 Nyora kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Lithuania yakanga yawanazve rusununguko rwayo muna 1918 pashure pokuparara kwoUmambo hweRussia. Sezvo kunetsana kwokutanga kwehondo kwakakura muEurope, Germany yeNazi neSoviet Union dzakasaina Chibvumirano cheMolotov-Ribbentrop ndokuparadzanisa Eastern Europe munzvimbo dzesimba. Zvadaro, Lithuania yakatorwa neSoviet Union muna June 1940. VaSoviet vakatanga mitemo yokudzvinyirira uye kudzvinyirira. Muna June 1941, vaSoviet vakaendesa vanhu vokuLithuania vanopfuura 17 000 kuSiberia, uye vakawanda vavo vakafa munguva yechando. Apo mazuva mashomanene gare gare Germany yakatanga kupinda muRussia, vaLithuania vakaronga kumukira kwevanhu vose kwaipesana neSoviet. Pakutanga, vaLithuania vakakwazisa vaGermany sevanunuri kubva mukudzvinyirira kweSoviet uye vakaronga kudzorera Lithuania yakazvimirira. Zvisinei, chimiro chendangariro chakakurumidza kuchinja sezvo kubatwa kweLithuania neNazi Germany kwakapfuurira. 