
Anthropologist Rimantas Jankauskas says that Kalinauskas’ brother was buried in Belarus, but adds that Minsk is unlikely to allow researchers to exhume his remains and carry out genetic research.
“Only individual civic activists have shown some initiative on that (Belarusian) side until now,” Jankauskas said during his lecture on Thursday.
Researchers are currently looking for other relatives of Kalinauskas, he added.
According to the anthropologist, the researchers believe to have identified the remains of Kalinauskas, but they need more proof to confirm this.
The researchers have no doubts as to the identification of the remains of Zigmantas Sierakauskas (Zygmunt Sierakowski), another leader of the uprising.
A key piece of evidence is a ring with the inscription “Zygmónt Apolonija 11 Sierpnia/30 Lipca 1862 r (Zygmund Apolonia August 11/July 30, 1862)” on his finger.
According to Jankauskas, the identification was also confirmed through other research.
Historians say that 21 participants of the 1863 uprising were buried on the top of the hill in downtown Vilnius.
The remains of 17 people have been found to date and 13 of these have been preliminary identified.