At first they were just trying to scare us. Then they began speeding around and firing. The noise was terrible, it obscured your senses. Right next to us two people fell down from shock. When we realized that the tanks weren't going to turn to the side and were heading right at us, we joined hands and shouted “Lithuania will be free! Lithuania will be free!" They started throwing explosive gas cartridges. In the cloud of smoke, paratroopers forced their way towards the tower, beating people over the heads with the butts of their tommy guns. After breaking the windows, they made their way inside. Tanks were driving into the people. A Russian woman saw a tank in front of her and started shouting: „Svoloči, što vi delajete?" („Bastards, what are your doing!?") The tank rolled away, leaving three people crushed. One of them was a woman...

When the paratroopers broke into the tower, they opened fire. It's impossible to describe what was going on. Some of us were carrying the wounded, others stood shoulder to shoulder, repeating: “Lithuania will be free!..." Having forced their way to the tower, the tanks turned around and pushed the people away from it. Paratroopers were standing around the tower. We saw the Lithuanian flag thrown from the tower. People surrounded the tanks, shouting: “Lithuania will be free!" After the tower was taken over, we heard a voice announce over the loudspeaker of one of the tanks “Brothers and sisters, disperse. All power has been passed into the hands of the Lithuanian National Salvation Commit¬tee!" Nobody believed it. They shouted: “Traitor, traitor!" Although the tanks had pushed them from the tower, the people stood there crying, holding hands, and shouting the name of Lithuania.

Lithuania, 1991.01.13 : documents, testimonies, comments. - Vilnius : State Publishing Center, 1992, p. 229-230.