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62-627: 12 of the 14 victims of the Soviet attacks during the January Events of 1991 as well as the Medininkai Massacre are buried here. Other graves include those of Polish soldiers who perished in 1919–1920; a memorial of Lithuanian as well as German and Russian soldiers fallen in World War I ; and Red Army soldiers of World War II (constructed in 1951, rebuilt 1976–1984). The monument to Soviet soldiers

124-531: A Jewish child, Avivit Kissin, from the Holocaust. She brought Kissin to her sister's home and produced a forged birth certificate with a Lithuanian for Kissin. Her sister and brother-in-law were named Righteous Among the Nations . Jablonskytė-Landsbergienė was also named as Righteous Among the Nations for her efforts to help hide a 16-year old Jewish girl named Bella Gurvich (later Rozenberg). In 1952 he placed third in

186-532: A communist, commented that "somebody in Europe became insolent and forgot who saved them from the fascists". The debate came to an end when, in the beginning of February 2005, the European Commission rejected calls for a proposed Europe-wide ban on Nazi symbols to be extended to cover Communist Party symbols as well. Frattini said it would not be appropriate to include the red star and the hammer and sickle in

248-504: A draft EU law on racism. Finally, at the end of February 2005, the European Union dropped proposals to ban Nazi symbols across its 25 member states. Luxembourg withdrew the plan when it became clear that members could not reach a consensus on which symbols to ban. There were also concerns that the proposed ban was a threat to freedom of expression . Landsbergis is a fierce critic of Russia's intentions to impose any kind of influence on

310-546: 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 of Norway appealed to the United Nations . The government of Poland expressed their solidarity with the people of Lithuania and denounced

372-449: 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-terrorism Alpha Group and paratroopers of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division of the VDV based at Pskov ). The official explanation

434-618: A series of violent confrontations between the civilian population of Lithuania , supporting independence, and the Soviet Armed Forces . The events took place between 11 and 13 January 1991, after the restoration of independence by Lithuania. As a result of the Soviet military actions, 14 civilians were killed and over 140 were injured. The 13th of January was the most violent day of the month in Lithuania. The events were primarily centered in

496-551: A stir in Italy, where leftists strongly protested such a move. The Communist Refoundation Party and Party of Italian Communists were outraged at the proposal. It became the center of Italian media's attention. One of the most influential Italian dailies, La Repubblica , published an interview with Landsbergis outlining his proposal. It was the first time the daily allocated a full page to a politician from Lithuania. Landsbergis's proposal found few supporters among Italian politicians. One

558-539: A street in Kėdainiai 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

620-581: A street that had been named after Kazys Skirpa (who formed the Lithuanian Activist Front , which massacred Jews across Lithuania) and removed a memorial to Jonas Noreika (who ordered and oversaw the killings of Lithuanian Jews in Plungė during the Plungė massacre ). Landsbergis posted a poem on social media that referred to the Virgin Mary as a " žydelka " ("jew-girl"), and Faina Kukliansky, chair of

682-462: A thesis for his doctor habilitus degree. Landsbergis was married to Gražina Ručytė-Landsbergienė (1930–2020), who was a well-known Lithuanian pianist and associate Professor of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. His daughters Jūratė and Birutė are also musicians. His son, Vytautas , is a well-known Lithuanian writer and film director. His grandson Gabrielius Landsbergis (b. 1982)

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744-711: A variety of topics, including a biography of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis , as well as works on politics and music. He is a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration , and a member of the international advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation . Vytautas Landsbergis, member of an old German Landsberg family , was born in Kaunas , Lithuania. His father was the architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis . His mother, ophthalmologist Dr. Ona Jablonskytė-Landsbergienė, assisted her sister's family in sheltering

806-745: A witness. The Russian Federation refused to question Gorbachev. As no pre-trial investigation has been initiated against Gorbachev in the January 13 case, the Chairman of the Constitutional 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. The role of Mikhail Gorbachev in the January events remains disputed. In 2018 Russia's law enforcement began criminal proceedings against

868-490: Is baseless and 26% doubting its validity. On 30 June 2022, Vytautas Landsbergis was officially recognized as the first post-soviet Lithuania's head of state. "Should I be congratulated? I don't know... Lithuania is the one that should be congratulated more as it is finally on a par with Estonia . Estonia has already sorted it out in a way that Arnold Rüütel was President since March of 1990," V. Landsbergis commented. The opposition threatened to renounce Landsbergis' status as

930-455: Is officially observed as a commemorative day. It is a vividly remembered day in the Lithuanian national memory . The day has been associated with mourning and the national flags are usually raised with a black ribbon attached. In recent years, forget-me-not flower pins have become a symbol of commemoration of the events. Recently there have been public debates whether January 13th (and

992-457: 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, it recognized the Republic of Lithuania as a sovereign independent state, and diplomatic relations were established between the two nations. These events are considered some of the main factors that led to

1054-532: Is the current leader of the conservative party, a member of Lithuanian Parliament and Foreign Minister of Lithuania . Landsbergis entered politics, in 1988, as one of the founders of Sąjūdis , the Lithuanian pro-independence political movement. In 1989 elections to the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union , Landsbergis was elected as one of the People's Deputies from Lithuanian SSR. After Sąjūdis' victory in

1116-616: The 1990 elections , he became the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Lithuania . On 11 March 1990, he headed the Parliamentary session during which the restoration of Lithuanian independence from the Soviet Union was declared . Lithuania became the first Soviet Republic to do so. According to the Temporary Primary Law ( de facto temporary Constitution, until the permanent Constitution comes to power) of Lithuania, Landsbergis

1178-762: The Baltic states and publicly questions Russia's actions vis-à-vis the Baltic States on both local and international media, as well as in the European Parliament. He warns that Russia might have intentions to control Lithuania and the other Baltic States economically and politically through a wide network of former KGB agents and other clandestine activities. Landsbergis is one of the most active politicians who urge Russia to compensate Lithuania and other post-Soviet republics for damage done to them during their occupations. In 2019, Vilnius's mayor, Remigijus Šimašius , renamed

1240-452: The CPSU platform, later encamped. The Soviet Union imposed an economic blockade between April and late June. Economic and energy shortages undermined public faith in the newly restored state. The inflation 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

1302-549: The Homeland Union ( Tėvynės Sąjunga ). It gained a landslide victory in the 1996 parliamentary elections . Landsbergis served as Speaker of the Seimas from 1996 until 2000. He ran, although unsuccessfully, for president in 1997 (coming up the third after receiving 15.9% of the votes). During the runoff, he supported Valdas Adamkus , who had finished second in the first round. Adamkus eventually became president. In 2004, Landsbergis

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1364-688: The Lithuanian Seimas officially approved the bill regarding V. Landsbergis' recognition as the head of state. "The bill is a symbol of respect and acknowledgement of a person who played a significant role in Lithuania’s history," the Speaker of Seimas , V. Čmilytė-Nielsen , said. The opposition claimed that such a step was a "falsification of history" as the Provisional Constitution along with other historical records state that "[t]he functions of

1426-700: The Lithuanian chess championship , after Ratmir Kholmov and Vladas Mikėnas . In 1955, he graduated from the Lithuanian Conservatory of Music (now Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre ). In 1969, he wrote his thesis for his PhD degree. In 1978, he became a professor at the Lithuanian Conservatory . From 1978 to 1990, he was a professor at both the Lithuanian Conservatory and the Vilnius Pedagogical University . In 1994, he wrote

1488-539: The Prosecutor General 's Office of Lithuania requested Belarus to extradite Vladimir Uskhopchik , a former general who was in command of the Vilnius garrison in January 1991 and the editor of the newspaper Soviet Lithuania Stanislava Juonienė. Lithuania's request has been repeatedly denied. In July 2011, diplomatic tensions rose between Austria and Lithuania when Mikhail Golovatov , an ex-KGB general who took part in

1550-503: The capital city Vilnius , but Soviet military activity and confrontations also occurred elsewhere in the country, including Alytus , Šiauliai , Varėna and Kaunas . January 13th is the Day of the Defenders of Freedom ( Lithuanian : Laisvės Gynėjų Diena ) in Lithuania and it is officially observed as a commemorative day. The Baltic states , including Lithuania, were forcibly annexed by

1612-440: The indictment itself. 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

1674-626: The 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. Hearings in Vilnius District Court started on 27 January 2016, with 67 individuals facing charges of war 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

1736-636: The EU decides to ban Nazi symbols , Communist symbols should be banned too. The Commissioner became interested in this proposal and said: I am ready to join this discussion. The Communist dictatorships no less than the Nazi ones are responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people . A bit later, however, the Commissioner decided that he would not attempt to ban any symbols, as there was no agreement as to which symbols should be banned. Landsbergis's proposal caused quite

1798-650: 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 the Byelorussian SSR near the village of Medininkai (see Soviet aggression against Lithuania in 1990 ). Since 1992, representatives of

1860-500: The Jewish Community of Lithuania, condemned it. Landsbergis said the poem was an attempt to show the ignorance of Lithuanian antisemites and requested support from "at least one smart and brave Jew ... who does not agree with Simasius." The question of whether V. Landsbergis should be officially acknowledged as the head of state of Lithuania from 1990 to 1992 has been polarising the Lithuanian public for many years. On 25 June 2022,

1922-530: The Lithuanian prosecutors and judges who were investigating the case. Such Russian action was condemned by the European Parliament as "unacceptable external influence" and "politically motivated." On 27 March 2019, Vilnius District Court found all 67 defendants guilty of war crimes or crimes against humanity. The vast majority of them were tried and sentenced in absentia . Among the high-profile defendants, former Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov

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1984-535: The Parliament during the events, as well as Rimvydas Valatka , Marius Laurinavičius  [ lt ] , Vytautas Ališauskas  [ lt ] . Lithuania has since accused Russia of trying to spread disinformation about the January Events. The European Parliament has condemned Russia and urged to "cease the irresponsible disinformation and propaganda statements" regarding the 13 January case. EUvsDisinfo has documented several examples of disinformation in

2046-659: The Soviet Union in 1940. This move was never recognized by Western powers . The Republic of Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet 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 alternative Communist Party of Lithuania , on

2108-562: The Soviet Union, General Vladislav 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, the Radio and Television Committee, the Vilnius TV Tower and the main telephone exchange. Following these two attacks, large crowds (20,000 during the night, more than 50,000 in

2170-641: 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. On 8 January the conflict between Chairman of the Parliament Vytautas Landsbergis and the more pragmatic Prime Minister Kazimira Prunskienė culminated in her resignation. Prunskienė met with Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev on that day. He refused her request for assurances that military action would not be taken. On

2232-511: The United States and United Kingdom) for not showing enough support in Lithuania's bid to restore its independence after more than 40 years of Soviet occupation , although he did accept the recommendation from his government that the newly independent Lithuania immediately seek to establish full diplomatic relations with the UK and US. In 1993, Landsbergis led much of Sąjūdis into a new political party,

2294-509: The actions of the Soviet army. The reaction from the United States government was somewhat muted as they were heavily preoccupied with the imminent onset of Operation Desert Storm against Iraq and worried about possible wider consequences if they were to offend the Soviets at that critical juncture. President George H. W. Bush denounced the incident, calling it "deeply disturbing" and that it "threatens to set back or perhaps even reverse

2356-562: The advisory board of the Caucasian Chamber Orchestra association and its German "Förderverein". In January 2005, Landsbergis, backed by Member of the European Parliament from Hungary Jozsef Szajer , urged that Communist symbols be banned in the European Union , in addition to Nazi symbols . He also sent a letter to Franco Frattini , the European Commissioner of Justice and Internal Affairs, suggesting that in case

2418-538: The attacks, there were no large open military encounters after 13 January. Strong Western reaction and the actions 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. During a visit by the official delegation of Iceland to Lithuania on 20 January Foreign Minister Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson said: "My government

2480-506: The events in general) should be viewed as the day of mourning or should rather be celebrated as the day of victory. Former Lithuanian leaders Landsbergis and Dalia Grybauskaitė expressed the view that 13th January is not only the day of mourning and commemorating those who sacrificed their lives, but also the day of national victory. Other prominent public figures described January 13th as a Victory Day , including Arvydas Pocius and Valdemaras Rupšys , both of whom were volunteers defending

2542-701: The frozen state of the ground; French and Lithuanian diplomats participated in the interment ceremony. The remains of 18 more soldiers from the army who were dumped into a different area were reburied in November 2010. The famous people buried in the Antakalnis Cemetery include: 54°41′53″N 25°19′16″E  /  54.698°N 25.321°E  / 54.698; 25.321 January Events (Lithuania) Lithuanian victory [REDACTED]   Lithuania [REDACTED]   Soviet Union The January Events ( Lithuanian : Sausio įvykiai ) were

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2604-601: The head of state during the transitional period remain with the collegial Parliament body—the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Lithuania ." The latter was a collective political entity consisting of 11 deputies possessing equal powers, which was disbanded on 22 November 1992, when the current Constitution of Lithuania was adopted. The decision made by Seimas proved to be unpopular among the public. According to one survey done by Lietuvos rytas , 68% of respondents disagree with such an initiative with 42% of them believing that it

2666-539: The judgement, said that: "As they drove with the tanks over the people, they understood perfectly well what they were doing." Thereafter, Russia threatened to take retaliatory actions for the judgement. The European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders had promised that the European Union will defend Lithuanian judges who heard the January 13 case from persecution by Russia. Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis said that Lithuania will appeal to Interpol to reject Russia's appeal against

2728-694: The military commander in Vilnius to provide protection. Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov , Interior Minister Boris Pugo and Gorbachev all asserted that no one in Moscow gave orders to use force in Vilnius. 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. 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

2790-400: 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

2852-406: The morning, Landsbergis and Prime Minister Albertas 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. 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

2914-603: The overwhelming victory of independence supporters in a referendum 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. 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,

2976-404: The persecution of Lithuanian judges who heard the January 13 case. In 2019, Russia and Belarus refused to extradite those who are responsible for the January Events. As of March 2021 many of the 66 defendants remain out of reach of Lithuanian justice. January 13th is the Day of the Defenders of Freedom ( Lithuanian : Laisvės Gynėjų Diena ) in Lithuania. It is not a public holiday, but it

3038-403: The pro-Kremlin media. Vytautas Landsbergis Vytautas Landsbergis ( Lithuanian: [ˈvʲîːtɐʊtɐs ˈɫɐ̂ˑnʲdzʲbʲɛrʲɡʲɪs] ; born 18 October 1932) is a Lithuanian politician and former Member of the European Parliament . He was the first Speaker of Reconstituent Seimas of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union . He has written 20 books on

3100-418: The process of reform" in the Soviet Union. Bush was notably careful not to criticize Gorbachev directly, instead directing his remarks at "Soviet leaders". 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. Then, he said, Lithuanian "workers and intellectuals" asked

3162-462: The same day the pro-Moscow Yedinstvo movement organized a rally in front of the Supreme Council of Lithuania . 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

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3224-417: The so-called "Russophone population" of the country. 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. According to Human Rights Watch , the Soviet government had mounted a propaganda campaign designed to further ethnic strife. This and other actions would give

3286-412: The vicinity of the Supreme Council, Soviet military forces retreated instead of attacking. Among the members of the barricade were two basketball players who would later play for the Lithuanian national team , Gintaras Einikis and Alvydas Pazdrazdis . In all, thirteen Lithuanians were killed by the Soviet army. An additional civilian died at the scene due to a heart attack, and one Soviet soldier

3348-576: Was Alessandra Mussolini , a granddaughter of former Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini , who commented: "To implement the proposal of the Members of the European Parliament regarding Communist symbols is our moral duty". Landsbergis's proposal was opposed by the Russian Parliament as well. The First Vicespeaker of the Russian State Duma called the proposal "abnormal". Another Russian MP,

3410-419: Was both: the highest officer of State and the Speaker of the Parliament . He held this post from March 1990 until the next elections in November 1992 . The Soviet Union attempted to stifle this activity by economic blockade in 1990, but it failed, and other Soviet Republics soon followed suit and declared their independence from Moscow, as well. He was also extremely dubious of the view that Mikhail Gorbachev

3472-480: Was elected by Lithuanian voters to the European Parliament in Brussels (the total number of MEPs from Lithuania in Brussels was 13), and has been returned at every election until 2014. In 2005, Landsbergis became an international patron of the newly formed Henry Jackson Society . Since 2015 Landsbergis is together with Roswitha Fessler-Ketteler, MEP Heidi Hautala , Aleksi Malmberg and Frank Schwalba-Hoth member of

3534-690: Was killed by friendly fire . All victims, except the Soviet soldier, were awarded the Order of the Cross of Vytis (the Knight) on January 15, 1991. 12 of the 14 victims were buried in the Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius. Titas Masiulis was buried in Petrašiūnai Cemetery in his native Kaunas, Rimantas Juknevičius was buried in the Marijampolė cemetery. Immediately after the attacks, the Supreme Council issued

3596-535: 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." In 1996, two members of the Central Committee of Communist Party of the Lithuanian SSR, Mykolas Burokevičius and Juozas Jermalavičius , were given prison sentences for their involvement in

3658-424: 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. 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 million Euro to the victims. A judge, who announced

3720-415: Was taken apart and transported to storage in December 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine . In 2003, more than 3,000 French and other soldiers of the Grande Armée of Napoleon I who took part in the 1812 invasion of Russia were reburied at the cemetery, after their bodies were excavated some two years prior from French-dug trenches which were used by the victorious Russians as mass graves due to

3782-498: Was that this was needed to ensure constitutional order and the effectiveness of laws of the Lithuanian SSR and the Soviet Union. On 10 January Gorbachev addressed the Supreme Council , demanding a restoration of the constitution of the USSR in Lithuania and the revocation of "all anti-constitutional laws". 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

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3844-418: Was trying to liberalize the Soviet Union and that Lithuania should not prevent him from doing so. Landsbergis also played a crucial role during the confrontation between the Lithuanian independence movement and Soviet armed forces in January 1991. Iceland was the first state that officially recognized the restoration of Lithuanian independence; Landsbergis was somewhat critical of certain Western powers (such as

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