Row breaks out as Vilnius tears down Stalin-era WW2 memorial
euronews.comA row has broken out in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius after the local authority began taking down a WW2 monument on Thursday, despite a UN injunction.
Critics of the decision to remove the Stalin-era memorial (pictured, above) to fallen Red Army soldiers claim it is divisive and gives Russia a propaganda victory.
But supporters say it is a painful reminder of the Soviet occupation of Lithuania and should be taken away to show solidarity with Kyiv amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
Professor Stanislovas Tomas, a lawyer representing those who have petitioned against the removal, told Euronews the move would hand Moscow a propaganda victory.
"Putin needs the destruction of the monument at [Antakalnis] cemetery in order to mobilise Russians, so he can say: 'They are destroying key elements of Russian culture, they are supporting Hitler'," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed that invading Ukraine was necessary to protect his country from far-right neo-Nazis in Kyiv, a claim dismissed as a "plain and simple lie" by experts.
Prof Tomas said his 20-strong group of petitioners opposed the Ukraine war and hoped one day Russia would be ruled by another leader.
Local authorities in Vilnius contest this, saying the memorial must be removed for historical and political reasons.
"The time has come to remove one of the last symbols of Soviet occupation from our city," said Remigijus Šimašius, the mayor of Vilnius, told Euronews in a statement, adding that the decision had also come "as a response to the unwarranted Russian aggression toward Ukraine".
He noted that the Vilnius municipality "has been steadily cleaning the city of Soviet symbols -- memorials, statues, and other reminders of former occupants --
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