The man in charge of defending the TV tower on a fateful night: did not expect combat ammunition to be used



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In January he went to protect the Verkhovna Rada

Eugenijus Šepetys recalls how the Rokiškis firewalls, as soon as they began their service, received an invitation to come to protect the Supreme Council on January 8, during the “Jedinstvo” rally. E. Šepetys laughed that he arrived with the team so quickly that Vilnius residents themselves were shocked.

“Since then, a joke has been floating that Rokiškis is somewhere near Vilnius, because you arrive very early,” said E. Šepetys.

“We went to the Supreme Council alternately. So attacked that [sausio] On the afternoon of the tenth I came to change men for another shift and they told me that the atmosphere was heating up. The same fifteen-man team remained, which was already on the Supreme Council, and I came with fifteen others, ”said E. Šepetys.

Eugenijus Šepetys, 1993

Eugenijus Šepetys, 1993. Source: Personal album

He defended the television tower just as he knew

E. Šepetys recalls how the people of Rokiškis lined up together with the Zarasai Firewall, sharing the defense of objects important to the state. It was decided that the Rokiškis firewall agents would be stationed to protect the objects.

“It just came to our knowledge then [rokiškėnų] – to the Press House, fifteen – to the television tower, everyone else is free. So my first team settled in the Press House, and I went to the television tower with the second team, ”shared E. Šepetys.

Learn more about Token Defense here:

Interview with Eugenijus Šepetis

We have taken all the necessary measures to protect how to defend an object that is physically possible and difficult to defend.

According to E. Šepetis, the rest of his team received the first baptism in the Press House before even having a good inspection of the object. Forced to leave the Press House, the men who were guarding them reached the television tower and reinforced the part of their equipment that was already there.

“Even if we put one person in a window from the inside, there were not thirty of us.”

Former Rokiškis Firebreak Officers after the presentation of commemorative medals to the Lithuanian Armed Forces From left to right: Vilmantas Raupys, Gintautas Marganavičius, Audrius Guzas, Ignas Vaitoška, ​​Valdas Misavičius, Vilius Danys, Gintautas Jurgutis, Vygantas Pauliučutas, Vygantas Pauliučutas Nerijus Balyčikas, Edvardas Jakulis, Eugenijus Šepetys.

Former Rokiškis firebreak officers after the presentation of commemorative medals to the Lithuanian Armed Forces From left to right: Vilmantas Raupys, Gintautas Marganavičius, Audrius Guzas, Ignas Vaitoška, ​​Valdas Misavičius, Vilius Danys, Gintautas Jurgutis, Vygantas Pauliučutas Nerijus Balyčikas, Edvardas Jakulis, Eugenijus Šepetys. . Source: Personal Album

Had to defend the TV tower without weapons

E. Šepetys shared that the younger generation is often surprised to hear that officers defended the TV tower without weapons. According to E. Šepetis, there were no uniforms, no weapons, no equipment, or other material means at that time. I had to organize everything myself.

Learn more about Token Defense here:

Interview with Eugenijus Šepetis

“Somehow, we really did not believe, me and the former Soviet army soldier did not believe that combat cartridges, combat ammunition would be used.” We saw that the plaster fell on the head, it means to shoot for real. It is a happy coincidence that those Rokiškis have gone down in history and that they all survived and are healthy, and now have something to tell future generations.

And yet I yell at one of my companions, who has just awakened from his sleep, “shut the water down!” Then you see the plaster falling on your head. It means gunshots. Weapons are combat weapons, they are armored, they fall, and generally they do not rise. And we do it easily, we run. To make it difficult for them too, we closed on the second floor like this. We brought rock wool, when we touched it, the powder, then they had to chop. Still, to prevent them from getting through the TV tower easily, we pushed a powerful transformer into the door from the inside. Now when I think about it, we just defended when we were kids, but there was some kind of defense.

The man in charge of defending the TV tower on a fateful night: did not expect combat ammunition to be used

Source: DELFI / Tomas Vinickas

It was a truly desperate feeling when I returned to the Supreme Council and was the first living witness to inform the Supreme Council members of the situation. I stepped off the podium and was surprised. Just because I had nothing to resist.

We defended by hand. Maybe it saved not only our lives, but the lives of many people. “

“It just came to our knowledge then. Maybe it saved not just our lives, but the lives of many people.”

The unity of the people is the living shield

“It just came to our knowledge then [žmonėmis]We leave only what our task was to represent, defend the object. They were all volunteers, our living shield. I mean, I was a military man, I have had to be in a variety of situations: both armed and serious, but I really did not believe or think that such forces would be launched against an unarmed crowd of people. It goes without saying that the propaganda masters, the soldiers themselves, also worked there, they had no green understanding, they were told, there are armed strikers, etc.

And I say, here is the unity of the people. Hitched to various lanes around. We stand there with those posts on the other side of the glass and we think: something will be. And something was. Very simple. All those forces. The tanks fired a couple of shots, the cartridge empty, empty, breaking the glasses. Alpha invades through the main entrance and we see helmets in front of us through the veil of smoke. “

The man in charge of defending the TV tower on a fateful night: did not expect combat ammunition to be used

Source: Vida Press

“We didn’t really think of some courage, heroism. We just did our job. We were one of the first officers in Lithuania’s national defense system. There was really no one who said that he would not go.”

January 13 is the day of our victory

E. Šepetys still remembers details about the experiences of that time, almost every year he participates in the commemorative events of the January events organized in the Seimas.

If it had not been for January 13, we certainly would not have remained so independent, we would not have been the state we are now.

“If it hadn’t been for January 13, we certainly wouldn’t have remained so independent, we wouldn’t be the state we are now. There would be no European Union, no NATO. “

I am definitely of the opinion that January 13 should not be a day of remembrance but a holiday. It’s our victory day, not to mention it.

More information can be found at neužmiršk.lt



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