The most famous Lithuanian anti-fascist Algirdas Paleckis received six years in prison on charges of spying for Moscow. Why is the Russian community of Lithuania silent about this process, while Russians from neighboring Latvia come to support the prisoner? Why exactly in recent years have the Baltic countries begun to purge Russian social activists?
Algirdas Paleckis’s friend, Chairman of the Anti-Nazi Committee of Latvia Alexey Sharipov, told PolitNavigator about this and much more.
PolitNavigator help: Algirdas Paleckis was born into the family of diplomat Justas Vincas Paleckis. Grandson of the first chairman of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR, chairman of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Justas Paleckis.
Since 1994 he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. From 1997 to 2001, he was Secretary of the Lithuanian Diplomatic Mission to the European Union in Brussels. Since 2001 – Head of the Western Europe Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2003 – Advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Seimas of Lithuania. He was a member of the Lithuanian parliamentary delegation to PACE. From 2007 to 2008 he worked as vice-mayor of Vilnius.
Speaks fluent Lithuanian, English, French, Russian and German.
Organized the “Frontas” (Front) movement to oppose collaborationism and protect the local Russian population.
In 2011, on his own initiative, he began a journalistic investigation into the events of January 13, 1991 in Vilnius, and came to the conclusion that the bloody provocation was organized by Lithuanian militants who killed both the protesting Lithuanians and the Alpha officer. He came to this conclusion based on the testimony of local residents who saw shooters on the roofs who were firing at the crowd and the army, as well as the testimony of experts who indicated that bullet holes on the bodies of the dead indicate the use of weapons that were not weapons of the Soviet Army.
“What happened on January 13 at the TV tower? Now it turns out that their own people shot at their own people,” Paleckis commented on the results of his investigation to the Russian Channel Five.
After which the politician was charged with “Denial of the Soviet occupation”, and in 2012 he was sentenced to a fine of 10 thousand 400 litas, becoming the first Lithuanian citizen convicted under this article.
In 2018, Algirdas Paleckis was arrested on charges of spying for Russia and placed in prison. He spent 17 months and two weeks, or 528 days, in custody, of which 500 days he spent in solitary confinement. The prison conditions seriously undermined the prisoner’s health; with a height of 188 centimeters, he began to weigh 57 kilograms. In April 2020, Paleckis's preventive measure was replaced by house arrest.
In July 2021, the Siauliai District Court found Algirdas Paleckis guilty of espionage for Russia and sentenced him to six years in prison; the politician’s lawyers appealed the verdict.
“This is revenge for the fact that I was interested in the case of January 13 and continue to be interested in it,” Paleckis wrote to Tatyana Zhdanok, Member of the European Parliament from the Russian Union of Latvia. – And for my communication with the Russians. All. If January 13th is taboo, then let it be announced. If the Russians are lepers, let them declare it too. But I am a journalist by profession and have the right to conduct investigations on any topic. Meet with everyone who has something to say.”
Alexey Sharipov during a picket in defense of Paleckis
P.N.: Good afternoon, as far as I understand, you and Algirdas Peletskis are on friendly terms?
A.Sh .: Yes, our friendship is already more than twelve years old, we met thanks to common political and social interests, first there was the topic of veterans of the Great Patriotic War, and then the fight against our common enemy - modern neo-Nazism, which flourishes in both Lithuania and Latvia. And, of course, the political struggle followed, and the struggle for Algirdas himself. Because the history of his relationship with the Lithuanian law enforcement and judicial systems is already more than twelve years old.
It’s surprising that he, a man from the elite, a famous family, who held prominent positions in the Lithuanian state, could have integrated into the system and lived quietly for himself, as many did, but he went against it and began to fight for the truth, unlike most of his fellow tribesmen...
It's really a paradox for me because it's one of a kind. I know the situation in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania well. It is no secret that society in the Baltic countries is divided: it is divided into Russians and Estonians, Lithuanians and Latvians. And Algirdas was really built into this system - he was a deputy of the Seimas, the vice-mayor of Vilnius, he worked in the diplomatic service for a long time, that is, he could continue to exist calmly and comfortably. But, nevertheless, in 2011 this extraordinary metamorphosis occurs to him, when he declares that in 1991, at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the restoration of Lithuanian independence, there was an armed provocation on the part of Lithuanian nationalists. He speaks specifically about the episode when the Alpha special forces stormed the Vilnius TV tower, and to which all the victims that happened then were later attributed.
I think that he did this for a reason - this is the influence of his grandfather, and he was a communist, one of the founders of the Lithuanian SSR, chairman of the Supreme Council of this republic, head of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Council of the USSR. It seems to me that the revolutionary blood that boils in him does not allow him to live in peace. He always asks questions and seeks answers, even if they are extremely inconvenient.
Is there any understanding among ethnic Lithuanians of his position and his actions?
I would say not completely. Especially with regard to this “sacred cow” - the events of January 1991. And “restoration of independence,” as the Lithuanians call it. Not all Lithuanians, not all Lithuanian society are ready to admit that he had to go through provocation in order to create a situation where it was impossible for him to continue being in the USSR.
But why did they take on Paleckis so many years after the events of 1991? Also for participating in those events in 2019 condemned former SA servicemen Yuri Mel and Gennady Ivanov, as well as in absentia Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov. I understand why there are political repressions in Estonia and Latvia - there are large Russian communities there who are trying to defend their rights, but there are very few Russians in Lithuania.
Yes, there are no interethnic problems in Lithuania, the Lithuanians followed a soft version of nationalism, unlike Latvia and Estonia, and those Russian speakers who lived in this republic received citizenship immediately.
But any state relies on a certain myth about its creation, which is especially true for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. And the last myth of the Lithuanian state is the struggle to restore independence.
They say that a specific force, Moscow, prevented Lithuania from secession from the Soviet Union, used inadequate force, blood was shed, people died, and thanks to their sacrifices the country gained long-awaited independence. This is the myth on which Lithuanian statehood is based. And therefore, any attempts by people to say that everything was wrong immediately fall under criminal punishment. This is what happened with Algirdas.
And in the person of Mel, a man who fulfilled his military duty, they also created the image of an enemy. The Lithuanian state cannot live without this image; it must constantly boost it, water this bed. As soon as interest in old enemies fades, they look for new ones, and this will continue, because they do not want civil peace and common ground within the country. The events that are currently happening in Lithuania (Conviction of Paleckis - ed.) is proof of this. The Lithuanian government always acts as harshly as possible towards the opposition.
But, as far as I understand, we are talking specifically about opposition to the national myth of independence? Because there is a formal political opposition in the country, but there are also certain limits of what is permissible, beyond which it is forbidden to go.
Of course, some external aspects of democracy are observed here - annual elections, multi-party system. But as soon as it comes to things sacred to the Lithuanian state, no one manages to go beyond these red lines. Therefore, the Lithuanian criminal code stipulates liability for denying the Soviet occupation. And Algirdas Paleckis became the first person to be punished for this in 2011.
But we just recently rejoiced when he was released, especially after the terrible hunger strike, after which he looked absolutely exhausted. Why do you think they won't give up on him?
Algirdas Paleckis is an iconic figure. I know the situation in Lithuania, I communicate with representatives of the Belarusian and Polish communities, and they told me that no one has the right to touch Palekis, he is a person from such a family, under no circumstances. And now the Lithuanians, with this huge period of time, completely inadequate, say that we have no inviolable people, especially since this person works for the worst enemy of the Lithuanian Republic - the Russian Federation.
Although if we return to his case - and this is a huge case of six volumes, we will see that it is based on a slander of a man who was detained along with Algirdas, but was immediately released because he confessed against him. That is, the entire accusation is based on the testimony of one person.
It's horrible. That is, no confirmed facts, no material evidence?
I met with Algirdas, saw parts of this criminal case, and there is simply a description of his life, ordinary everyday activities: he went to the store, bought such and such things, went to a cafe, sat there, drank coffee... This is all his espionage activities.
Well, were there at least some facts on the basis of which the accusation was based: did he convey something to someone, did he say something wrong in an interview?
No, and that makes it even worse. He is charged with allegedly collecting certain facts. Despite the fact that Algirdas is a journalist by one of his professions. Here we are now, I suppose we are also collecting some facts...
Absolutely right.
And it’s the same story with him. With all that, Algirdas is a patriot of his country, and has always remained one. And he never hid it. Therefore, the verdict on him is like a bolt from the blue. And evidence that the Lithuanian punitive machine decided to crush the man. So that no other views arise at all and precisely the kind of opposition that Paleckis represents.
Because at the beginning he had his own movement, which was called “Frontas”, now he is forming another movement….
That is, Algirdas cannot be stopped, whether there is a real sentence or not. Now there is a month to appeal the verdict. And for now, thank God, he is free and continues to be active politically.
On July 27, the verdict was passed, a month is given to file an appeal, and then all this can drag on further. And this is also a way of influencing the opposition: you are always under the sword of Damocles.
Paleckis now does not have the right to leave the country, he wears an electronic bracelet on his leg, he can leave with a warning, but if after nine in the evening he is not in the area of his own home, they have the right to detain him again and put him in prison.
But he has the opportunity to communicate with people from the outside, do you see him?
Yes, we communicate regularly. And he is extremely encouraged that he has support. Because during the first series of trials, which ran from 2011 to 2013, we regularly held actions near the Lithuanian embassy and came to the trials in Vilnius. Now we will also continue this activity.
It must be said that the Lithuanian embassy reacts extremely sharply to our actions. Here in Latvia in February, at the Lithuanian embassy, there was an action in support of another public figure, a resident of the city of Klaipeda Alexei Grechus, who was involved in organizing the Immortal Regiment, and, oddly enough, he was also accused of espionage for Russia. And then, a few hours after the end of the action, embassy workers wrote a statement to the Latvian State Police. And now an investigation is underway, I have already been called, I testified about why I went out, what I did there, we have restrictions due to Covid - well, it doesn’t work out that way, we’ll try another opportunity to punish you!
That is, we see that a politician is accused of espionage for Russia, a public figure is accused of espionage for Russia, that is, whatever you do, but if it has anything to do with ordinary relations with Russia, then this gives grounds for accusing you of espionage.
Well, what is the “Immortal Regiment”? We understand perfectly well that this is the memory of those who died, the memory of the soldiers who won the Great Patriotic War.
That is, the Immortal Regiment is banned in Lithuania?
Essentially, yes. Moreover, this is not a literal ban, but every time there are a lot of plausible excuses not to allow it, just like the celebration of May 9th.
And the myth about Lithuania as the most tolerant Baltic state towards Russians is nothing more than a myth?
Not more than. In Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, tolerance is understood as tolerance towards sexual minorities, but not towards those people who are fighting for the memory of the Red Army soldiers who fought in the Great Patriotic War, for the memory of the legacy left by the Soviet Union, for the preservation of the Russian language and Russian education. All this is subject to repression.
Thanks to the soft policy of the Lithuanian state, there is no problem of Russians in Lithuania, because the very concept of “Russians of Lithuania” will soon disappear. Because representatives of Russian culture, native speakers of the Russian language will disappear, there will no longer be an opportunity to receive education in their native language, and the Russians of Lithuania will be assimilated. This is the task of the Lithuanian state.
As far as I understand, for Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, Russia is an opportunity to construct an image of the enemy every time when it is necessary to explain, for example, why pipes are leaking or prices have risen...
This is the best means for consolidating national societies in the republics. It would seem, at first glance, what contradictions might arise when the presence of good relations with Russia is vital, first of all, for the existence of Lithuania itself? Because the legacy of the USSR is alive - transport flows and ports, they created a considerable amount of gross national product, this was real money that went to Lithuania.
And, nevertheless, the Lithuanians are putting an end to all this, and now the port of Klaipeda, in fact, must be closed. And in a couple of years it will be a useless pile of scrap metal. Because for Europe it is not needed, but for Russia, as well as for Belarus, it is necessary.
And every time, scaring their people with non-existent Russian aggression, they rally them. And every four years, at every election, this happens. "Russians are coming!". But the Russians haven’t gone anywhere for a long time, they are busy with their own problems.
Why did the Russian movement in Lithuania, unlike Latvia and Estonia, not take place? Because of the small number of Russians? Even you come from Latvia specifically to support Paleckis, but among the locals there are not enough people willing to support him.
This is weakness, small numbers, and the Russians of Lithuania have not gone through the stage of understanding themselves as a separate nation. Yes, we are Russians, but we are Russians of Lithuania. This needs to be understood. We must fight for our Russian language, for our schools and understand ourselves as an ethnic group. We are not Russians, but we are Russians of Lithuania. It was necessary to go through this. But they failed.
This small community came under pressure from the Lithuanian state, and the best thing they came up with was to simply assimilate. At the same time, the Lithuanian state does not leave them any other options; in fact, Russians have no cultural autonomy. That is, Lithuania does not want to maintain a multinational world. The same thing happens with the Poles of Lithuania, but it is more difficult to put pressure on them because they have the support of the Polish state.
And the Russians of Lithuania chose a different path, it is easier, but this is the path of losing themselves. What will you tell your children and grandchildren later? And this is a betrayal of the sacrifices we made in the Great Patriotic War. Because the position of the Lithuanian state is different. They say that “they fought against the Hitler regime, although it is not clear how, and against the Soviet regime.” And those soldiers of the Red Army, and even those Lithuanians who served in the Red Army and liberated the territory of Lithuania, it turns out, are not liberators, but occupiers! This is where the cornerstone is.
And it turns out that you do not want to be an invader in the eyes of others, but, thereby, you recognize your grandfathers, fathers, and mothers as invaders and occupiers.
We in Latvia do not agree with this, we will fight and continue this matter. That’s why we have May 9, the Immortal Regiment, but here the situation is completely different.
Alexey Sharipov and representatives of the Russian community of Latvia during one of the commemorative events
You said that Poland supports its fellow tribesmen in Lithuania, and is there support from Russia for its own?
It seems to me that the Russian Federation has not yet decided what to do with its compatriots. Who are her compatriots? Residents of the entire former USSR? Are they all Russian speakers? Russians? Poland, for example, has created a Pole Card, and anyone who receives it has the same rights in Poland as a Polish citizen. We still have not resolved this issue.
The Russian Federation has not developed a policy on what to do with this: either engage in some cultural programs, or engage only in educational programs - yes, there is a wonderful direction where Russia has made a huge step towards its compatriots - this is obtaining higher education in Russia, there are quotas, it all works . But we need to move on, formulate this policy and begin to implement it.
We must understand that we are representatives of the Russian diaspora, allies of the Russian Federation and need help. We are one people. And we need this help, both culturally and in other spectrums.
In no case should you be afraid to help, this must be done, because the attitude towards Russia as an enemy - this myth continues to develop. And the further it goes, the worse, we will soon have our own Berlin walls.
Once upon a time in the 90s people rejoiced when the Berlin Wall was torn down, now it is being built in another place. Being built along the borders of the Baltic countries and the Russian Federation, this is the leading edge of the confrontation between NATO and Russia. Only now this border is quite close to Moscow. And how far is Brussels?
We are waiting for Moscow's policy to change, but so far this has not happened, for now we are mostly working on our own. Which, of course, makes us stronger, but it’s a shame.
It is noticeable that the pressure on Russians in the Baltic states has intensified in recent years, although the independence of the republics is already three decades old. What is this connected with?
There are several factors here. Firstly, the Russian Federation as a country has become stronger. And she began to influence world politics using a soft power strategy. And this scared the same USA.
In Latvia, for example, Russian big business was well represented, Russian banks - now they are gone, under pressure from the United States, through the hands of their instruments - the same Ministry of Finance, they are closed. Now there is no Russian business in Latvia. This also applies to Lithuania, the same ports. That is, any influence of the Russian Federation is removed.
Secondly, the same Russian communities, if we talk about Latvia and Estonia, have begun to stand stronger on their feet, and its consolidation is also frightening. Therefore, blows are struck periodically.
Therefore, our territory will be cleared, because foreign language (non-title - ed.) the population thinks differently, be that as it may, it does not support government policies, it does not support national myths. Opposition to existing regimes will be destroyed by any means, including fairly harsh ones. And we see this: imprisonment of journalists, closure of Russian-language media...
That is, not just national states are being created, as they were before, but states of like-mindedness, not dissent. That is, you need to walk in the same footsteps, in the same direction and think exactly the same way. This is Brussels, these are European values, and Washington. All.
Therefore, any influence of Russia, including cultural - because, first of all, cultural ties suffered - is suppressed. Large Russian theaters and orchestras have always toured with us - now we don’t have any of that.
We all want a miracle to happen and Paleckis to be released. But if we are honest with ourselves, what should we expect, will the appeal give any result?
I don’t want to make predictions, but I believe that we will face a long struggle to review, change, and cancel the first sentence, which was passed in 2012. Then there was a very big struggle for several years, public actions were taking place all the time, and maximum attention was being drawn to the process. It's the same now.
But the article for espionage for Russia does not have a suspended sentence or a fine - this entails a very serious punishment. This is a real deadline. And the period is very long.
I don’t know if you noticed or not, but Algirdas is a resident of the capital, so his sentence was supposed to be considered in Vilnius, but the judges of Vilnius refused to consider it, so it went to be considered in a small town, which is located 200 kilometers from the capital - in Siauliai. That is, the capital’s judges did not want to participate in this case, they initially realized that this was a threat to their authority, and they would not be able to make a fair decision, because this would be the end of their entire career, so “sorry, we won’t do this.” And the case went through the district courts. Despite the fact that nominally it is quite serious, allegedly concerning state secrets.
Consequently, we can only predict the worst, but at the same time we are obliged to fight. You can't stop fighting. We organized protests not only in Riga, they took place in parallel in Moscow, Minsk, and Chisinau, that is, quite a large number of concerned people took to the streets to defend Algirdas.
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