Defenders of Freedom Day in Lithuania (lit. Laisvės Gynėjų Diena) — is a day of remembrance for the victims of the tragic January events of 1991, when 14 people were killed and many were injured in Vilnius.
On March 11, 1990, the Supreme Council of Lithuania announced the restoration of the republic's independence, but the Soviet leadership declared this decision contrary to the Constitution of the USSR. The conflict was gaining momentum, and unauthorized protests began in Lithuania in January 1991. As a result, special forces soldiers, including the «Alfa» group, were transferred to the republic.
They were able to occupy a number of strategic facilities, and on the night of January 13, 1991, a column of military equipment moved out of a military camp in Vilnius and headed to the city center. Until 2 a.m., television crews broadcast what was happening in the country, then military equipment surrounded the television center building and the television tower.
It was here, during clashes between protesters and the military, that 14 people were killed and more than 600 were injured. Among the dead was one employee of the «Alfa» unit; he was shot in the back.
Currently, on this day in Lithuania, various ceremonial and commemorative events and actions — processions and rallies, memorial services and ceremonies, citizenship lessons in schools and exhibitions are held. And in the evening, holy masses are held in the Vilnius Archcathedral, in churches and houses of worship of religious communities in Lithuania.