Munich electro-pop band Claire has been on an unusual adventure in the past year or so the group's tour bus – which was loaded with Claire's equipment – was stolen in London in September of 2014 and the devastated bandmates' hopes of recovering their property eroded But in December they got an anonymous phone tip that their stuff was in Lithuania Yet what seemed to be great news was masked by the uncertainty of the tip compounded by months of bureaucratic red-tape as the German musicians worked with the U.K The trans-Europe saga had a happy ending in April as the group members traveled to Lithuania and were reunited with almost all of the stolen equipment and vehicle 'Raseiniai,' which is named for the Lithuanian town where they were reunit-ed with their property The release isn't a literal retelling of the story but it encompasses dark themes of isolation appre-hension and betrayal balanced with a stubborn sense of optimism and destiny Claire navigates an ebb and flow of electronic sprawl and upheaval from the pulsing infectious opener of 'What We Are Made Of' to the mysterious throbbing drama of 'Secret,' a showcase for the captivat-ing vocals of lead singer Josie-Claire Burke 'Raseiniai' progresses through instrumental-heavy atmosphere including what feels like a battle-spiked space odyssey on 'Collider,' before arriving at the gorgeous bliss-kissed closer 'Stay With You,' where Burke announces 'Even if it's all for nothing/Days will come The good news for listeners is they won't have to suffer the consequences of robbery to connect to these universal moods or to be absorbed by the group's evocative execution Raseiniai is slowly getting rid of its Soviet legacy the first monument glorifying Soviet imperialism has been covered up in our region,” Andrius Bautronis “The sculpture of a Soviet soldier in the city will remain in darkness until further decisions are taken by the state on the fate of such monuments,” he added A sculpture of a Soviet soldier holding a gun and a wreath on Vilnius Street in Raseiniai was covered by a black box on Monday The same will be done with the other five Soviet memorials in the district a representative of the Culture and Tourism Department of the municipality “We asked the Department of Cultural Heritage to remove these objects from the Register of Cultural Heritage the process of removing them would be easier,” she told BNS has decided that it would be right to cover [the Soviet monuments] temporarily,” Brazauskaitė added Key Point: The KV tank is a curiosity it was physically tougher than any tank the Germans could throw at it But it failed to inflict decisive damage during those brutal early months A day after the German blitzkrieg into the Soviet Union in June 1941 more than 200 Nazi tanks were powering through Lithuania on a race northward to Leningrad The Luftwaffe knocked out the Soviets’ nearby air bases leaving counter-attacking armored columns easy prey for German bombers on June 23 the Red Army sprang its KV-1 and KV-2 tanks — which at the time packed some of the heaviest tank armor in the world — on the advancing Germans near Raseiniai Soviet tanks were renowned for their ruggedness and reliability— though not their comforts — during World War II the lumbering Kliment Voroshilov tanks could easily deflect the shells from most of Germany’s field weapons leaving them vulnerable to German troops maneuvering close on the flanks While individual KVs absorbed terrific punishment during the clash the Wehrmacht went on to destroy 29 of them among the more than 200 Soviet tanks lost at Raseiniai the Wehrmacht knocked out the beasts with explosive charges or lured them within range of direct-fire artillery “The bulk of the Soviet armored forces in the Baltic countries were annihilated and any threat to the German advance from the flanks removed.” The KV was a product of tank designer Josef Kotin embraced the theory that success on the battlefield meant dominating the enemy with the heaviest armor available Some of his designs worked better than others Kotin’s multi-turreted T-28 suffered from weak suspension and Most were destroyed during the opening months of Operation Barbarossa His gigantic T-35 — crewed by 11 people packed inside like sardines — was mechanically unfit for combat “In fact, it was ordered off the drawing board; this point was later glossed over by sending the prototypes to the Karelian Isthmus for testing at the end of the Finnish War,” Stephen Sewell wrote in a history of Soviet heavy tanks for Armor magazine Kotin abandoned a multi-turreted configuration for the KV he included had a single turret with a 76-millimeter cannon with three 7.62-millimeter machine guns rounding out the weapons the tank boasted formidable armor — 90-millimeters thick in the front and around 70-millimeters on the side and rear far outclassing the German Panzers of the time but swapped the turret and cannon for a 152-millimeter howitzer Kotin produced relatively few of these up-gunned variants — around 200–250 in total Kotin’s design bureau would produce more than 5,000 KVs during the war in more than two dozen different variants The most (relatively) successful was the KV-1S which sacrificed armor for speed and included an upgraded transmission which Kotin borrowed from a U.S.-made tractor But one of the tank’s biggest problems was the fact the crew could barely see out of damn thing the KV-1 was soon revealed to be a deathtrap,” Sewell wrote “Fear of angering Kotin prevented many commanders from telling him how bad the tank really was after many senior leaders complained about its failings That job fell to engineer Nikolay Shashmurin later assigned him to develop the intimidating IS-1 which proved to be among the war’s most successful heavy tanks Yet heavy tanks would ultimately fall out of favor after World War II and Koshkin’s medium T-34 series secured the more lasting legacy The T-34 went on to influence a later class of mainbattle tanks which are standard around the world today But the IS-1— which led the Soviet charge into Berlin four years after the debacle at Raseiniai — nevertheless owed itself to Kotin’s KV blunder Image: Bundesarchiv via WIkimedia Nothing about the M10 “light” tank made sense given the current threat environment American forces face In a remarkable move—at least for Russian military doctrine—the engineers at Uralvagonzavod built the Vepr around the prospect of enhancing the safety of the crew The French suffered 476 casualties in the Battle of Puebla while the outnumbered Mexicans only suffered 339 Stay in the know with The National Interest newsletter © Copyright 2025 Center for the National Interest. 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Kilcauskas manages to find a balance between the strict regime of a soldier and various activities that help him relax and rest a cadet’s everyday life is full of psychological challenges but building a strong personality helps him move towards his goals and dreams Childhood dream boosted by examples in the family he rejected all the other possible future prospects and chose the military Even though he did really well during the national exams and could have applied for a variety of study programs The immediate family has also played an important role in Kilcauskas’ future plans “My father is a very important role model He has been a civil servant for many years and always remains honest and moral both at work and at home Another major role model is my grandfather who has a lot of experience and is able to properly assess risks and share critical insight,” he said too.” A new cadet hast to realize who he is and what should be improved – this will help maintain emotional strength and open up comprehensive improvement possibilities I am convinced that all the other necessary qualities can be developed during training,” he continued Mental health is more important than physical fitness It is no secret to anyone that health and sports are integral parts of military service maintaining mental health is more important than physical fitness “A soldier’s everyday life is full of various psychological challenges and not necessarily only during field training exercises but also when resting fight them by taking a broader look at a situation and looking for a solution while trying to remain cool-headed,” Kilcauskas opened up not just daily physical exercises help improve mental health Kilcauskas manages his hobbies and the strict schedule he tries to complete all the academy tasks before noon so he can have some free time for other activities.“I have lectures the administration of the squad that I command various additional tasks… It is difficult to maintain a fixed routine because the situation changes very quickly,” he shared Military service helps to know yourself better It has been noticed that young people often find military service daunting various factors give rise to fears: some are afraid of separating with their significant other others think that military service will result in losing an important period of time to enrol in a university Kilcauskas suggests looking from a different perspective the mood in the military remained calm: “On 24 February 2022 there could have been a plethora of moods – maybe some were afraid I didn’t notice fear among other cadets – everyone was calm and calculated but understood what the conflict could turn into The mood has remained calm to this day,” he added Military service is one of the expressions of patriotism patriotism should not be defined only in terms of great deeds “Patriotism is a contribution to the state’s development participation in community-based action by promoting community and understanding what the necessary parameters of a flourishing society are Patriotism should not be understood only in terms of great deeds It can manifest through professional conduct of everyday duties,” he said “I think that such small things like extending a helping hand are very important because they help people realize that every individual belongs to society And this realization should make them act accordingly: provide assistance and give advice I have been taught not to ignore the surroundings since childhood and that is why I try to do something good every day something that creates a cosier microclimate,” he explained The twenty-one-year old is making his childhood dream come true at General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy and has set major future goals “I am focused on becoming a military officer and also continuing studying post-graduation I am motivated to achieve these goals by the realization that an educated soldier can contribute to the development of the military "The permanent residence permits are already in the hands of the Afghans," Raseiniai District Mayor Andrius Bautronis posted on Facebook head of the Tauragė Division of the Migration Department and her colleagues handed over the official documents to all the people," he added The Afghans themselves will now be able to choose where they want to live Over 170 Afghans – interpreters who had worked for the Lithuania contingent and their family members – were evacuated to Lithuania in August They were then temporarily accommodated in the western district of Raseiniai the Migration Department decided to grant them political asylum the Afghans are entitled to an integration programme and have the right to work in the country Read more: In the words of Afghan translator in Lithuania: ‘The Taliban I know’ PHOTO: DELFI / Domantas Pipas Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has on Friday granted state awards to the so-called Kabul Eleven – ten troops and a diplomat who evacuated Afghan interpreters and their families from Afghanistan last month The awards include Crosses of the Officer and the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania as well as medals of the Order for Merits to Lithuania The Kabul Eleven has also received awards from the ministries of foreign affairs and national defense Ten troops and the diplomat evacuated 34 Afghan interpreters who had worked with Lithuania's military contingent and their family members –176 people in total – from Afghanistan over five days Afghan interpreters and their family members were flown to Lithuania due to the danger to their lives in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Kabul and the ouster of the Afghan national government Around 5,000 Lithuanian troops were involved in US-led and NATO missions in Afghanistan for almost 20 years between 2002 and 2021 a woman from Raseiniai in central Lithuania left for Malaysia where she went to visit her internet friend the Šiauliai County Chief Police Commissariat said in a press release The woman travelled via Finland and Qatar and informed her parents that she successfully reached Malaysia a few days later The parents contacted the Raseiniai District Police Commissariat and asked them to start a search for their missing daughter The Malaysian police could not tell whether the Lithuanian woman was in their country The investigators found the Facebook account of the Malaysian Lithuanian community and got in touch with its chairwoman Rita Ruke She urged the local detectives to check the location of all the possible phone numbers and addresses of the Lithuanian girl sent by the Raseiniai investigators The last check was carried out in December last year when Lithuanian officials learned that online purchases were made in the name of the missing woman a detective went to the delivery address and found the missing girl It was agreed that she would contact the Raseiniai District Police the woman had a video chat with Chief Investigator Vytautas Globis She said she left Lithuania and broke contact with her relatives because she did not want anything to do with them Į Lietuvą parskraidinami pirmieji Lietuvos kariuomenei talkinę afganai PHOTO: Lietuvos kariuomenė Lithuanian troops and the last group of Afghan evacuees left Kabul before an explosion outside the Afghan capital's airport on Thursday 2 "They are no longer in Afghanistan," he told BNS "I can confirm that they were no longer there at that time." Eleven troops of Lithuania's Special Operations Forces and a number of Afghan evacuees are on their way from Kabul to Lithuania member of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) party and elder of the town of Nemakščiai in the western district of Raseiniai attracted controversy last week by joking that “Those who will not vote for me will get buried at the Jewish cemetery” “We have watched with concern the recent situation in Nemakščiai Raseiniai District,” the Israeli Embassy said in a statement on Monday “It is particularly disappointing that up to this moment the town elder has not taken responsibility and his circle has not condemned the hurtful words he told the audience as a joke.” the Jewish Community of Lithuania turned to the country’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis Laugalis claimed that his words were “taken out of context” saying that he was referring to rumours circulating in the neighbourhood was not mentioned in the original local media article the Israeli ambassador said such statements marginalise and demonise a group of people on ethnic or religious grounds and are completely unacceptable the town of Raseiniai in western Lithuania dismantled a monument to Red Army soldiers that had stood there for some 70 years It is only the latest in a series of demolitions of Soviet-era monuments that represents the biggest wave of “desovietisation” since the early 1990s and Dzerzhinskys from its squares soon after regaining independence some Soviet monuments – mostly World War Two memorials marking the burial sites of Red Army soldiers – were left in peace until now Some of them were listed as protected heritage adding another barrier to attempts at taking them down the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced Lithuanians to take another look at the monuments that many associate with Moscow’s domination over their country Twenty-six municipalities have turned to the Department of Cultural Heritage asking to remove protections on Soviet memorials so that they can be taken down the Lithuanian parliament Seimas has drafted a “desovietisation” bill in order to speed up not only the removal of statues and monuments but also changing the remaining names of streets and squares that still remind of the Soviet era “We are talking about the remaining names of monuments It is very important that there is a second part of this law – to discuss who were the people after whom streets are named what do they mean for our state and our history,” says Paulė Kuzmickienė chairwoman of the Commission for Freedom Struggles and Historical Memory It is not yet clear how many sites across the country will be affected by the law The Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Centre (LGGRTC) and local authorities will have to decide which individual dignitaries who supported Lithuania’s annexation to the Soviet Union in 1940 still has 20 streets named after him across the country “When it comes to persons and famous writers who collaborated with the Soviet regime there must be a national policy towards their memorialisation,” says Dainius Žalimas dean of the Law Faculty at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas “Someone cannot be heroised in one municipality and condemned in another.” The final decision on whether to change or remove a tribute to a person would be taken by the LGGRTC a government-appointed body researching Lithuania’s World War Two and Soviet history expect that the public will be able to take part in discussions “The law does not stipulate who will be consulted that’s something missing,” notes Mingailė Jurkutė “The Soviet heritage and occupation is a complex topic and cannot be left to the public alone because it is too deep and complex.” Town mayors have welcomed the moves to give them more freedom to “desovietise” their municipalities but say it is only the beginning of a long process “Since we took the decision on the demolition of the monuments in the local council there have even been council members who have spoken out against the dismantling,” says Andrius Bautronis “Imagine what happens when we start deliberating the renaming of streets It would certainly be a smoother work if we did not have any discussions about personalities who collaborated with the [Soviet] government.” entitled the Law on the Prohibition of Promoting Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes and their Ideologies will come into force on November 1 and will have to be implemented within a few years to tackle tributes to participants in the anti-Soviet resistance who also took part in the Holocaust A street in the western town of Marijampolė is named after Juozas Ambrazevičius-Brazaitis who headed the 1940 pro-German provisional government There still remain streets named after Kazys Škirpa the founder of the anti-Semitic Lithuanian Activist Front The two cases were reported in Kaunas County they were people in the risk group due to their age and health conditions according to the National Public Health Centre (NVSC) remains the biggest hotspot of infections in the country with 53 new cases confirmed over the weekend Lithuania's total count of confirmed coronavirus infections stands at 4,385 Ninety-one people have died of the coronavirus in the country 19 more had the infection but died of other causes “The decision has been made to grant 167 Afghans the refugee status and it will take several days to make residence permit cards,” Evelina Gudzinskaitė Applications of 11 more people are still being processed with the agency waiting for additional information from other government services Most of the 170 Afghan citizens who were brought to Lithuania live in Raseiniai Those living in Raseniai will be able to take part in an integration programme over the next three months and find jobs but as far as I heard from the local mayor So I think they will be able to get employment after receiving the permits,” Gudzinskaitė said Brazdžionis has agreed to share some of the top things he has seen on his travels The longest and tallest bridge in Lithuania was only opened to the public last year “There is also a pedestrian path that winds under the bridge and can be walked with a guide while a guide explains the history of the bridge,” said Brazdžionis Visitors to Druskininkai are familiar with the cycling and hiking trails along the Nemunas River But Love Island is another less-visited place “You cannot get to Love Island in the middle of the river but there used to be a bridge in the old days the island can be admired from a viewing platform at the bend of the river The views are truly spectacular,” said Brazdžionis it is not easy to get to the only real cave in Lithuania The untouched work of nature not only offers beautiful views but also interesting legends you have to be careful when hiking up to it for those of us who are used to Lithuanian plains landscapes Čiobiškis Cave is also surrounded by various legends It is said that thousands of years ago it was inhabited by several families of cavemen and during the Soviet era Lithuanian youths used to hide here to escape from the draft,” said Brazdžionis Three bridges (Vilnius and Švenčionys districts) Brazdžionis recommends going to the intersection of Vilnius and Švenčionys districts The Neris and Žeimena rivers intersect there and they are connected by three different bridges “One train bridge was built by the Germans – it’s no longer in use which still carries trains to the eastern side of Lithuania You will also find a suspension footbridge All the bridges offer different panoramas of the intersecting rivers and this place is a favourite with photographers and wedding guests,” said Brazdžionis It takes just half an hour to reach this place from Vilnius by car Look for the Santakos Pedestrian Bridge for easy access The chapel is located close to the village of Antakalnis near Ukmergė Although it is only a few hundred metres from the road You won’t be able to drive up to it either - you’ll have to trudge through fields and woods to get there “But that’s the fun of it,” said Brazdžionis He managed to reach the site only on his attempt as the paths have long since been overtaken by nature “This place used to be the site of the Poklevskis-Kozels nobleman’s estate complex the only reminders of its existence are the avenue of trees leading to the main manor house and the old chapel and could probably accommodate only a few people was used for services and to celebrate Easter it doesn’t have the uncomfortable feel of other abandoned places,” said Brazdžionis Kruonis gravitational hill (Kaišiadorys District) we can find a unique place – there are only a few of them in the world,” the blogger said Prepare to experience an optical illusion: you’ll think you’re driving up a hill but you’ll be actually going down “There’s a paved stretch of several hundred metres through the forest there are no buildings or towers to guide you as you approach it This creates an optical illusion: when you put the car in free gear it looks like you’re going uphill when you’re actually going downhill The experiment can also be done with a ball The feeling is really hard to explain,” said Brazdžionis Stream tunnel of Motertis (Alytus district) Probably more than one person has walked on the Baltosios Rožės Bridge in Alytus – the highest pedestrian and cycle bridge in the country The tracks ran through remote and wooded areas One of them – the 19th-century tunnel over 60 metres long the Motertis Stream Tunnel – is still preserved today the tunnel was used to shelter locals from air raids It is said that bats inhabit the tunnel today but be careful: you will have to climb more than one slippery step,” said Brazdžionis The Rūdnininkai Forest features stretches of seaside-like sandy stretches and the greenery grew smaller and smaller until sandy fields were formed instead so it feels like the Baltic Sea is somewhere over the hill,” said Brazdžionis the Rūdnininkai Dune is protected by a barrier and can only be accessed with the permission of the military Visitors are advised to call the number indicated by the barrier and ask to be allowed inside If you want to see the only natural waterfalls in Lithuania head to Trakai District – the waterfalls are hidden in the forest near the village of Žemieji Semeniukai “It takes a while to get there and you have to wade through a dense but very cosy forest The biggest waterfall is about 1.5 metres high – you won’t find more natural waterfalls of this size in our country,” said Brazdžionis Abandoned Dimitravas Prison (Kretinga District) Dimitravas is a remote village in the depths of Žemaitija on the initiative of the counts of Zubovai a manor house was built there in the 19th century it was turned into a prison for forced labour Criminals and political prisoners were housed there for some eight years with up to 200 people interned there at a time “The former manor house is now tucked in between residential buildings is truly unique: it is made of dark-coloured stones with bars on the windows and a new sculpture next to it It has a really interesting atmosphere,” said Brazdžionis Link Copied!0Debate“I’m Married,” said Jonas Valanciunas, when reportedly highlighting why he doesn’t choose to go to clubs. Greivis Vásquez, Valanciunas’ then Toronto Raptors teammate recorded the video carrying the comments and then highlighted his disbelief he imposed restrictions on things to do and did not simply highlight the level of love the NBA star had for his wife Jonas Valanciunas continues to stay in a committed relationship with the love of his life let us know more about the NBA star’s partner of 11 years and counting She is of Lithuanian nationality since she was born and raised in Raseiniai she is the daughter of Vida Aciene and Remigijus Acas Both Vida and Remigijus boast a political background After spending years building a career in the engineering background Remigijus Acas later went on to serve as an advisor to the then Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas He provided opinions on national security issues and served as head of the advisory group during the Parkas presidency he reportedly served as Deputy Chairman of the Audit Committee during the 2005–2006 period he was the Member/Mayor of the Raseiniai District Municipality Council he continued climbing up the political ladder A post shared by Jonas Valanciunas (@jvalanciunas) What’s your perspective on:In a world of fleeting romances does Jonas Valanciunas' marriage set a new standard for athletes After having secured a diploma in economics and organization Egle’s mother went on to work as an economist She devoted her time to working for the Nemakščiai Soviet Farm and the Raseiniai branch of AB “Ūkio bankas” the people elected her a member of The Seimas Egle herself graduated college with a specialization in law and management She later went on to work in a field that complimented her specialization she would soon cross paths with the NBA star Lithuanian Magazine ‘Zmones.Lt’ (translated to ‘People.Lt’) did a profile on Jonas Valanciunas and Egle Valanciuniene the future couple first met during a friend’s party when both of them went about their business Jonas invited Egle to be his friend on Facebook the duo were communicating through phone and Skype Egle flew to Toronto to meet up with the then-new NBA player I really want to believe that you will come a third time,’” said Jonas “‘It won’t work to go on vacation every other week – we need to decide about work.’ And she made up her mind – she chose me.” Along with these remarks for me – the most beautiful… But this does not mean that she just sits on the sofa like a porcelain doll Jonas had joined the NBA only one year prior to his nuptials Canadian businessman and Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia highlighted glimpses of the happy occasion in a series of photos on Facebook Over the course of their decade-long marriage the couple has been blessed with two children Then Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey provided details of the birth and revealed that the baby weighed in at 7 pounds Jonas Valanciunas was even given the night off another son would be born to the NBA star and his wife the Center was participating in the presser he invited both his sons up and they stood behind him proceeded to massage his father’s shoulders Jonas Valanciunas with some special guests after the @PelicansNBA win! pic.twitter.com/p5ttMmmOM0 — NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2023 Children of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green had earlier made such ‘interruptions’ famous during post-game pressers. Fortunately, Jonas’ boys did not choose to speak in between their father’s Q&A sessions. As highlighted earlier, Egle Valanciunas went on to work in the field of law and management after graduation. According to reports, she also ran a shopping website based in Kaunas before she got to meet the NBA player. Now, she continues serving as a full-time mother to her two sons. However, her social media presence is close to Nil. Therefore, any updates we get about her, we get only through Jonas’ Instagram and other social media accounts. People do not find true love as commonly as they would be made to believe. However, the Washington Wizards star, and Egle Valanciuniene, found each other. They created a life for themselves in one corner of the world, alongside their two sons. While no one knows for how long Jonas Valanciunas’ NBA career will last, we can say that the couple will continue providing updates that make it to our social media pages from time to time. 0  DebateWhat's Your Perspective OnIn a world of fleeting romances, does Jonas Valanciunas' marriage set a new standard for athletes? EssentiallySports is a digital-first sports media house that surfaces the best stories on America's favorite sports celebrities with a fan's perspective to 30+ M average monthly readers. Full Spectrum Services LLP © 2025 | All Rights Reserved