Linksmakalnis

Svetlana: “I was living in Siberia and came to Lithuania from Irkutsk when I was 32 years old. My husband is a Lithuanian exile, I met him in Siberia.
I taught physical education at Linksmakalnis and Išlaužas schools. We taught in Russian. Only later we have switched to Lithuanian.
My kids were taking classes in Linksmakalnis. The area of the town was blocked. Iron and concrete blocks were placed at the entrance. Ponds were excavated. As we passed through, we would see bones and skulls.
I couldn't say that something secret had happened here. An ordinary intelligence. Employed military officers with technological education. Watching, listening, encrypting. They were looking for some information they had needed. Would make selections. In cases they couldn‘t decrypt it – would send it to Moscow. There were rumours – there was a rocket here. That they were suppressing American broadcasts. There was no such thing. We had never felt like this was a military town, like we were isolated. I remember how we would go out for picnics with my children.
The barracks were where the ruins are now. Which had a sauna, a sanitary unit. When the unrest began, the soldiers were transferred to another house of exiles.
The moving of soldiers was rather quiet and beautiful.” (2019)