On January 13, Lithuania commemorates the Day of Freedom Defenders
In 1991, on this day, there was a massive peaceful resistance of Lithuanian citizens to the Soviet leadership's attempt to seize the Vilnius TV tower by force.
Attempts to storm the building of the Radio and Television Committee, the Seimas building and other objects started on January 9. The operation was carried out by a specially trained group of paratroopers armed with heavy military equipment.
14 peaceful and unarmed people were killed and more than 600 were injured at the TV tower in Vilnius. The television tower was occupied, but the military refused to attack the Seimas.
Although some objects were seized, the ultimate goals of the operation - to occupy the parliament, to provoke discord among Lithuanian citizens of various nationalities - were not achieved, and the Soviet army had to withdraw from the occupied objects fairly soon.
Virtual exhibition by Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania.
