Vilnius at 30—Nothing Must Be Forgotten
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 6
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Thirty years ago tomorrow (January 13), Soviet forces fired at unarmed Lithuanians in Vilnius, killing 15 and thereby accelerating the recovery of the full independence of the Baltic countries as well as the demise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Both the details and the broader lessons of those events are beginning to be forgotten as those who were involved pass from the scene and a new generation, born too recently to remember, has risen to take their place. The details are important not only because they show that what actually happened is not what Moscow wants people to believe. The story also highlights the key role played by other non-Russians in forcing Mikhail Gorbachev to back away from a Soviet Tiananmen as well as the importance of their ability to attract support from the ethnic-Russian majority and the West. But even more important are the three-decade-old lessons from Vilnius that apply to those who continue to oppose Moscow’s repressive policies today.