Linas Jegelevičius
Following the news about the death of a Lithuanian volunteer who ostensibly perished on the battlefield fighting for Ukraine, Lithuania’s Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas swiftly published a post on social media, commending the fighter and expressing condolence to his family.
However, he hastened to delete it after it turned out that cause of the death of Valerijus Polkovnikovas is not related to frontline injuries.
Lithuanian Ambassador to Ukraine Valdemaras Sarapinas has confirmed to that Valery’s death is not related to battlefield injuries.
“As far as our embassy knows, this Lithuanian citizen did not fight on the frontline and cause of his death is not related to injuries sustained on the front,” ambassador told lrytas.lt.
According to him, staffers of the Lithuanian Embassy visited the injured man in a Kyiv hospital and reached out to his relatives after he died.
“At the request of family members, the real cause of his death will not be revealed and we do not provide more information on that,” V. Sarapinas said, adding that the Embassy is looking into the circumstances of the death.
Some of posts on social media purport that the late man taught Ukrainians how to use drones.
Following the death, one of V. Polkovnikovas’ friends, Rokas Pauliukaitis, resorted to social media, asking all to donate, thus helping Valerijus’ family with the transportation of the body and easing the burden of funeral expenses.
“Hello, today I received the sad news. Valerijus Polkovnikovas died in a Kyiv hospital after injuries sustained in Bakhmut. A classmate, a friend, a person who could not stay away from seeing injustice…Heroes, geniuses, and all great people, are ignited by the impulse to act heroically, and achieve great things, but pay a huge price for it. Valerijus sacrificed what he had most precious – his life… Rest in peace, brother,” R. Pauliukaitis, pilot of the Lithuanian Air Force, said on his Facebook, emphasizing that the state of Lithuania does not provide any social guarantees to Lithuanian volunteers fighting in Ukraine.
However, in a new post later R. Pauliukaitis shed more light on his friend’s death: “Relatives are grateful for the donations and support. A sufficient amount has been collected for bringing home his body and for the funeral. Valerijus fought in Ukraine and was wounded by artillery fire. However, I was quick to determine that this was the main cause of his death.
Forgive me if I misled you that he was killed directly in battle.”
Apparently, the Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas picked the news about the death from social media before creating his own post about it.
However, the minister deleted the post quickly, explaining that he keeps information about private individuals on social media very shortly – from half an hour to an hour.
“One could make sure of that earlier,” the minister underlined when grilled by reporters.
When enquired if he knows the true cause of the Lithuanian’s death, he replied that he cannot comment on it “at the moment”: “I am not authorised to comment on the circumstances of the death. You ask it the relatives.”
The minister however acknowledged that, for his post, he relied on information available in the public domain.
Anušauskas also shunned a direct answer if it would be moral for the deceased man’s family to collect money
for his funeral via a public campaign on social media. Especially after it turned out that the man died not on the battlefield.
“I think that every person who has loved ones who die feels both pain and heartache and needs support,” the minister said vaguely.
Many other commentators also questioned whether it was appropriate for the friends of the deceased man to ask for donations on social media, especially that cause of the death has not been disclosed.
With social media buzzing, A. Anušauskas created a new post on Tuesday, the 4th of July, explaining his stance on Lithuanian volunteers in Ukraine.
“I have always respected every volunteer who finds his own ways to help Ukraine in its struggle. More than once I had to help in trouble, take care of permits, talk to the Ukrainian side, support financially, look for possibilities for support, etc. Sorry, but I have not and will not provide detailed information about all these things on any social network. I publish only official, institutional information about this support for Ukraine. There is a real war going on,” it says.
According to the minister,
when it comes to publishing something on social media, he “always” adheres to three main principles.
First, do not allow haters and their sympathisers to write comments on his Facebook comment wall. Second, block anyone who writes offensive comments. And, third, do not allow comments on posts about the deaths of private individuals and not keep them on the comment wall for more than an hour.
“And I will not give up or change these principles,” the minister emphasised.
He says it is “not clear” how many Lithuanians are currently fighting for Ukraine’s freedom.
“We do not gather such data. I just know about a few dozen (of such cases),” he said.
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has also said that there is no information that the aforementioned person had fought on the frontlines.
Last year, Lithuanian documentary filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius, 45, was killed in Ukraine after a rocket hit his car in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. In 2016, his documentary Mariupol was selected for the Berlin Film Festival.