soviet’s remains exhumation work resumes in Šiauliai city centre
Monday 23rd March 2026 on 21:30 in
Lithuania
Archaeologists resumed exhumation work on the remains of Soviet soldiers in the centre of Šiauliai, Lithuania, on Tuesday, according to LRT.
The exhumation, taking place near the city’s cathedral, is expected to last about a month. The area was first examined and studied last year, but cold weather forced a temporary halt. The work now continues as preparations are made to exhume the remains.
“They are doing a very good job. In short, it is a place where our people are buried, so why should they be here exclusively?” one local woman told LRT. “There are war graves in every city and town, including Šiauliai. We could find another place to properly re-bury them.”
According to a 1956 cemetery inventory, more than 50 Soviet soldiers are buried in the site, though this is not their original burial place. The remains were relocated from other locations.
Archaeologist Rokas Kraniauskas explained the process: “We are now forming archaeological trenches, removing topsoil, and preparing for the initial fixation. Later, we will dig deeper, study the layers and structures, and only at the end will the graves be exhumed.”
The exhumed remains and artefacts will be examined in Šiauliai by visiting anthropologists. “The municipality has provided us with premises where the anthropologists will conduct bone inspections, general physical anthropology, determine age, pathologies, and sex,” Kraniauskas said.
Šiauliai Mayor Artūras Visockas said the reburial process was delayed due to the lack of a legal act to proceed. “Estonia did this 20 years ago; we are doing it now. I hope that by May 9, these issues will be resolved and no one will bring wreaths here,” he said. “Ultimately, the city will have done its part, and others can follow.”
The exhumed remains will be reburied at a designated Soviet soldiers’ war grave site near Ginkūnai Cemetery.
In 2024, the Desovietisation Commission ruled that the remains of Soviet soldiers buried in city squares and parks must be exhumed to avoid promoting a totalitarian regime.