Officer injured in riot bomb: anguish hurts when Lithuanian attacks you

On the night of August 10, the officer received a message that it was necessary to rush to the unit and travel from Kaunas to Seimas in the capital. He arrived here with his colleagues around 9pm

“We had a hard time getting close to the Seimas because the crowd had gathered there. I can’t say what the day was because I wasn’t there and I didn’t see it, but what I saw at night was certainly not peaceful protesters.

They were angry people, perhaps even intoxicated by alcohol. His aggression was really visible ”, the interlocutor shared his first impression.

Joining the line-up had to endure not only constant insults, but also flying objects, rocks, eggs, yogurts and bottles were thrown at the officers.

“It just came to our notice then. Certainly there were no pleasant things on that side. And the anger and provocation were very pronounced,” Vida recalled.

The flag is like a weapon

The official noted that the rioters used the Lithuanian flag as a shield and as a weapon.

“The flagpole is used even as a cold weapon, the flags have been trampled on, they have certainly not been treated with respect,” he said.

In addition, the rioters threw stones and insults, and in the eyes of the official, the Lithuanian anthem was used as a cover.

“If the rioters only saw that some movement was taking place and the officers could arrest them, they would start singing the anthem, with the idea that then no one could do anything to them.”

It was played very “beautifully”, it seems they knew exactly what they were doing, there was a constant provocation, and if anything, those trump cards of the rioters, the flag and the anthem, are drawn, “he said.

The interlocutor hinted that it was very painful for her to go through all this, especially when she chose her path to serve Lithuania.

“I grew up in a family of patriots. There were also political prisoners and deportees in the family. That love for Lithuania, patriotism has been since childhood. It bites your teeth at the time, but your heart hurts a lot when a Lithuanian attacks you. And he did not speak to him, he did not even express clear thoughts about what he wants or wants, he just screams with screams, “he said.

It felt like a movie

The officer, along with his colleagues, had to stand silently for approximately 4 hours, listening to insults and objects flying towards them.

“If it weren’t for the shields, they would have stoned us, the men worked very well and we held a huge amount of stones,” said the interlocutor.

It all ended with an explosive thrown into the lineup. It fell directly under the feet of V. Uselienė.

“I didn’t see the grenade flying by myself, someone mentioned it was green, but I didn’t see it. She appeared at my right foot and it was red smoke. It was a lot of pain, I didn’t understand what was happening,” he said. – Feel like in a kind of war movie. I will definitely not forget that feeling in life. It’s blinding, deafening, the air is huge, I can’t answer, but it’s an incredibly scary thing. “

Despite the pain, the officer did not withdraw from the lineup and continued his service. As she said herself, I simply cannot leave colleagues.

“It’s teamwork, I can’t go out and leave my team. I am part of it. Five will fall, it will be more difficult for them. There is no such thing: it hurts, I can’t, I’m bad, ”she explained.

It was only after the rioters were arrested that the officer saw the injuries sustained; Until then, there was no time or opportunity to tend to the wounds.

“Only when I received the order to return did I see that my leg was burned and there was a lot of blood,” he recalled.

I knew what and how I was doing it

In the eyes of the interlocutor, the rioters tried for a long time to get the agents to attack them first.

“The hymn is silent and again some kind of provocation, annoying, annoying, annoying those officials, causing riots. As I imagine, they waited for us to give them a pulse first. They had hit the buses, the cars. But they waited a moment to present themselves that they are victims and we attacked them.

He waited a long time, provoked, provoked and provoked. That provocation occurred in every way, with stones, bottles, access to them and an interpretation of who we are or what we are. That was their tactic, in my opinion, ”he said.

In addition, the officer noticed that the crowd was being assaulted by several individuals who were yelling and waving at rioters through a loudspeaker.

“They played knowing what and how they were doing it,” he said of the instigators. – I did not see and I cannot say what the day was, but those western people, it is an opportunity for her to hit the officials, an opportunity to commit some violations. After all, there are records on the Internet where they say when it is better, if not today, to hit you, do what you want and you will go unpunished. If you wish, go unpunished. “

In addition, after listening to the screams of the rioters for 4 hours, the officer did not hear any clear demands, nor was he called about opportunity passports, vaccinations or other things that led to the protest.

“I have heard many rumors about the members of the Seimas, they shouted that this is only the beginning, that on September 10 we will come with weapons. There were more all kinds of threats, screams that you didn’t handle, that we were slaves and things like that, ”he said.

At the end of the conversation, V. Uselienė hinted that he had received a call from the Minister of the Interior the next day.

“She asked me personally how healthy I feel. After so much suffering and words heard in the riots, it was a great pleasure to hear thank you for being there. Somehow he recovered the pain that I experienced, ”he said.

A total of 18 officers were injured during the riots near the Seimas: 12 police officers and 6 VST officers were injured.

26 people were arrested Tuesday night, all on suspicion of rioting, for which they face up to 6 years in prison.

Nine suspects were released by the court on Thursday because they could obstruct the pre-trial investigation.