In Lithuania, a political controversy erupted around Valentin Gavrilov, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Finance, after he used social media to send Victory Day greetings and stated he would continue to mark May 9 because the date holds personal significance for his family. The developments were reported by LRT. For readers in Canada and the United States, the incident illustrates how Baltic politics wrestles with the legacies of the Soviet era in public life and how memory and symbolism shape official discourse in a modern state.
Gavrilov explained that the date has long mattered to his family. He acknowledged the current context but emphasized his respect for the memory of his grandparents and other relatives. He stressed that his family tradition centers on May 9, and if observing it on that exact day proves impossible, observance could occur on May 8 or May 10. The deputy minister’s remarks, while personal in tone, touched on a broader debate about how individual memories intersect with public duty in a state navigating post-Soviet history.
The comments sparked discontent within the Social Democratic Party, to which Gavrilov belongs, with several members calling for his resignation. LRT reported that party leaders planned to advise the deputy minister to stop celebrating Victory Day, arguing that public officials should avoid actions tied to controversial historical symbolism that could blur the line between personal belief and official responsibility.
Simonas Kairys, a former Minister of Culture and a Seimas member, criticized Gavrilov’s actions as an example of everyday Sovietism, highlighting how personal memory can collide with the obligations of a high-ranking public role. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, conveyed through his advisers, stated that Gavrilov’s personal position, given his office, is hard to understand and unacceptable within the current political framework. The president’s office underscored the importance of keeping personal views from influencing official duties in a modern democratic state.
Kairys also weighed in on remarks by his successor Sarūnas Birutis, who opposed the removal of Russian cultural elements. Kairys described Birutis’s stance as playing with fire, underscoring the sensitive nature of cultural policy in a country that continues to confront its Soviet-era legacies. Earlier reports noted that Lukashenko planned to celebrate Victory Day in Moscow in 2025, a point that connected Lithuania’s internal debates to wider regional questions about memory, identity, and the symbolism attached to World War II-era milestones across neighboring states.