Kazys Skučas
Encyclopedia
Kazys Skučas was a Lithuania
n politician and General of the Lithuanian Army. Skučas was the last Minister of the Interior of independent Lithuania. He was a target of anti-Lithuanian Soviet propaganda in the days leading to the 1940 Soviet ultimatum
and occupation of Lithuania. Right after the Red Army
invaded Lithuania on June 15, 1940, Skučas was directed to leave the country by the then President Smetonas but was arrested at the border several days later by the then acting Lithauian President Antanas Merkys and handed over to the Russians, transported to Moscow, and executed in 1941.
and served in the Romanian front with the 249th Infantry Regiment. In 1918 he returned to Lithuania and volunteered for the Lithuanian Army, where he began by organized police forces in Daugai
. Skučas steadily rose through the ranks and in March 1928 he became the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division and the Kaunas
garrison
.
From 1934 to 1938, Skučas worked as a military attaché
in Russia. After his return he was promoted to brigadier general, but he soon retired. He then joined the 20th cabinet (Prime Minister Jonas Černius
) as the Minister of the Interior. Formed after the government crisis in the aftermath of the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
, the 20th cabinet included four generals. Skučas retained his position when Prime Minister Antanas Merkys
formed the 21st cabinet in fall 1939.
of 1939. Skučas and Director of the State Security Department Augustinas Povilaitis
were singled out as the main perpetrators of the provocations. Despite Lithuanian repeated pledges to fully investigate the incident, the Soviets kept pressing the charges. Just before receiving the Soviet ultimatum
, Lithuanian government decided that Skučas should resign. However, it was not enough and the Lithuanians were presented with the ultimatum, listing three demands. The first demand was to put Skučas and Povilaitis on trial.
After Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union on June 15, 1940, Skučas and Povilaitis were arrested, by police sent by Antanas Merkys, near the Lithuanian border with Nazi Germany
. For a time they were held in the Kaunas Prison
, but then transported to the Butyrka prison
in Moscow
. After a trial Skučas was sentenced to death and executed in July 1941. For a long time very little was known about Skučas' trial or execution. Only in 1989 his case documents were made public. They showed that, despite lack of evidence, Skučas was accused not only of provocations against the Russian soldiers, but also of espionage
during the years as military attaché and "brutal actions against the socialist revolution."
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n politician and General of the Lithuanian Army. Skučas was the last Minister of the Interior of independent Lithuania. He was a target of anti-Lithuanian Soviet propaganda in the days leading to the 1940 Soviet ultimatum
1940 Soviet ultimatum to Lithuania
The Soviet Union issued an ultimatum to Lithuania before midnight of June 14, 1940. The Soviets, using a formal pretext, demanded to allow an unspecified number of Soviet soldiers to enter the Lithuanian territory and to form a new pro-Soviet government...
and occupation of Lithuania. Right after the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
invaded Lithuania on June 15, 1940, Skučas was directed to leave the country by the then President Smetonas but was arrested at the border several days later by the then acting Lithauian President Antanas Merkys and handed over to the Russians, transported to Moscow, and executed in 1941.
Early life and career
After graduation from the Veiveriai Pedagogical Seminary in 1912, Skučas worked as a teacher for a couple years. He then enrolled to the Teacher's Seminary of Petrograd. However, in 1915 he was drafted into the Imperial Russian ArmyImperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
and served in the Romanian front with the 249th Infantry Regiment. In 1918 he returned to Lithuania and volunteered for the Lithuanian Army, where he began by organized police forces in Daugai
Daugai
Daugai is a small city in Alytus district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated some to east from Alytus on the shores of Lake Didžiulis. The city has the Church of Divine Providence dating from 1862, extant bazaar square, Daugai Vladas Mironas secondary school, art school, agricultural...
. Skučas steadily rose through the ranks and in March 1928 he became the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division and the Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
.
From 1934 to 1938, Skučas worked as a military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Russia. After his return he was promoted to brigadier general, but he soon retired. He then joined the 20th cabinet (Prime Minister Jonas Černius
Jonas Cernius
Jonas Černius was a Lithuanian general and Prime Minister. When Lithuania declared independence in 1918, he joined the army as a volunteer and participated in the Freedom Wars...
) as the Minister of the Interior. Formed after the government crisis in the aftermath of the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania was an oral ultimatum presented to Juozas Urbšys, Foreign Minister of Lithuania, by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany, on March 20, 1939...
, the 20th cabinet included four generals. Skučas retained his position when Prime Minister Antanas Merkys
Antanas Merkys
Antanas Merkys |Bajorai]], near Skapiškis, Vilna Governorate of the Russian Empire; died on March 5, 1955 in Vladimir Oblast, Soviet Union) was the last Prime Minister of independent Lithuania, serving from November 1939 to June 1940. When Soviet Union presented an ultimatum to Lithuania, President...
formed the 21st cabinet in fall 1939.
Soviet persecution
In spring 1940, the Soviet Union heightened its anti-Lithuanian rhetoric and increased diplomatic pressure. The Lithuanian government was accused of kidnapping, torturing, and interrogating two Russian soldiers, stationed in Lithuania according to the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance TreatySoviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty
The Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty was a bilateral treaty signed between the Soviet Union and Lithuania on October 10, 1939. According to provisions outlined in the treaty, Lithuania would acquire about one fifth of the Vilnius Region, including Lithuania's historical capital, Vilnius,...
of 1939. Skučas and Director of the State Security Department Augustinas Povilaitis
Augustinas Povilaitis
Augustinas Povilaitis was a captain of the Lithuanian Army and Director of the State Security Department of Lithuania. Together with Minister of the Interior Kazys Skučas, Povilaitis was a target of anti-Lithuanian Soviet propaganda in the days leading to the 1940 Soviet ultimatum and occupation...
were singled out as the main perpetrators of the provocations. Despite Lithuanian repeated pledges to fully investigate the incident, the Soviets kept pressing the charges. Just before receiving the Soviet ultimatum
1940 Soviet ultimatum to Lithuania
The Soviet Union issued an ultimatum to Lithuania before midnight of June 14, 1940. The Soviets, using a formal pretext, demanded to allow an unspecified number of Soviet soldiers to enter the Lithuanian territory and to form a new pro-Soviet government...
, Lithuanian government decided that Skučas should resign. However, it was not enough and the Lithuanians were presented with the ultimatum, listing three demands. The first demand was to put Skučas and Povilaitis on trial.
After Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union on June 15, 1940, Skučas and Povilaitis were arrested, by police sent by Antanas Merkys, near the Lithuanian border with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. For a time they were held in the Kaunas Prison
Kaunas Prison
Kaunas Prison is a prison in the center of Kaunas, second largest city of Lithuania. As of 2007, it houses approximately 300 prisoners and employs around 230 prison guards...
, but then transported to the Butyrka prison
Butyrka prison
Butyrka prison was the central transit prison in pre-Revolutionary Russia, located in Moscow.The first references to Butyrka prison may be traced back to the 17th century. The present prison building was erected in 1879 near the Butyrsk gate on the site of a prison-fortress which had been built...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. After a trial Skučas was sentenced to death and executed in July 1941. For a long time very little was known about Skučas' trial or execution. Only in 1989 his case documents were made public. They showed that, despite lack of evidence, Skučas was accused not only of provocations against the Russian soldiers, but also of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
during the years as military attaché and "brutal actions against the socialist revolution."