At noon, in Viniu, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the deportation of the population in 1949, offerings were made to St. Mass of St. in the Church of the Apostles Philip and James.
The event was organized by the Vilnius branch of the Union of Lithuanian Political Prisoners and Deportees together with the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of the Lithuanian Population. To mark this sad anniversary, the Lithuanian national anthem was sung, flowers were laid and candles were lit.
“One of the most important for our historical consciousness of the 20th century. middle events – the deportations of 1949. At that time, Lithuania followed the path of struggle and suffering and enslavement that began during the Second World War. The most prominent event of 1949 for our Motherland is the operation “Priboj” (“Battle of the Waves”) carried out by MGB (Ministry of State Security) military personnel and their assistants on March 25-28 and additionally on April 10-20, when about 10,000 families were deported.
According to the security forces themselves, 32,107 people were deported, but according to the data collected by the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Center (LGGRTC), there were more of them – as many as 33,736. This deportation of Lithuanian residents is the second largest. It should be noted that the residents of Latvia and Estonia were also deported at the same time,” said the head of the research and publicity department of the activities of the Occupation Regimes of the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania, Assoc. Dr. Artūras Grickevičius.
The commemoration was attended by members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Audronius Ažubalis, Angelė Jakavonytė, Valdas Rakutis, members of the Union and Community of Lithuanian Political Prisoners and Exiles, staff of the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of the Lithuanian Population, defenders of Lithuanian freedom and a large group of Vilnius schoolchildren. For them, it was a lesson in citizenship – with numbers, facts, testimonies of deportees.
Those who spoke at the event emphasized how important it is to spread the living message of memory to the general public, especially to young people, and to cooperate with Lithuanian schools.
As LGGRTC historian Assoc. Dr. A. Grickevičius and others who spoke at the event, the data presented today and their evaluation are important for our historical consciousness, especially for the civic education of young people. We must not only know the history of the sufferings of the people of Lithuania that lost its independence, but also understand and feel it as our own, as one that teaches us to value truth and honesty, to nurture love of neighbor and Motherland.
During the commemoration, the songs of the exiles were sensitively performed by the choir of Vilnius political prisoners and exiles “Laisvė” (leader Gintaras Skapas) and the chamber choir of schoolchildren of Vilnius Lithuanian Homes (leader Judita Taučaitė).
Representatives of the young generation from Vilnius Vydūnas pro-gymnasium read the memories of the deportees.
The deportation of Lithuanian residents in 1949 and the memory of those who suffered during it
More than 30 years ago – in 1992 – the book “The End of History and the Last Man” by the American political scientist Francis Yoshihiro Fukuyama was published, which interpreted the end of the Cold War as the final end of democracy and its consolidation the victory of peace, and therefore the end of political and military history, and at the same time almost the end of general history. Unfortunately, these and similar ideas have strongly influenced Western politics, economics, culture, and education. The following few decades were an era of relaxation and naivety, when (in addition to the above) historical knowledge and its importance for the individual and society and the state were underestimated. This infantile era ended in 2014-2022, when Russia, under the influence of lies and deceit, tried to turn the wheel of history back.
So today, like yesterday, and for a long time to come, the experience of our nation in the 20th century. in the Middle Ages is, was and will be an essential part of our historical consciousness, even a condition for our survival. So that this experience is not forgotten, the testimonies of the victims are needed. In order to highlight it more and more, historical research is carried out. In order to consolidate its understanding, appropriate education is required. In order for it not to fade away, the appropriate cultural policy of the state is needed.
One of the most important for our historical consciousness of the 20th century. middle events – the deportations of 1949. At that time, Lithuania was still on the path of struggle and suffering and enslavement that began during the Second World War. The most prominent event of 1949 for our Motherland is the operation “Priboj” (“Battle of the Waves”) carried out by MGB (Ministry of State Security) military personnel and their assistants on March 25-28 and additionally on April 10-20, when about 10,000 families were deported. According to the security forces themselves, 32,107 people were deported, but according to the data collected by the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Center (LGGRTC), there were more of them – as many as 33,736. This deportation of Lithuanian residents is the second largest. It should be noted that Latvian and Estonian residents were deported at the same time.
Unfortunately, many other residents of Lithuania suffered from the red occupiers that year: 5,278 were imprisoned for so-called banditry or treason, that is, armed or unarmed resistance, one or another disloyalty to the occupiers; 1,715 were killed in Lithuania, that is, partisans and their supporters were killed, tortured or shot, as well as other persistent persons who did not agree with the Reds. A total of 46,725 persons were repressed during those years of suffering.
The MGB, implementing the decision of the Council of Ministers of Stalin’s empire, prepared the operation “Priboj”, during which it was planned to deport 8,500 families (25,500 persons). In this way, they wanted to overcome the opposition of Lithuanians to the creation of a “collective paradise”. The decision was approved by the local Council of Ministers, measures were provided by the local MGB, the lists of deportees were approved by county communist secretaries and heads of executive committees, and the deportees’ files had to be drawn up by local departments of the MGB. The operation was carried out by a large force of the Reds and their supporters: 13,785 security and militia officers and soldiers (4th Rifle Division), 7,166 “people’s defenders”, i.e. stragglers, as well as 9,500 activists. From the following categories of persons, groups were formed to carry out the plan: 1 officer (security or militiaman), 2 soldiers, 2 vigilantes and 3 activists. Such a group was capable of arresting single-family families one by one, and several families selected from settlements or villages.
The wounds of previous years’ deportations were still bleeding. The terrible experience led to the fact that the relatives of the imprisoned and exiled, as well as the families of the peasants who went to the collective farms, hid as much as possible when the news about the new deportation was about to take place. In this way, 13,777 persons escaped arrest between March 25 and 28. However, in order to protect themselves from Moscow’s wrath, the security authorities, remembering 1948, when 48,000 were scheduled to be deported, but managed to gather “only” 40,000 persons, had compiled an additional list of deported families. Until March 31 8,817 families, ie 29,180 persons, were crammed into the wagons. Thus, the satanic plan was exceeded: 25,500 were planned to be arrested, but 29,180 persons were arrested.
Unfortunately, the seniority of the security forces residing in Vilnius, outraged that many “enemies of the people” managed to avoid arrest, tried to significantly surpass the exceeded plan. From April 10 to 20, families and individuals hiding from exile were searched and arrested. This contingent was called particularly dangerous by the deputy minister of internal affairs of the empire, Vasiliy Riasnoy. As a result of diligent work in Šiauliai, several more echelons were packed, with which 2,927 residents left the Homeland. Thus, in total, according to the data of the security forces, 32,107 persons were deported, according to the LGGRTC – 33,736 persons.
Those deported in 1949, like Lithuanians and persons of other nationalities who were deported earlier and later, experienced life losses and indescribable misery, a significant number lost their health or even their lives. However, each year’s exile and the fates of the victims were different in their own way. So it is worth mentioning the essential data of those events and their consequences.
According to LGGRTC data, out of 33,736 exiled Lithuanian residents at that time, the majority (as many as 29,588, ie 87.7%) were Lithuanians; much less – Poles (1,883, ie 5.5 percent); quite a few – Russians (213, ie 0.6 percent); others – Latvians, Germans, Jews, Tatars, Belarusians – are even fewer (from 166 to 12, i.e. decreasing from 0.4%). When compared with the deportations of the population of other nations or areas ruled by the empire at that time, Lithuanians made up as much as 15 percent, or more than a sixth of all deportees. Since the Lithuanian nation is not numerous, it can be said that Lithuania was one of the most important countries in 1949. targets of repression.
Of those 33,736 persons deported at that time, the majority – 1,285 – were from Rokiškis district, almost the same number – 1,281 – residents of Pasvalis district, no less – 1,270 – residents of Šiauliai district, slightly less – 1,256 – from Šakiai district. Counting by region, the central part of Northern Lithuania was the most affected, as there were 8,946 deportees from Šiauliai, Radviliškis, Pakruoj, Pasvalis, Birži, Rokiškis, Panevėžys and Anykščiai districts, ie 17.7 percent. district exiles – as much as 26.5 percent. The other area with the largest number of deportees that year was Southwestern Lithuania, that is, Šakiai, Vilkaviškis, Marijampole and Lazdija districts (8.8 percent of the districts), from which 4,089 persons (12.1 percent) were deported. In addition to these areas, the western part of Northern Lithuania can also be singled out, where 3,929 persons (11.6%) were deported from Klaipėda, Kretinga, Plungė and Skuoda districts (8.8% of districts).
Not under the threat of a rifle, but in fulfillment of a duty to a loved one, 461 people voluntarily left Lithuania after the exiles of 1949. It is known that 3,918 babies were born to the 1949 deportees, of which 242 babies and children unfortunately did not survive. Therefore, it can be said that deportees should include both those who voluntarily went to their relatives and newborns of deportees. So in 1949 the number of deportees increases from 33,736 to 38,115 persons.
Of all the 1949 of exiled Lithuanian residents, no less than 56 and 2,566 died on the way to the places of exile and in the places of exile (respectively). Out of a total of 38,115 deportees, 23,992 persons (62.9%) returned to Lithuania, some without health, and some only dead. No less than 1,123 released exiles (about 4.4 percent of those released) remained in places of exile or settled elsewhere – in Russia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine. Unfortunately, the fate of 4,488 persons (11.7%) is still unknown.
The deportations of March and April 1949 left deep demographic, social and moral scars, as not only many individuals suffered an undeserved fate, but also the rest of Lithuania constantly felt the danger that was still threatening them and this encouraged them to adapt. Therefore, the organizers of the “Priboj” operation could be proud of the “tumultuous collectivization and increase in the number of Komsomol members”.
Of course, it can be assumed that the executioners who wanted to appear in front of their superiors significantly embellished the results of their work. However, it would be more correct to say that this criminal operation significantly accelerated not only the forced collectivization, but also the sovietization of the occupied country, the change in the mentality and identity of its people. Resistance was increasingly replaced by adaptation and cooperation. The effects of this change are still felt today.
The presented data and their evaluation are important for our historical consciousness, especially for the civic education of young people. We must not only know the history of the sufferings of the people of Lithuania that lost its independence, but also understand and feel it as our own, as one that teaches us to value truth and honesty, to nurture love of neighbor and Motherland.
