In Merkin, archaeologists unearthed the remains of three partisans

Archaeologists from the Cultural Values ​​Protection Agency, led by archaeologist Linas Kvizikevicius, dug the site and found the remains at a shallow depth of 40 centimeters beneath the grass. Only fragments of one of the remains were found, while two more were found a little deeper. Everyone fell to their knees.

“This is already a big deal,” L. Kvizikevičius noted.

“The client was the municipality of the Varenna district, which ordered a study of the hill and the stream. (…) An old woman from Solt said that somewhere in this place, near the bent pine tree, the remains of a partisan might be buried. We went to the designated location and began to look for it. In it and in the surroundings, an examination was carried out with a spike to feel where the soil particles were denser,” archaeologists Ingrida Čičiurkaitė and Eimantas Aranauskas of the Agency for the Protection of Cultural Values ​​said in the report.

According to archaeologists, a flower was planted above the buried partisan and metal covers for candles were found, suggesting the site may have been known.

“We can not guarantee 100% that this flower is really cultivated, but in the case of this plant that we are concerned with, it could be wild or from a nursery, but the wild spreads so strongly that you do not see the same plant around here. Therefore, we propose the version that it could be cultivated. After a walk, you may find more flowers. According to the testimony of the first persons, several partisans were buried in this mountain “, they said.

The work was supposed to be completed on Friday, but due to rain, the excavation could not proceed, so archaeologists planned to continue on Monday.

“You see, even after all these years, the Earth does not give up on bodies easily. But we will continue this meaningful work. DNA samples will be extracted from the remains found here for identification,” said L. Kvizikevičius.

“It is very important now that people with missing relatives come forward and provide their DNA samples. It is very necessary,” he said.

The Merkine Partisan Battalion of the Denava District, led by Adolfas Ramanouskas-Vanagas, operated near Merkine, where fierce fighting for Lithuania’s freedom took place and the town was one of the largest centers of resistance to the Soviet Union.