A note that caused more horror than a ruined tank pipe: it was like a knife

“I am a Lithuanian patriot, I work in the Lithuanian Armed Forces as a civil servant, and I also serve in the KASP, I am a chain. In 1991 my parents and I brought thermoses of coffee and tea to parliament. We came here almost every day from December to January 1991. “- this is how R. Tolvaiša began his story while walking through the country of the former Supreme Council, the current Seimas and the remains of the barricades that protected it.

It would seem like an extraordinary mission carried out by thousands of other residents of the country on guard at the campfire in those days. Such were the unarmed defenders of the television tower, and almost the absolute majority of the defenders of AT; weapons in those days were mostly sticks, rods, at best hunting rifles or tires.

Today, however, those who guarded parliament by the stake with their bodies alone do not usually go to the front pages. R. Tolvaiša is no exception.

However, remember his humble mission in those critical days as warmly as possible: He was only 10 years old, he walked with his parents and his brother 8 km to Parliament every day, armed with a thermos of tea and coffee, hope and faith.

Prepared in case you lose or die

“I lived in the current Tuskulėnų street and we came here twice, once until noon we took out as many thermoses as we could, we had a bottle in the afternoon,” recalled the interlocutor, showing his sector, right next to the Parliament building in the Gediminas avenue.

“There was such a fighting mood: songs, unity, spirit of hope, faith. In fact, our only weapons were faith – Tolvaiša commented, he is a man of faith, but 30 years ago, faith meant something else to him – those who were here know what the environment was like. They all smiled at each other, they felt unity, so much strength, we were an invincible crowd, it was a psychological struggle, all those gathered knew what was coming here: defend ”.

He was trapped in the plaza for a few moments. The way from the house to the load seemed long and difficult, but when he came and served the tea, it did not seem to be an ordinary activity.

“It just came to my knowledge then. I remember this as a regular process: pots, water, thermos, walk here. Then I remember the crowds, the tea being served, and” thank you baby, help yourself. “The walk seemed long, but when You come here and you see the eyes and the mood of the people, it redeems everything. So I fought with a cup of tea, “recalled the interlocutor. AT was initially with more of his companions.

“I remember the next moment when there was a big demonstration and a woman sprinkled the wall of the OT with holy water. We are believers and we say: there will be power here. And it really worked from that spray, because there was no AT attack, “said R. Tolvaiša. He no longer remembers the last time he was here in those fateful January days, but he felt the tension change and the people here not only he came to smile, sing and improve his tea.

“It just came to my knowledge then. It’s the time when my parents put a note in my pocket with my name and address on it. And each time I would check it to see if I had to. To me it was like a knife, not him. I was so afraid of nothing else, “recalls R. Tolvaiša. I was convinced even then, although there was only one child to whom his parents did not explain the meaning much, it was clear to him why this was being done, both for safety reasons if I he lost as if by a bleaker scenario, if his parents died during the attack.

Tank piping – to home windows

The probability of an AT attack has increased since the events of January 13 at the Television Tower and the Radio and Television Building. And although the Soviet military leadership had staged similar provocations and building occupations before, it was January 13 that became the turning point for R. Tolvaiša himself. As many remember where September 11, 2001, was, many may still know where January 13 was.

“That night seemed like an attack on Lithuania, not on individual objects, but on the whole of Lithuania. I remember watching the last shots while showing how busy I was on TV. Also, the sister of my mother’s brother’s wife was seen affected by the storm of the television tower, her eardrums exploded and after that she had a long treatment, hearing problems, she had to speak close to the person and speak loudly, “said the interlocutor. After January 13, his parents no longer took him to the AT building.

“Perhaps the parents evaluated the risks, the possible threats from our presence, although I never openly felt the fear of the parents, at least they did not emphasize it,” said R. Tolvaiša. Another stuck memory is the funeral of the victims on January 13, when they had to queue for a long time at the current prosecutor’s office waiting to enter the converted Palacio de Deportes.

“After January 13, the neighbors met with their parents to discuss what to do. For example, a neighbor said that he had dug a basement in the garden that could be like a bunker. Other neighbors used sandbags to hold up the barricades to parliament, “recalled the man of the fateful days. Such a father and his initiatives were not accidental.

“All these things are very close to me, because both parents and grandparents spoke of partisans from an early age, because parents and grandparents took over from the last Aukštaitija partisan Antanas Kraujelis in 1952-1954, when he was injured. For me, these events were a continuation of those stories: we need to help as much as possible, but not kneel before the occupier, it is better to die than not have freedom, ”said R. Tolvaiša.

Even after January 13, fears about the behavior of Soviet soldiers were exacerbated by the fact that R. Tolvaišai did not have to find himself in a parliament where an assault was expected, living on Tuskulėnų street right next to the Soviet military base, he himself experienced what the threats meant.

“When tanks and armored vehicles passed, it was that the pipes went directly to the windows. We lived on the third floor and in the corner of the bolted pipe, directly towards us. Then it seemed that the heart stopped because he understood what it meant to shoot a shot at the windows ”, the interlocutor recalled the nightmare of childhood.

Defend not only by faith but also by arms

In the end, it was all over: the TA was not seriously assaulted, Lithuania held out, the Soviet Union faltered and collapsed after the 1991 coup, and all memories of the Kremlin’s threat like bonfires sank into the past.

True, R. Tolvaiša did not forget the spirit in parliament, then he contributed to the defense of the Supreme Council, even serving tea for the defenders of parliament, the first volunteers, and after graduating he decided to become a soldier-volunteer. Here, Jonas Gečas, who led the defense of the Supreme Council, already told me, as an instructor, how parliament would have been defended in 1991.

Later, R. Tolvaiša got a job in the Lithuanian Armed Forces: 15 years of experience in the fields of construction, road engineering and design came in handy in the infrastructure department. There were other coincidences.

“A strange coincidence. At that time, I helped the citizens by distributing and serving coffee and tea. And now I have to work in the service of the Logistics Board of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, one of whose areas is the restoration of soldiers. Although I do not work directly with restoration, “said R. Tolvaiša.

As a volunteer soldier, he returned to the Seimas during the solemn commemorations of January 13 and at other times, standing in the line of soldiers, the so-called box.

However, the events of 2014 in Ukraine reminded him of Lithuania’s defense even more clearly: Russia’s aggression against Ukrainians, first opening Crimea and then provoking war in Donbas, also enraged Lithuanian society. R. Tolvaiša also said this when he felt it.

“I was constantly thinking about what happens if the enemy comes and I’m asleep and I’m not ready, after 2014 we form groups, we know where to meet, even if there is no mobile internet connection.

Still, we discussed with relatives what we can contribute: if you can’t contribute a weapon, it’s not necessary, take – take photos, film so that everyone can see, wash clothes, cut potatoes, heal the wounded.

He then piled on more medicine and food, a habit that most Lithuanians would have ridiculed before the pandemic. However, in 2014, and even now, according to R. Tolvaiša, the threat in the east is real.

“A troubled neighbor nearby is not a bubble, we have seen it in Ukraine and now in Belarus, but the watch is somewhat fluctuating, like an oak that takes root deeper when there is a storm, and then the watch falls.

If there is a war tomorrow, I think there will be that crowd here again, maybe even bigger. Why do I say that? Because I saw that 2014 was in our companies when the riots happened nearby. Even then, a crowd of people gathered who wanted to learn more or stay longer to serve, ”the volunteer did not hide his determination.