Rapolas Okulič-Kazarinas (Okulič-Kozarinas) () (24 October 1857 – 27 April 1919) was a Major general, a

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

of the

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

, one of the pioneers of the Lithuanian military aviation. Buried in the of Kaunas.

Biography

In 1873 Okulič-Kazarinas began military service in the third infantry regiment of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

's 28th Infantry Division. Soon he was sent to be educated in the infantry junkers school in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

for two years. After finishing it in 1875, he returned to his regiment. In 1878 he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and was made commander of his company. He was promoted to Stabs-kapitan in 1888. In 1902 he studied at the officer jäger school, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. During 1903–1904, he was chairman of the regimental court. In 1904, he served in the as the commander of its 3rd Battalion. In 1905, he was appointed as the regiment's commander and sent to

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

with the regiment. In 1906, he was transferred to the 3rd Don Infantry Regiment and was appointed commander of its 4th Battalion. In 1911, he was made

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. In 1912 he was promoted to major general and released to reserve.

Activity in Lithuania

On 29 March 1919, he joined the

Lithuanian army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

as a volunteer. As an officer, he was appointed overseer of the bomb warehouse. Since 5 April, he served as head of the . After his death, R. Okulič-Kazarinas was awarded the Volunteer and the Lithuanian independence medals in 1930 and 1931 respectively.

Bibliography

Biography of Rapolas Okulič-Kazarinas
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Okulic-Kazarinas, Rapolas 1857 births 1919 deaths Lithuanian Army officers 19th-century military personnel from the Russian Empire