“As soon as dawn broke, we went to the fort and surrounded the | WORLD_IN_FIRE

“As soon as dawn broke, we went to the fort and surrounded the pit where the prisoners were kept. On the slopes were two or three light machine guns. On command, the shooting began. The people being shot began to shout, rush about the pit, but they could not escape anywhere, bullets met them everywhere. After the execution, the soldiers chose better clothes for themselves. I took only gold teeth, ”Pranas Matyukas, a participant in the murders in the Kaunas ghetto, said at the trial in 1962.

In modern Lithuania, the "forest brothers" are considered national heroes and fighters for the independence of the state against the brutal Soviet invaders. The government is pursuing a purposeful policy to glorify them. Monuments are erected in honor of the partisans, streets are named. Former members of the underground regularly receive prizes from the parliament and government of Lithuania. Moreover, several former employees of the Soviet special services were convicted in independent Lithuania for taking part in the operations to eliminate the “forest brothers”.

Denying the glorification of the underground and insulting the "forest brothers" is now considered a criminal offense. For example, in November 2019, in Klaipeda, the trial of the deputy of the city council Vyacheslav Titov was held. As a parliamentarian, he opposed the installation of a memorial plaque in honor of Adolfas Ramanauskas, a local field commander and participant in the Holocaust.