Farewell ceremony held in Vilnius for Lithuanian soldier Ignas Kailius killed in Ukraine

A farewell ceremony for Ignas Kailius, a Lithuanian soldier killed in Ukraine, is taking place in Vilnius on Sunday, as reported by public broadcaster LRT.

The ceremony is being held from 10:00 to 13:00 at the embalming hall of St. Ignatius Church in Vilnius. Another farewell event will take place later in the day, from 17:00 to 21:00, at the embalming hall of the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vilkaviškys. The funeral will be held on Monday.

Kailius, who was in his 30s, died in June while performing a combat mission in southern Ukraine. He served in a unit primarily composed of Brazilian and Colombian volunteers and was known by the nickname “Iggy.”

Andre Aguiaras, a former comrade of Kailius and a Brazilian volunteer, previously told LRT that Kailius was an exemplary soldier—strong and well-liked by everyone. He was responsible for supplying positions and carried out tasks related to the escort of captured Russian prisoners of war.

Kailius arrived in Ukraine in February. According to Aguiaras, his motivation was to stop such invasions from happening in other countries, with Lithuania in mind.