Lithuanian Volunteer National Defense Service Forces and the August Coup (1991)

January 1991 became a major challenge for the Lithuanian state and its people, which was striving for Freedom and Independence. The Soviet Union tried to break Lithuania's Independence, and one of such attacks was the tragic events of January 13 near the Vilnius TV Tower. Under these circumstances, on January 17, the Volunteer National Defense Service of the Republic of Lithuania (now the National Defense Volunteer Forces) was established. Among other tasks, the volunteers were entrusted with the protection of important state and energy facilities. On August 19, 1991, after the coup in Moscow, the Soviet military began to occupy strategic facilities in Lithuania. The Lithuanian National Defense Services were instructed to defend the Supreme Council and the Government Palace with weapons. It was near the Supreme Council Palace that one of the incidents occurred, the hero of which was volunteer Artūras Sakalauskas (1963–1991).

After the events of January 13, 1991, Artūras Sakalauskas joined the Alytus unit of the Voluntary National Defense Service. He was on duty at the Supreme Council Palace, at posts in Kaunas and Sitkūnas (a radio station that played a major role in those days was guarded in Sitkūnas: on January 13, 1991, at 2:01 a.m., after the radio and television broadcast from Vilnius was interrupted, the Sitkūnas radio station began operating 40 seconds later and broadcast from the studio installed there until the morning, until the radio and television studio in Kaunas spoke up).

During the August coup, Sakalauskas, together with other volunteers from the Alytus detachment, arrived in Vilnius and stood guard over the Supreme Council building. Igoris Kvedaravičius, a volunteer who was on duty with him at the time, recalls:

On August 21, 1991, we finished our duty at about 6 p.m. We went to get some food and returned to the Supreme Council building. It was a quiet, beautiful evening, and no one even suspected the impending disaster. Artūras then suggested that we go to the 1st post. We went. There we talked to the soldiers on duty at that time. It was about half past ten in the evening. Having raised the barrier, the soldiers let a deputy’s car pass, and then a militia “UAZ” drove past it at high speed. At first we didn’t understand anything. Only then did we see that it was painted yellow with blue stripes. On its sides was the inscription “MILITIA”. Someone shouted that it was “omon” and lowered the barrier. Then Artūras and I ran to the other side of the barrier and started rolling hedgehogs welded from thick reinforcement and railway tracks onto the road. Then I told Artūras: “Come on, we’re done,” and he replied, “We’ll be right there.” I went to our side to help those who were there. Then that “UAZ” appeared. We stopped it and demanded that its passengers get out. Those who were there did not obey us and we tried to force them out of there. They tried to resist and then the shooting started.

Lithuanian volunteers clashed with soldiers of a special forces unit of the Soviet army. During the clash, Sakalauskas was killed, and several other volunteers were injured by Soviet explosive devices.

Sakalauskas is buried in Alytus, next to the first Lithuanian army officer, Antanas Juozapavičius, who died for Lithuania's independence in 1919.