I came to Vilnius with 2 friends on Saturday night. We decided to stay by the RTV Center. People were crowded by the entrances of the building. The mood was good - people were keeping themselves warm, eating snacks, watching a television that had been brought out, and entertaining themselves. About 10 military vehicles drove along Konarskio Street, accompanied by screams and noise. We also heard Butkevičius speak on TV. Shooting began from the direction of the street, by the entrance to the radio building. My friends and I stood by the entrance to the television building. A number of people were thrown to the street, towards the shooting. Somebody shouted for us to join hands and get closer to the entrance of the television building. A group of maybe ten people surrounded the entrance. The people who were blocking the entrance were attacked by paratroopers in full military gear: helmets, bullet-proof vests, and automatic guns. Each of them threw at least one explosive. I was in the third or fourth row and could see the satisfaction with which the paratroopers threw these explosives. After the first explosives it was like a fog had risen and you could feel the sharp smell of sulphur or gunpowder. The only thing you could hear was shooting and windows shattering. After some time, the soldiers disappeared somewhere and I noticed that they hadn't broken through to the door. Men led away a few women whose faces were bloody. Somebody shouted for men to go into the building, where militiamen were also standing. There was constant shooting. It was easy to distinguish that after a series of blanks, 3 or 4 series of real bullets were fired from tommy guns and machine guns. Tanks fired blanks to make more noise. Somebody moved the television that had been brought out by the door as soon they began breaking everything for no reason at all. Pieces of glass the size of people fell on those of us who hadn't moved away from the entrance. In the well-lit faces of the paratroopers you could see savage anger, fury. The paratroopers were cursing, and occasionally shot their guns. Finally they attacked the people who hadn't moved away with the butts of their guns. A lot of people withdrew, covering their heads. The windows on the top floors of the building shattered, and you could hear gun shots. An approach¬ing light tank was playing a recording in both Lithuanian and Russian about how power had been passed into the hands of the National Salvation Committee.

Lithuania, 1991.01.13 : documents, testimonies, comments. - Vilnius : State Publishing Center, 1992, p. 211-212.