Lithuania criticizes Russia for issuing coin commemorating liberation of Vilnius
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry is outraged by the issue of a Russian coin dedicated to the liberation of Vilnius in 1944, the political director of the ministry, Rolandas Kačinskas, told BNS news agency.
According to him, such a move confirms that Russia has not accepted the “historical truth about the Soviet occupation of Baltics.”
A commemorative silver coin with the nominal value of five Russian rubles was issued by the Bank of Russia on August 1. It depicts a now-disassembled monument to the soldier-liberators of Vilnius. The coin also has the inscription “Vilnius” and “13 Jul 1944,” the day when the Soviet army liberated the city from Nazi troops. According to Kačinskas, the date on the coin represents the day the Nazi occupation of the country was replaced by the Soviet occupation. “The issue of coins only confirms that Russia is not yet ready for the historical truth about the Soviet occupation,” Kačinskas stated.
The monument on the Green Bridge in Vilnius was removed in July 2015. The authorities explained the decision by declaring that the sculpture was in a state of disrepair. Before that, there was a plaque about the Soviet occupation near the monument.
The coins issued by the Bank of Russia are part of a series dedicated to “capitals of the states liberated by Soviet troops from German fascist invaders,” and also include commemorations of Belgrade, Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Warsaw, Vienna, Kiev, Chisinau, Minsk, Prague, Riga and Tallinn.
The coin dedicated to the liberation of Tallinn depicts the “Bronze soldier” monument, which was disassembled by decision of the authorities and placed in a cemetery.