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On Sunday in Klaipeda, near the monument to Soviet soldiers in the Sculpture Park, popular music from the Soviet era was played. Several hundred people gathered here to commemorate the days of victory against Nazi Germany.
Obviously, the social distance was not maintained, some gathered were left without masks. The association’s organizers assured that no event was taking place because they did not have permission to do so. And people supposedly only came to visit the graves of the dead.
Across Europe, including Lithuania, the victims of World War II were honored on Saturday, May 8.
Because it was on this day that Nazi Germany signed the Unconditional Surrender Act, that is, the victory against Nazism is traditionally commemorated on this day.
However, Victory Day is celebrated on May 9 in Russian-speaking communities living in Russia and abroad.
So on Sunday, Russian music was allowed at the monument to Soviet soldiers who died during WWII, and many people gathered there with flowers to commemorate May 9.
Some Klaipėda residents, unhappy with the promotion of Soviet values, drove cars and motorcycles down S. Daukanto Street at the same time, dressed in Lithuanian tricolor and loudly released the song “Freedom” by E. Masytė and “Colorado Beetles. “by V. Kernagis.
Before noon, the soldiers of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation approached the monument to Soviet soldiers in Klaipeda.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps came to help the flowers to the eternal fire, which this year was not lit, because the quarantine due to the pandemic in the country has not been lifted, although it has been relaxed.
However, Russian war melodies were played loudly through the speakers at the monument, with the permission of the municipality.
But the city did not issue a permit for the event. Although at first its organizers had requested it, and then they withdrew.
It is possible to realize that more than a hundred people will gather, in which case the quarantine requirements would be violated.
When it is said that there will be no events, only music will be played and if more people were to gather (which is what happened), the organizers would not formally violate the quarantine requirements.
On Sunday, the view at the monument was as if there was no pandemic: many people walked with Georgian stripes on their lapels, some without masks, people gathered, communicated, did not maintain a social distance.
Although Ela Andrejeva, a member of the Klaipėda Council, continued to warn over the loudspeaker that the participants should keep their distance.
It seems that after this “visit to the cemetery”, the COVID-19 statistics in Klaipeda will again change significantly for the worse.
Because it is the representatives of the Russian-speaking community that are the most skeptical of the city population about vaccination and are in no rush to get vaccinated, from high school graduates to retirees.
Photo by V. Liaudanskis
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