March, Mikkeli, Organization of Interest in getting into refugees and April 2017 Finland different activities for better shape. Learning immigrant in multicultural target new sports and looking cooperation with group, each group was for new sport hobbies. ESEDU and XAMK challenged for idea students competition and after that 3 meetings / 27 different events events with different sport activities (113 participants) Xamk The Exercise Day of 10.5.2017 Joutsa The Fair, where local ideas and physical Your Dreams organizations and clubs activity for 150 people Finland show their activity+idea competition Xamk Sport day of Your 10.5.2017 Mäntyharju Activity day where 76 votes for Dreams organizations and clubs ideacompetitions/ 30 Finland offer possibilities to try different new physical activities Different associations and sports: dance, got information of parkour, easy playing Vomb acitivities etc. 80 participants Xamk Sport day of your 10.5.2017 Hartola Activity day according 120 participants, school dreams to pupils’ own ideas children and teachers Finland ESLi Linnanneitokierros, 16.05.2017 Savonlinna, VOMB joined own Interest in project and Lady from the Southern-Savo Sports trying new physical Finland castle Federation event activities. (walking/running event for ladies) by implementing different extra activities and idea competition. (600 participants) ESLi Workshops and 03.11 – Mikkeli, Organizing idea Elderly people got new activities with 01.12.2017 Finland competition and ideas for physical elderly people physical activities for activities and local day care centre.
    [Show full text]
  • Requiem for a Pagan Soul. Pagan Reminiscences in 19Th Century Cemeteries in Lithuania
    SUOMALAISEN KUOLEMANTUTKIMUKSEN SEURA SYKSY 2016 Thanatos ISSN 2242-6280, vol. 5 2/2016 © Suomalaisen Kuolemantutkimuksen Seura Ry. https://thanatosjournal.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/bazaraite_etal_requiem.pdf Requiem for a pagan soul. Pagan reminiscences in 19th century cemeteries in Lithuania Eglė Bazaraitė Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa Teresa Heitor Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa Maria Manuel Oliveira Universidade do Minho The historian of death must not be afraid to embrace the centuries until they run into a millennium. (Ariès 1981, xvi) Abstract European burial grounds suffered a great shift in the 19th century: hygienic strategies of city development brought them to be outside of the city cores. A new model of cemetery handed a right to memory for those social classes that were sentenced to forgetting before: it was the time of the rise of the individual. Following garden development – from hortus conclusus to an open landscape – first through the use of the false funeral monuments in the gardens, then placing real tombs in natural milieu (for example, a tomb of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Île des Peupliers in Ermenonville) – people got accustomed to see death in the garden and burial spaces acquired Edenic expression. Lithuania was the very last European country to accept Christianity; all the territory was only Christianised in the beginning of the 15th century. Therefore this article approaches burial grounds in Lithuania as places where pagan culture meets recent Christian attitudes and concerns. The first trigger for this research was an urge to identify elements of pagan beliefs in spatial solutions of Lithuanian cemeteries. In order to decode a morphogenetic identity of Lithuanian burial grounds, two 19th-century cemeteries in Vilnius, Lithuania, were approached from a syntactic point of view taking into account the mythological references of Christianity and Baltic paganism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Intriguer: Stasys Raštikis, the Army, and the President
    chapter 22 The Intriguer: Stasys Raštikis, the Army, and the President The army was a new phenomenon for the Lithuanian public. It was the winner of independence in battle, the most important part of the military action in Klaipėda, the protector and guarantor of the state frontiers. The army was respected, but it was also part of the same politicized public. At first there was a catastrophic shortage of officers – a military school opened in 1919, graduat- ing class after class of young officers. The first officers were mostly veterans of the Russian army and spoke Lithuanian badly; the nationally minded younger band of officers squinted at them warily. The army was politically active – the great proof of this being the military coup of 1926. Smetona was at first thank- ful to the sks, the organizers of the coup, and to their dictator Povilas Plechavičius. The organizers received Smetona at the headquarters of the army, the office of the army chief General Silvestras Žukauskas. The Christian Democratic leader Father Mykolas Krupavičius came to the headquarters and kissed Major Plechavičius, saying, “Povilas, you have saved the country…”812 For this the army had to be rewarded – the two Tautininkai leaders tripled the officers’ salaries.813 Let us just briefly return again to Smetona’s travel through Lithuania in the summer of 1927, from Samogitia to Kaunas. Who accompanied the president? What signals did the cortège send to the public? There were a number of mili- tary: the president’s adjutant Captain Aloyzas Valušis, also the army chief General Žukauskas, General V.
    [Show full text]
  • Number 120 the Western Borderlands of The
    NUMBER 120 THE WESTERN BORDERLANDS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 1710-1870 Edward Thaden Colloquium Paper presented June 30, 1980, at Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies The Wilson Center THE WESTERN BORDERLANDS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 1710-1870 I The Podolian cycle of Wlodzimierz Odojewski chronicles the futile efforts of two young noblemen in the extreme southeastern corner of interwar Poland to fight during 1943-44 for what they thought was the Polish cause. A P~lish trilogy on this theme, published in 1962, 1964, and 1973, reminds us of the fascination the borderlands, or kresy, have had for Poles and of the domination they and other non-native elites and rulers once exercised over a vast region stretching from the Gulf of Bothnia in the north to the Dniester River in the south and from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Dnieper in the east. Great Russians, Poles, Germans, and Swedes competed for the control of this area since the thirteenth century. In it the major religions of Europe--Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism--clashed. Its indigenous population consisted of Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Belorussian, Polish, and Ukrainian peasants, who were generally serfs or at least economically dependent on landowners alien to them in language and culture. Only in certain areas of Finland and P·oland did the peasants speak the language of the local nobility. Between 1710 and 1815 the Russian Empire annexed western borderlands that, in 1815, accounted for about one-fifth of the land area of European Russia exclusive of the Caucasus. From the very beginning Russian rulers and their officials wanted to bring this area closer to the rest of the empire, and under Catherine II and, again, under Nicholas I a concerted effort was made to introduce Russian laws, institutions, and language.
    [Show full text]
  • Lithuanian Independence Movement That Struggle Did Not Succeed, It Energized the Only Gradually Evolved in the Homeland
    Special Footprints of Lithuanian Americans in the struggle for Independence Lithuanian American National Council A FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED HISTORIC Convention, Madison Square FACT IS THAT LITHUANIA’S DECLARATION Garden, New TH York, March 13- OF INDEPENDENCE OF FEBRUARY 16 , 14, 1918. 1918, DID NOT OCCUR OVERNIGHT. IT WAS, Photo above INSTEAD, THE CONSEQUENCE OF A SERIES in the right: OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND POLITICAL Lithuanian American DEVELOPMENTS. THIS, OF COURSE, DOES National NOT DETRACT FROM THE ACHIEVEMENT Council, delegate pin Whitehead WHICH THE DECLARATION’S SIGNATORIES Hoag, New BROUGHT ABOUT. HOWEVER, IT MUST BE Jersey. REMEMBERED THAT THERE WERE MANY OTHERS INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE INCLUDING MANY LITHUANIAN AMERICANS WHO ENERGETICALLY JOINED IN AND EFFECTIVELY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS CAMPAIGN. 16 Lithuanian Military Digest Special THE NATIONAL AWAKENING Independence — complete Lithuanian politi- t is generally agreed that the Lithuanian cal sovereignty a year before it was declared in National Awakening of the late 19th centu- Lithuania! ry and the resultant Lithuanian Indepen- Idence movement stemmed from the Polish- A LITHUANIAN MONARCHY? Lithuanian Insurrection of 1863–1864. While The Lithuanian independence movement that struggle did not succeed, it energized the only gradually evolved in the homeland. Initial- nation to continue its efforts to free itself from ly, the leaders of the movement merely sought Czarist rule. The consequent brutal suppres- some modicum of political autonomy, some sion of this insurrection led to an even greater accommodation within the framework of Czar- resolve to resist tyranny. The Russian regime ist Russian Empire. In 1905 the Russians were outlawed the publishing of books in the Lithu- routed in the ill-fated Russo-Japanese War.
    [Show full text]