Dozens of mourners, including senior politicians and military officers, gathered at a church in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, on Sunday to pay their final respects to Ignas Kailius, a Lithuanian volunteer killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia's invasion.
Kailius, 25, is the third Lithuanian citizen known to have died fighting in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began.
Lithuania's defence chief, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, said Kailius had understood the significance of Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression, telling mourners that Ukraine was defending not only its own freedom but the independence of Europe as a whole.
Senior Lithuanian officials paid tribute to the volunteer, with a wreath laid on behalf of President Gitanas Nausėda. In a statement, the president said Kailius had chosen without hesitation to fight for Ukraine's freedom, fully aware of the responsibility that entailed. He said the volunteer's sacrifice, courage and loyalty to his principles would stand as a lasting example of civic duty and heroism.
Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said the country had lost "a brave, freedom-loving young man" who had chosen to fight "where freedom is defended at the greatest risk and the highest price".
