That night in Vilnius we drove from one guarded place to another. On the radio we heard that tanks had appeared in the streets and were going towards the tower. We saw the tanks in the city and followed alongside of them. Only the tanks were going along the street while we went along the sidewalks and the green grass. The tanks next to us tried to frighten us by turning their barrels, and officers in the tanks fired their tommy-guns in our direction. I think they were using live cartridges because I could see traces of light left by them in the air. The column of tanks stopped by a sand truck which was in the road near the tower. Here the tanks pointed their barrels at the people to scare them, and officers came out of the tanks and fired both blank and live cartridges. It was a terrible sight, but the people standing around the tower didn't withdraw...
The first tank in line turned its barrel back, and without any difficulty, ran over the sand truck which was standing in front. Then it went back and ran over it again. The truck was levelled to the ground. After seeing this site I realized that these obstacles wouldn't hold back the tanks. The other tanks turned left, and after smashing another car, started to encircle the tower. When the tanks arrived on the grounds of the tower, the people surrounded the tower in a tight circle, and officers surrounded the people. The firing was really intense - bullets were flying over our heads and through our legs, and the ground started burning where the bullets had fallen.
You could hear shooting on the other side of the tower. They also shot from the tanks because we could see empty tank cartridges. They were warm...
When the firing subsided a little, we tried to get closer to the tanks. The tanks turned their barrels at us, and officers came out of the tanks and aimed their guns at the people. But they didn't fire. After some time, a paratrooper came up to us and asked us to move back 5 meters from the tank. Stepping back 2 meters, we addressed the paratrooper. He said that he was 19 and was from Moscow. His face was sad, and he said that he thought this attack was terrible. When asked if he would shoot a person he answered „No..."
Lithuania, 1991.01.13 : documents, testimonies, comments. - Vilnius : State Publishing Center, 1992, p. 125-126.