| January Events Lithuanian:Sausio įvykiai | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theRevolutions of 1989, theSinging Revolution, and theDissolution of the Soviet Union | |||||||
 A man with aLithuanian flag in front of aSoviet tank, 13 January 1991 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 National Salvation Committee of the Lithuanian SSR | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Vytautas LandsbergisAlbertas Šimėnas (AWOL) Gediminas VagnoriusAudrius Butkevičius |  Mikhail GorbachevVladislav AchalovMykolas Burokevičius | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 14 civilians killed 1 civilian died due to heart attack 702 injured | 1 KGB soldier (friendly fire) | ||||||
TheJanuary Events (Lithuanian:Sausio įvykiai) were a series of violent confrontations between the civilian population ofLithuania, supporting independence, and theSoviet Armed Forces. The events took place between 11 and 13 January 1991, after therestoration of independence by Lithuania. As a result of theSoviet military actions,[2][3] 14 civilians were killed and over 140 were injured as they peacefully protested for freedom in what is known as theVilnius massacre.[4][5][6] The 13 January was the most violent day of the month in Lithuania and this was the bloodiest act of repression by Soviet forces since theApril 9 tragedy.[7] The events were primarily centered in thecapital cityVilnius, but Soviet military activity and confrontations also occurred elsewhere in the country, includingAlytus,Šiauliai,Varėna, andKaunas.[8]
13 January is theDay of the Defenders of Freedom (Lithuanian:Laisvės Gynėjų Diena) in Lithuania and it is officially observed as a commemorative day.[9]
TheBaltic states, including Lithuania, were forcibly annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. The illegal occupation was never recognized byWestern powers, leading to the Baltic states'continuity.
The Republic of Lithuania declared independence from theSoviet Union on 11 March 1990 and thereafter underwent a difficult period of emergence. During March–April 1990, the Soviet Airborne Troops (VDV) occupied buildings of the Political Education and the Higher Party School where the alternativeCommunist Party of Lithuania, on theCPSU platform, later encamped.
The Soviet Unionimposed an economic blockade between April and late June.[10] Economic and energy shortages undermined public faith in the newly restored state. Theinflation rate reached 100% and continued to increase rapidly. In January 1991, the Lithuanian government was forced to raise prices several times and this was used for organization of mass protests of the so-called"Russophone population" of the country.[11]
During the five days preceding the killings, Soviet, Polish, and other workers at Vilnius factories protested the government's consumer goods price hikes and what they saw as ethnic discrimination.[12] According toHuman Rights Watch, the Soviet government had mounted a propaganda campaign designed to further ethnic strife. This and other actions would give the Soviets a pretext for intervention when they later would send elite armed forces and special service units for the protection of the rallied Russophone population minority.[10][11]
On 8 January, the conflict between Chairman of the ParliamentVytautas Landsbergis and the more pragmatic Prime MinisterKazimira Prunskienė culminated in her resignation.[10] Prunskienė met with Soviet Union PresidentMikhail Gorbachev on that day. He refused her request for assurances that military action would not be taken.[10]
On the same day, the pro-MoscowYedinstvo movement organized a rally in front of theSupreme Council of Lithuania.[13] Protesters tried to storm the parliament building but were driven away by unarmed security forces using water cannons. Despite a Supreme Council vote the same day to halt price increases, the scale of protests and provocations backed by Yedinstvo and the Communist Party increased. During a radio and television address, Landsbergis called upon independence supporters to gather around and protect the main governmental and infrastructural buildings.
From 8–9 January, several special Soviet military units were flown to Lithuania (including the counter-terrorismAlpha Group and paratroopers of the76th Guards Air Assault Division of the VDV based atPskov). The official explanation was that this was needed to ensure constitutional order and the effectiveness of laws of theLithuanian SSR and the Soviet Union.
On 10 January, Gorbachev addressed theSupreme Council, demanding a restoration of theconstitution of the USSR in Lithuania and the revocation of "all anti-constitutional laws".[13] He mentioned that military intervention could be possible within days. When Lithuanian officials asked for Moscow's guarantee not to send armed troops, Gorbachev did not reply.
In the morning, Landsbergis and Prime MinisterAlbertas Šimėnas were presented with another ultimatum from the "Democratic Congress of Lithuania" demanding that they comply with Gorbachev's request by 15:00 on 11 January.[14]
During an overnight session of the Supreme Council, Speaker Landsbergis announced that he had tried to call Gorbachev three times, but was unsuccessful. Deputy Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union, GeneralVladislav Achalov, arrived in Lithuania and took control of all military operations. People from all over Lithuania started to encircle the main strategic buildings: the Supreme Council, theRadio and Television Committee, theVilnius TV Tower, and the main telephone exchange.[15]
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Following these two attacks, large crowds (20,000 during the night, more than 50,000 in the morning) of independence supporters gathered around the Supreme Council building. People started building anti-tank barricades and setting up defences inside surrounding buildings. Provisional chapels were set up inside and outside the Supreme Council building. Members of the crowd prayed, sang, and shouted pro-independence slogans. Despite columns of military trucks, BMPs, and tanks moving into the vicinity of the Supreme Council, Soviet military forces retreated instead of attacking.
Among the members of the barricade were twobasketball players who would later play for theLithuanian national team,Gintaras Einikis andAlvydas Pazdrazdis.[17]
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In all, thirteen Lithuanians were killed by the Soviet army.[18] An additional civilian died at the scene due to a heart attack, and one Soviet soldier was killed byfriendly fire. All victims, except the Soviet soldier, were awarded theOrder of the Cross of Vytis (the Knight) on 15 January 1991.[18]
12 of the 14 victims were buried in theAntakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius. Titas Masiulis was buried inPetrašiūnai Cemetery in his native Kaunas, and Rimantas Juknevičius was buried in the Marijampolė cemetery.
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Immediately after the attacks, the Supreme Council issued a letter to the people of the Soviet Union and to the rest of the world denouncing the attacks and calling for foreign governments to recognise that the Soviet Union had committed an act of aggression against a sovereign nation. Following the first news reports from Lithuania, the government ofNorway appealed to theUnited Nations. The government ofPoland expressed their solidarity with the people of Lithuania and denounced the actions of the Soviet army.
The reaction from theUnited States government was somewhat muted as they were heavily preoccupied with the imminent onset ofOperation Desert Storm againstIraq and worried about possible wider consequences if they were to offend the Soviets at that critical juncture.[19] PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush denounced the incident, calling it "deeply disturbing" and that it "threatens to set back or perhaps even reverse the process of reform" in the Soviet Union.[20] Bush was notably careful not to criticize Gorbachev directly, instead directing his remarks at "Soviet leaders".[citation needed]
After the events, Gorbachev said that Lithuanian "workers and intellectuals" complaining of anti-Soviet broadcasts had tried to talk to the Lithuanian parliament, but they were refused and beaten.[21] Then, he said that Lithuanian "workers and intellectuals" asked the military commander in Vilnius to provide protection.[22]Defense MinisterDmitry Yazov,Interior MinisterBoris Pugo, and Gorbachev all asserted that no one in Moscow gave orders to use force in Vilnius.[21] Yazov claimed that nationalists were trying to form what he called a bourgeois dictatorship. Pugo alleged on national television that the demonstrators had opened fire first.[23]
During the following day, meetings of support took place in many cities (Kyiv,Riga,Tallinn) and some had defensive barricades built around their government districts.
Although occupation and military raids continued for several months following the attacks, there were no large open military encounters after 13 January. Strong Western reaction and theactions of Soviet democratic forces put the President and the government of the Soviet Union in an awkward position. This influenced future Lithuanian-Russian negotiations and resulted in the signing of a treaty on 31 January.[citation needed]
During a visit by the official delegation ofIceland to Lithuania on 20 January, Foreign MinisterJón Baldvin Hannibalsson said: "My government is seriously considering the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with the Republic of Lithuania." Iceland kept its promise, and on 4 February 1991, just three weeks after the attacks, itrecognized the Republic of Lithuania as a sovereign independent state, and diplomatic relations were established between the two nations.[citation needed]
These events are considered some of the main factors that led to the overwhelming victory of independence supporters in areferendum on 9 February 1991. 84.73% of registered voters voted, of which 90.47% of them voted in favour of the full and total independence of Lithuania.[citation needed]
Streets in the neighborhood of the TV tower were later renamed after nine victims of the attack. A street in Titas Masiulis' native Kaunas was named after him, likewise a street in Marijampolė after its native, Rimantas Juknevičius, a street inKėdainiai after Alvydas Kanapinskas, and a street in Pelėdnagiai (near Kėdainiai) after Vytautas Koncevičius.
From the interview of Mikhail Golovatov, ex-commander of "Alpha-group": "The weapons and ammunition that were given to us, were handed over at the end of the operation, so it can be established that not a single shot was fired from our side. But at the time of the assault, our young officer Victor Shatskikh was mortally wounded in the back. As we have already seized the TV tower and went outside, we came under fire from the windows of the neighbouring houses, and leaving from there we had to hide behind the armoured vehicles."[24]
In 1996, two members of the Central Committee of Communist Party of the Lithuanian SSR,Mykolas Burokevičius andJuozas Jermalavičius, were given prison sentences for their involvement in the January Events. In 1999, the Vilnius District Court sentenced six former Soviet military men who participated in the events. On 11 May 2011, a soldier of the Soviet OMON Konstantin Mikhailov was sentenced to life in prison for killing customs workers and policemen in 1991 at the "Medininkai" border checkpoint with theByelorussian SSR near the village ofMedininkai (seeSoviet aggression against Lithuania in 1990).
Since 1992, representatives of theProsecutor General's Office of Lithuania requested Belarus to extraditeVladimir Uskhopchik, a former general who was in command of the Vilnius garrison in January 1991 and the editor of the newspaperSoviet Lithuania Stanislava Juonienė.[25] Lithuania's request has been repeatedly denied.
In July 2011, diplomatic tensions rose between Austria and Lithuania whenMikhail Golovatov, an ex-KGB general who took part in 13 January 1991 massacre, was released after being detained at the Vienna Airport. He then proceeded to fly to Russia. In response, Lithuania recalled its ambassador from Austria.[26]
Hearings in Vilnius District Court started on 27 January 2016, with 67 individuals facing charges ofwar crimes,crimes against humanity, battery, murder, endangering other's well-being, as well as unlawful military actions against civilians. The case consists of 801 volumes of documents, including 16 volumes of theindictment itself.[27] The defendants included former Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, former commander of Soviet Alpha anti-terror group Mikhail Golovatov, and Vladimir Uskhopchik.
Robertas Povilaitis, a surviving son of one of the victims, requested that law enforcement authorities conduct an investigation into Gorbachev's role in the events. On 17 October 2016, Vilnius Regional Court decided to summon Gorbachev to testify as a witness.[28] TheRussian Federation refused to question Gorbachev. As no pre-trial investigation has been initiated against Gorbachev in the 13 January case, the Chairman of theConstitutional Court of Lithuania Dainius Žalimas argued that it is hard to believe that the events happened without the knowledge of the President of the USSR.[29] The role of Mikhail Gorbachev in the January events remains disputed.[2]
In 2018, Russia's law enforcement began criminal proceedings against the Lithuanian prosecutors and judges who were investigating the case.[30] Such Russian action was condemned by theEuropean Parliament as "unacceptable external influence" and "politically motivated."[31][32]
On 27 March 2019, Vilnius District Court found all 67 defendants guilty ofwar crimes or crimes against humanity.[33][34] The vast majority of them were tried and sentencedin absentia. Among the high-profile defendants, former Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Mikhail Golovatov to 12 years in prison and Vladimir Uskhopchik to 14 years in prison. Others were sentenced to prison terms between 4 and 12 years.[34] Only two defendants, former soldiers Gennady Ivanov and Yuriy Mel, were in custody at the time, and the Russian government refused to extradite the other suspects.[33]
On 31 March 2021, the Lithuanian Court of Appeal announced its judgement, which only increased the time of imprisonment for the sentenced and awarded non-pecuniary damage of 10.876 millionEuro to the victims.[35] A judge, who announced the judgement, said that: "As they drove with the tanks over the people, they understood perfectly well what they were doing."[36] Thereafter, Russia threatened to take retaliatory actions for the judgement.[37][38] TheEuropean Commissioner for JusticeDidier Reynders had promised that theEuropean Union will defend Lithuanian judges who heard the 13 January case from persecution by Russia.[39] Minister for Foreign Affairs of LithuaniaGabrielius Landsbergis said that Lithuania will appeal toInterpol to reject Russia's appeal against the persecution of Lithuanian judges who heard the 13 January case.[40]
In 2019, Russia and Belarus refused to extradite those who are responsible for the January Events.[33][41]
As of March 2021, many of the 66 defendants remain out of reach of Lithuanian justice.[42]
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13 January is theDay of the Defenders of Freedom (Lithuanian:Laisvės Gynėjų Diena) in Lithuania. It is not a public holiday, but it is officially observed as a commemorative day.[9] It is a vividly remembered day in the Lithuaniannational memory.[43][44] The day has been associated with mourning[45] and the national flags are usually raised[46] with ablack ribbon attached. In recent years,forget-me-not flower pins have become a symbol of commemoration of the events.[47]
Recently, there have been public debates about whether 13 January (and the events in general) should be viewed as the day of mourning or should rather be celebrated as the day of victory.[48] Former Lithuanian leaders Landsbergis andDalia Grybauskaitė expressed the view that 13 January is not only the day of mourning and commemorating those who sacrificed their lives, but also the day of national victory.[49][50] Other prominent public figures described 13 January as aVictory Day, includingArvydas Pocius andValdemaras Rupšys, both of whom were volunteers defending the Parliament during the events, as well asRimvydas Valatka,[2]Marius Laurinavičius [lt],[3] andVytautas Ališauskas [lt].[45]
Lithuania has since accused Russia of trying to spread disinformation about the January Events.[3][51] The European Parliament has condemned Russia and urged them to "cease the irresponsible disinformation and propaganda statements" regarding 13 January case.[32]EUvsDisinfo has documented several examples of disinformation in the pro-Kremlin media.[52]
The military takeover was preceded by five days of protests and strikes involving primarily Soviet and Polish workers at Vilnius manufacturing plants, angered by what they consider ethnic discrimination and by the Lithuanian government's move to increase prices on consumer goods.
