SARANSK, May 4 (RIA Novosti correspondent Ksenia Larina) – Officers of the Mordvin FSB department returned the Order of the Red Banner to the daughter of a Mordvin killed by the Lithuanian ‘Forest Brothers’ after the war.

The order was found in Moscow in December 2004 during the inquiry into illegal trade of precious metals and state awards, the local FSB department told RIA Novosti.

The order belonged to Nikolai Polyayev born in 1917 in the village of Staroye Zhabino (Mordva’s Kozlovsky district).

Polyayev was enlisted in the Red Army in 1938. He was badly wounded and received many orders and medals.

The Order of the Red Banner was conferred on him for courage and heroism displayed in a battle on February 4, 1945.

After the war Polyayev returned to Mordva and later was sent to Lithuania. On May 24, 1948, he was killed by the ‘Forest Brothers’ at the Marcipancy station near Kaunas.

The order has been handed to his daughter who lives in Saransk.