While waiting for the state’s decision on the fate of the Red Army monuments, the Raseiniai municipality has taken the initiative to temporarily hide them.
“A pleasant sight for the eyes and heart. Raseiniai is slowly getting rid of its Soviet legacy. Today, the first monument glorifying Soviet imperialism has been covered up in our region,” Andrius Bautronis, Mayor of Raseiniai District, said on Facebook.
“The sculpture of a Soviet soldier in the city will remain in darkness until further decisions are taken by the state on the fate of such monuments,” he added.
A sculpture of a Soviet soldier holding a gun and a wreath on Vilnius Street in Raseiniai was covered by a black box on Monday.
The same will be done with the other five Soviet memorials in the district, according to Živilė Brazauskaitė, a representative of the Culture and Tourism Department of the municipality.
“We asked the Department of Cultural Heritage to remove these objects from the Register of Cultural Heritage. Then, the process of removing them would be easier,” she told BNS.
“Pending a decision at the state level, the Mayor, after consulting with specialists, politicians, and the ruling coalition, has decided that it would be right to cover [the Soviet monuments] temporarily,” Brazauskaitė added.
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