VU Commemorates the Defenders of Freedom

January 13, 1991 – this was the night when Lithuania was forced to fight for its independence. Lithuanian people were not frightened by the preceding economic blockade, or by an armed Soviet military movement throughout Lithuania. People from all of Lithuania united in their fight to preserve the sovereignty.

Those were the years when Student Association of Vilnius University was well organized and active already, hence they contributed distinctively to the country's defence of freedom – the VU students played a key role in coordinating the students from all of Lithuania who came to Vilnius to protect state objects, transmitted information over the radio about the movement of Soviet troops in Vilnius, provided first aid.

“January events so far remind me of an unrestrained power of the nation, the great spirit, human kindness, honesty, unselfishness and positivity of the huge number of people. All of us were united by a mighty sense of duty to the motherland and it was above personal interests”, – Naglis Šyvis, the first President of VU Student Association shared his memories about the distinctive moment of Lithuania’s statehood.