Lithuania commemorates 35th anniversary of Medininkai border post killings

On July 31, Lithuania marked the 35th anniversary of the 1991 Medininkai border post killings. A memorial service was held in Vilnius Cathedral, followed by a tribute at the Medininkai memorial and at Antakalnis Cemetery. President Gitanas Nausėda, Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, other state officials, military representatives and foreign diplomatic corps attended.

In the early‑morning attack on July 31 1991, Soviet OMON forces assaulted the Lithuanian‑Belarusian border post, killing seven customs, police and border officers – Mindaugas Balavakas, Algimantas Juozakas, Juozas Janonis, Algirdas Kazlauskas, Antanas Musteikis, Stanislovas Orlavičius and Ričardas Rabavičius – and seriously wounding customs officer Tomas Šernas, who survived. Former OMON member Konstantinas Michailovas is serving a life sentence, while three other attackers – Andrius Laktionovas, Česlavas Mlynikas and Aleksandr Ryžovas – have received harsh sentences but remain in Russia, which refuses extradition.