In 1941, in response to the 16 May 1941 Politburo resolution, about 130 deported Lithuanians were allocated to the Kutash settlement in the Ongudaisky district. Those who died were buried according to Catholic rites in a separate section of the graveyard, with headboards on their graves. The total numbers who died have not been established.
In 1990, relatives of the deportees buried in the graveyard visited Kutash and erected a monument there. It took the form of a brick wall with a niche, next to which was attached a metal plaque which reads (in Cyrillic script): “А † А / Exiles from Lithuania / Maria Matskevich, 1895-1942 / Cleophas Matskevich, 1899-1942 / Janina Jagelyova, 1869-1942 / Janina Jageliovna, 1899-1942 / Anna Kaminska, 1866-1942”. In 1991, Lithuanian researcher Gintautas Alekna studied the graveyard, carried out a photo survey, uncovered 20 graves with surviving crosses and name plates, and drew up a plan of their layout and a list of those buried there.
In 2009, the cemetery was visited by Father Andrzej Obuchowski from Biisk and he conducted a memorial service there. In 2011, Alekna again visited the cemetery and the following year members of the “Destination, Siberia” youth expedition from Lithuania worked in the graveyard. They cleared the territory, restored the memorial erected in 1990, and placed a wooden crucifix (author Robertas Ozalinskas) in the niche.
Research on the Genocide of the Lithuanian People (Lietuvos gyventoju Genocidas; 3 vols. 1999-2009) contains about 130,000 biographical entries (in Lithuanian). Vols. 1 & 2 cover the period from 1939 to 1947; vol. 3 from 1948 onwards.
Date | Nature of ceremonies | Organiser or responsible person | Participants | Frequency |
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nk
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Commemorative services
|
nk
|
nk
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From time to time
|
State of burials | Area | Boundaries |
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20 headboards have survived
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not defined
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not delineated
|
[ original texts and hyperlinks ]
Note on the 1991 expedition by the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania
A report by Father Andrzej Obuchowski, 2009
G. Alekna, “Ekspedicija 2012. Altajus Kutašas” (YouTube film) retrieved 26 May 2022
“Ekspedicija Altajus 2012”, Lemtis (Destiny) association website (in Lithuanian)
Reply by the Maiminsky district administration (no date) to a formal enquiry of 19 February 2014 from RIC Memorial (St Petersburg)