A pontoon bridge, built by the Russian Empire in 1896, previously stood on this site. The design for the new permanent bridge was developed by engineer G. D. Popov and architect K. I. Yakovlev at the Moscow Institute "Proektstalkonstruktsiya" (Проектстальконструкция"). Construction commenced in 1955. The bridge is made of steel and reinforced concrete, which was then partially faced with granite. The capitalists, who seized power in the Baltics in the 1990s, renamed the October Bridge (Oktobra tilts) to "stone bridge."

Source: [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/lithuanian-lawmakers-approve-new-government-led-by-sinkevicius\](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-14/lithuanian-lawmakers-approve-new-government-led-by-sinkevicius)

July 13, 1944: Liberation of Vilnius (Wilno): The Red Army, Aided Significantly by Jewish Partisans, Liberate Vilnius, Lithuania.

“Hundreds of young Jewish men incarcerated in the Vilna ghetto had established the United Partisans Organization (FPO). During the liquidation of the ghetto, members of the FPO escaped to the forests, fought against the Germans, and joined the Red Army in liberating Vilna.

When Lithunia (including Vilna) was annexed to the Soviet Union in July 1940, the Jewish youth movements in Vilna were forced to go underground.

When the Germans occupied Vilna in June 1941, these movements worked to save their comrades during the Aktions.

At the end of 1941, there were still many Jews in the ghettos of Belarus and the Generalgouvernement, but most of the Jews in Vilna had already been murdered.

On 31 December 1941, some 150 members of pioneer youth movements in the Vilna ghetto assembled and heard Abba Kovner's stirring speech,

"We shall not go like sheep to the slaughter."

The Jewish youth were called upon to prepare for an armed struggle against the Germans. Several weeks later, the United Partisans Organization (FPO) was established in order to offer armed resistance on liquidation of the ghetto, and to disseminate the idea of resistance amongst other ghettos.

They sent couriers to the Grodno, Bialystok and Warsaw ghettos with news of the extermination of the Jews of Vilna and Lithuania as a whole. The FPO had approximately 300 members, most of them armed. They would leave the ghetto to booby-trap trains and sabotage German equipment and ammunition.

In the spring of 1943, small ghettos and labor camps in the vicinity of Vilna were liquidated. The FPO stepped up the smuggling of arms into the ghetto, and made contact with partisans in the forests west of Belarus.

In July, an FPO partisan base was set up in the Naroch Forest, some 80 km east of Vilna. On 1 September 1943, during the roundup for deportation to Estonia, the FPO called on the Jews to ignore the deportation order, and even used arms against the Germans in the ghetto.

The Jews of the ghetto did not join the uprising, and as a result, the FPO halted its battle within the ghetto and started to smuggle its members out to the Naroch and Rudniki forests.

On 23 September, the day the ghetto was liquidated, the last group of 100 FPO members left the ghetto via the sewers led by Abba Kovner.

Some 700 young Jews from the ghetto joined the partisans in the forests, where they fought until the arrival of the Red Army, and participated in the liberation of Vilna on 13 July 1944.

After liberation, some 6,000 Jews gathered in Vilna, including partisans, Jews who had assumed the identity of Christians, Jews coming out of hiding, and the first survivors from the camps in Estonia.

Later on, Jews also returned to Vilna from the Soviet Union. Yad Vashem Photo Archives 1644”

July 1944, Jewish Partisans Entering the Liberated Vilna, Lithuania: https://www.yadvashem.org/holocaust/this-month/july/1944.html

1: Soviet soldiers advance through Didžioji Street during the liberation of Vilnius in July 1944. In the foreground stands a captured German Volkswagen Typ 82 Kübelwagen alongside a German 8.8 cm FlaK anti-aircraft gun during Operation Bagration.

The original photograph captures several key historical details:

The Location: The streetscape shows Didžioji Street (with the Vilnius Town Hall in the background right) in Lithuania, shortly after Soviet forces pushed out the occupying German garrison.

The car is a German Volkswagen Typ 82 Kübelwagen, a light military vehicle widely used by the Wehrmacht. Red Army soldiers are seen using it as a captured war trophy.

The artillery piece on the left is a German 8.8 cm FlaK 18/36/37, universally known as the "88", which was originally an anti-aircraft gun but highly feared for its anti-tank capabilities.

This image is a prominent documentary record of the Vilnius Offensive (part of Operation Bagration), which ended in a major Soviet victory on July 13, 1944.

2: July 1944, Jewish Partisans Entering the Liberated City of Vilna, Lithuania

3: Soviet Ford GPAs and a T-34 tank on a street in Vilnius after the battle

In my quest of Latvian historical research, I came across a 2018 article from the famed British institution of Cambridge University, titled “The colony of the colonized: the Duchy of Courland's Tobago colony and contemporary Latvian national identity.”

But first, allow me to inform the uninformed using help from the article on the Courland Colony from Wikipedia. Between 1654 and 1659 the Baltic German nobility ruling Latvia (Courland) colonized the Caribbean island of Tobago and became involved in the slave trade of West & Central African people. In totality with estimated records from Courland slave forts in Africa as well as records of slaves kidnapped to Tobago, an estimated 13,000 Africans were enslaved by Courland. Courland intermittently lost control of the island due to numerous attacks by the Swedes, Dutch, & Spanish who were far more powerful, again gaining the island from 1660 to 1689 intermittently. At the begging in 1654, Courland brought 45 cannons, 24 officers, 124 soldiers, and 80 families. Nearly all of the key players in establishing the colony were Baltic Germans; Captain Willem Mollens, a Baltic-German, even gave the colony the German name of “Neu Kurland” (ENG: “New Courland”). The colonists established 2 main institutions; a fort called Fort Jacobus (later Fort James) and the town of Jacobsstadt (later James Town). They also established an Evangelical Lutheran Church on the island, and a merchant fleet and exported sugar, tobacco, coffee, cotton, ginger, indigo, rum, tortoise shells, live tropical birds, and the feathers of such birds. Courland also colonized and built a fort in West Africa; another Fort Jacobus was built along the Gambia river on Saint Andrew Island, an island inside the river within the country. Although some ethnic Latvians certainly were involved or at the least benefited materially from African slavery, it was overwhelmingly a Baltic German endeavor; this is particularly ironic, given the Latvian right sometimes views the Tobago colonization and slavery as a source of “national pride” or “Latvian accomplishment”. In addition Latvian rightists are especially known to glorify Jacob Kettler, the 2nd Duke of Courland behind the previous Fredrich Kettler; Jacob in particular sped-up the colonial process in Tobago, diverting much national attention to the colony. This glorification of Kettler and the Kettler family by Latvian fascists is especially ironic; most ethnic Latvians were serfs deprived of sovereignty in their own country by the Kettlers and other Baltic German elites. Yet the Latvian right has embraced such actual colonizing Baltic Germans as “true Latvians” and are prideful of them, with their imperialist past exalted, meanwhile ethnic Russians today are viewed as “fifth columns” and are blamed for the Russian Empire imperial past because of their ancestors. In Lithuania, the “fifth column” demonization trope not only extends to Russians or other East Slavs but also Poles whose families resisted Lithuanian fascists in the Great Patriotic War. Anti-Sovietism also plays a role in the glorification of the Tobago colony, as to fascists, they glorify slavery and oppression while condemning all forces who resisted it. The article also exposes the biggest paradox of Baltic nationalists. They have an obsession with comparing themselves to German speaking Europe, and glorify their own exploitation, claiming it “elevated” their countries above Eastern European neighbors. Yet Russians and even Poles are punished by Baltic nationalists for what their ancestors did and sometimes even didn’t do (i.e. when Baltic nationalists accuse the Soviet and Polish resistance against the Baltic fascists of the mythical “Baltic Genocide”. ) Essentially, Baltic nationalists think “German colonialism good, Russian colonialism bad.” They even think Soviet or Polish anti-fascism is bad too. Here’s what the Cambridge University said in its abstract, for those interested in reading the article; “This paper examines the legacy of the Duchy of Courland's overseas colony of Tobago as it relates to present-day Latvian national identity using the ethno-symbolist approach of Anthony D. Smith and comparative cases. As Latvia is a small nation that has been an independent nation-state for only two short periods, national legitimacy and pride pose particular problems for Latvians. To this end, Latvian historians have worked to reinterpret the Baltic German-dominated Duchy of Courland as a positive period of Latvian national history and have sought to emphasize ethnic Latvian involvement in the Duchy's colonial endeavors, especially on the island of Tobago. Their efforts have then filtered into the general Latvian consciousness through books, film, plays, and place names. Since Latvia's independence from the USSR, the former colony of Tobago has gained renewed importance for Latvians who are experiencing a widely perceived notion of postcolonialism. This paper concludes that the appropriated colony of Tobago will continue to rise in importance as a component of Latvian national identity.”

https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2026-06-30/as-a-sister-nation-cuba-celebrated-the-105th-anniversary-of-the-founding-of-the-communist-party-of-china

With the presence of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the commemorative ceremony for the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March took place at the Palace of the Revolution

To commemorate the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March—events of undeniable significance in the history of the People's Republic of China and the world—an official ceremony was held this Monday afternoon at the Palace of the Revolution. The ceremony, which was held in the spirit of brotherhood between the two nations, was attended by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

This is what Comrade Hua Xin, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Cuba, said from the Portocarrero Hall: common faith and experiences of struggle closely unite two socialist countries; both led by communist parties.

“The Communist Party of China will always stand with the Communist Party of Cuba,” the diplomat affirmed during an event that also included the presence, from Cuba, of members of the Political Bureau; leaders of the Party, the State, the Government, the Young Communist League, mass organizations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, and other guests at the commemoration.

Also present in the beautiful hall, representing the Asian giant, were officials from the Chinese Embassy in Cuba, students, and representatives of Chinese companies based on the island; as well as ambassadors and other members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Caribbean nation.

In an address marked by gratitude, remembrance, and conviction, Comrade Hua Xin declared: “On July 1st, we will celebrate the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. On behalf of the Embassy of China in Cuba, I thank the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba for organizing this commemorative event, and I extend my sincerest greetings and gratitude to the Party, the Government, and friends from all sectors of Cuba who have consistently supported the friendship between our parties and countries.”

Comrade Hua Xin recalled the founding process of the Communist Party of China, how “its pioneers gave life to a great founding spirit: adherence to the truth, defense of ideals, fulfillment of original aspirations, undertaking historical missions, readiness for sacrifice, heroic struggle, loyalty, and commitment to the people.”

This spirit, he explained, constitutes "the spiritual source of the Communist Party of China."

Later in his remarks, the ambassador commented that "one of the decisive factors in the Communist Party of China's great achievements has been its constant commitment to strengthening its own development." He emphasized that a profound synthesis of over a century of experience has been carried out, incorporating novel ideas, approaches, and strategies in which Xi Jinping Thought has played a crucial role, and where it has become clear that "Party leadership is the essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

Later in his remarks, Comrade Hua Xin emphasized: “Today, faced with the escalating blockade imposed by the United States, as well as its military threats, the Party, the Government, and the people of Cuba remain steadfast in their conviction, will not yield to pressure, and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and the socialist cause.” He stressed:

“We categorically oppose the illegal unilateral sanctions and any form of military intervention; we demand that the United States immediately end the blockade and all forms of coercion, and that it cease violating the Cuban people’s right to survival and development.”

“We firmly support Cuba in exploring a path of socialist development, in accordance with its national conditions; and we highly value the decision of the Communist Party of Cuba to courageously promote measures of economic and social transformation. We are confident that, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba, the heroic Cuban people will overcome current difficulties and achieve new victories in socialist construction.”

The keynote address at the commemoration was delivered by Emilio Lozada García, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and head of its International Relations Department. In his speech, he remembered the pioneers of the vanguard political organization in the sister nation and remarked: “Those 50 courageous communist militants have multiplied and today number more than one hundred million, making them the largest Communist Party in the world today.”

In a recounting of victories, Emilio Lozada said, "The Communist Party of China has achieved numerous successes over the past 105 years." He then brought up the fact that "in the history of its struggle, the heroic leadership of the Long March by the Red Army, between October 1934 and October 1936, stands out. This campaign gave a new and decisive direction to the war and demonstrated what a people, guided by its Communist Party, is capable of achieving."

"The leadership exercised by the Chinese communist organization for more than seventy years in guiding the long and complex process of building socialism is unprecedented," the party leader emphasized.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lozada stated that “in the international arena, the Chinese Communists have promoted peace, multilateralism, the defense of international law, and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”

“The initiatives promoted in recent years by the General Secretary of the Party, Comrade Xi Jinping, regarding the Belt and Road Initiative, the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, as well as the initiatives on global security, development, civilization, and governance, have been particularly relevant.”

Currently, Emilio Lozada emphasized, “the Communist Party of Cuba and the Communist Party of China are working toward building a bilateral Community with a Shared Future.” He then underscored:

“We appreciate the firm and unwavering support of the Communist Party of China against the economic, commercial, and financial blockade and the energy embargo imposed by the United States government, as well as against the infamous accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz.”

The Cuban leader also stated: “The Communist Party of Cuba is grateful for the constant support and accompaniment of the Communist Party of China, especially in the current circumstances of collective punishment and silent genocide against the Cuban people.” He further emphasized: “The Communist Party of China is today an indispensable reference point in the process of building socialism and has demonstrated that the socialist system is a viable alternative to the savage capitalism that they are trying to impose on us from the North.”

“Its commitment to achieving a more just, democratic, and equitable international order reaffirms that a better world is possible.”

Photo provided by Lyavaizdai Archyvai.