Simas Kudirka

Simas Kudirka (9 April 1930 – 11 February 2023) was a Lithuanian sailor. He is best known for the attempted defection from the Soviet Union in 1970 and subsequent activism against the Soviet regime in Lithuania. An important outcome of the incident was the creation of the improved guidelines for handling defections by American officials.

Biography Born in Griškabūdis on 9 April 1930, Kudirka graduated from the in 1952. He worked as a radio operator on various ships from 1956 to 1970. He was denied promotions due to his refusal to join the Communist Party. On 23 November 1970, during bilateral negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding fishing rights, he jumped from his ship, the trawler Sovetskaya Litva ('Soviet Lithuania'), onto the American coast guard ship, the USCGC Vigilant (WMEC-617). He requested political asylum, but he was detained, beaten, and forcibly returned to the Soviet ship by Soviet troops who had been let on board by the Americans.

Actions by U.S. and Soviet officials were condemned by American news sources, particularly the Voice of America.

In May 1971, Kudirka was sentenced to 10 years of correctional labour camps and he served his time in camps in Pskov Oblast and at Potma in Mordovia.

Honors Commander of the Order of the Cross of Vytis (2008)

Works about Kudirka Several books and films have been produced about the life and story of Kudirka: For Those Still at Sea (1978) – book written by Kudirka and Lawrence E. Eichel The Jump (2020) – Lithuanian documentary film