Lithuanian MPs call for international action after Soviet repression memorial dismantled in Tomsk

Two Lithuanian lawmakers have urged the foreign and justice ministers to push for international sanctions after a memorial complex honoring victims of Stalinist repression—including Lithuania’s “Stone of Sorrow”—was dismantled in the Russian city of Tomsk, LRT reports.

Conservative MPs Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė and Paulė Kuzmickienė addressed Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė following reports that Russian authorities removed the entire memorial site in April. The complex had commemorated Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Polish, and other nationalities deported under Stalin’s regime.

“Systematic actions by Russia go beyond heritage protection—this is a deliberate policy to rehabilitate Stalinist crimes and justify imperialist goals through distorted history,” Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė stated, noting that Stalinism killed tens of millions and sought to erase independent states.

The lawmakers called the demolition part of a broader effort to erase historical memory and rewrite European history with “pseudo-historical narratives.” Kuzmickienė argued that individuals responsible for destroying such memorials should face international sanctions as “a minimum measure of justice for protecting historical memory.”

In their appeal, the MPs proposed that Lithuania initiate a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee, coordinate a regional response with Baltic partners, and explore sanctions against officials involved in memorial removals. They also urged Lithuania’s Genocide and Resistance Research Centre to launch a digital mapping project using modern technology to document Stalin-era repression sites, memorials, and exile locations.

“Putin’s regime seeks to erase memory, but today we have tools to counter this brutal policy,” the conservatives said, emphasizing the need for the Centre to take a leading role in preserving data and partnerships.

The Foreign Ministry had already issued a formal protest to Russia’s embassy on Thursday over the removal of Lithuania’s commemorative stone in Tomsk.