Lithuanian schools in Voronezh

Thanks to the efforts of Martynas Yčas, a member of the Russian State Duma, the Lithuanian Society received significant funds from the Imperial Tatiana Committee which allowed Lithuanians to establish boys' and girls' gymnasiums as well as other schools and courses culminating with the People's University (a folk high school) in September 1917.

The schools employed a number of prominent Lithuanians, including Pranas Mašiotas, linguists Jonas Jablonskis and Juozas Balčikonis, Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė.

At the start of World War I, German Imperial Army pushed into the territory of Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire.

The Lithuanian Society for the Relief of War Sufferers was officially established in Vilnius in November 1914 to provide assistance to the people fleeing the hostilities.

The society received substantial funds from the Imperial Tatiana Committee due to the efforts of Martynas Yčas, a member of the Russian State Duma.

[6] After the October Revolution, the newspapers and other property of the Lithuanian Society were seized by a Bolshevik committee headed by Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas, Karolis Požėla, Vaclovas Bielskis.

To further support the students and other refugees, the Lithuanian Society also opened sewing workshops, laundry, soup kitchen.

[12] Antanas Sniečkus, future First Secretary of the Communist Party of Lithuania, was too young to join visuomenininkai but supported them.

[11] The Lithuanian community in Voronezh organized various cultural events, including song concerts and theater performances.

The group staged plays by Liudas Gira, Marcelinas Šikšnys [lt], Charles Dickens at the city theater.

[14] Some Lithuanian activists, including Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, criticized such use of funds and argued that they should be used for more strategic goal of Lithuania's independence.

[17] The situation was inspected by Antanas Tumėnas, Jurgis Baltrušaitis, and Zigmas Žemaitis [lt] and Olšauskas was prohibited from purchasing goods from Labkauskienė in April 1916.

In June, he took a long vacation to improve health at a Lithuanian sanatorium in Yalta and resigned from his position in Voronezh effective 1 September 1916.

[7] He resigned in November 1917 due to criticism and complaints by communist-leaning activists who became bolder and more active after the October Revolution.