Memoirs of Talava Megnis from Kocēni about the events in the 1991 barricades in Riga

I, Tālavs Megnis, had just started working in Kocēni Parish Municipality in January as a land developer to start the implementation of land reform. After consulting with each other and with the collective farm specialists, chief accountant Ruta Rozenbergs, accountant Gaidu Rags and dispatcher Liene Kūns and 1st section agronomist Ilga Brusovs, minibus Latvia driver Jānis Gravas and others, we decided that those who want to stay in Riga, referring to the People's Front call. I told my colleagues from the collective farm that I might not go to work on Monday, because if our new government falls, land reform will certainly not happen, but if it persists, I will forgive you for not coming to work.

On the night of January 13 to January 14, Jānis Grava, the driver of the minibus Latvia, remained; Jānis Olmanis - music teacher at Kocēni Primary School; Tālavs Megnis - the land developer of Kocēni parish, before that the head of the district in the collective farm "Kocēni", was chosen as the leader of the group that remained in Riga; Dainis Ābelītis - from "Strautnieki" house, collective farm-driver; Juris Miķelsons; Uldis Rolmanis - then MRS (Forest Industry Farm) worker - driver; Aivars Vīksne - builder from a construction team.

When the others left, we drove our minibus to the entrance of the Cabinet of Ministers, in the courtyard from the side of Brīvības Street. Then we got off the bus, went to the main entrance, where there were already two people in front. We talked about what we would do here now with our naked lives, or feed the cannons - we laughed. We got acquainted, those first two were men from Cēsis, as the name implies, I do not remember. From time to time someone else arrived, some cars also stopped and also one bus with people from the manifestation, it seems that from Ādaži. We decided that we don't already know what to do, but we will exist for a while, watch what happens. The bus left after a while, wishing us support.

After a while, actress Dina Kuple and another woman came to our group. They were very happy that we were standing here and very much begged us not to leave and help protect Riga. Let us not freeze here and left us to wrap a small balsam in the newspaper. Started twilight.

After a short time, two young people approached us as students, asking where we were from, who is a senior or a group leader. We are seven people from Kocēni, Valmiera district, with a minibus "Latvija", if necessary, I can also be the leader of the group. Then I went with those boys to their ziguli, it was probably white or yellow. It stood at the end of the Cabinet of Ministers building, on the side of the Freedom Monument, in Baumanis Square. We met, but I don't remember the words anymore. They had a walkie-talkie. Then they contacted the headquarters of the People's Front and reported that they had seven beers and one pole and could get more - I realized it was seven men and one transport unit. Those boys told me that I needed to stop the vehicles and call on people to stay at the facility and start building a chain of people around the whole building. They also asked if we could see what was happening at the international telephone exchange on Dzirnavu Street and whether we were ready to take on another task. I replied that we would do everything necessary. Then they left, told me to come to this car myself when they returned here, or to another place for new assignments. In the bus, we constantly listened to the information of the People's Front, which was broadcast on the radio from time to time.

Following the instructions, we became much more active in stopping cars and addressing people to stay and witness what is happening here. People were generally responsive, and both Rigans and passers-by began to linger at the building. Several young people who had come from Limbaži district got off the bus of the participants of the manifestation, after a couple of hours about a hundred people gathered here.

Leaving the other members and the bus at the Cabinet of Ministers, Jānis Olmanis and I went to the telephone exchange building on Dzirnavu Street. At that moment, at the end of Čaka Street, Dzirnavu Street was blocked by a large KrAZ truck-trailer with a T130 bulldozer. There were quite a few people on the street. The construction of a barricade spontaneously began from the building materials of a house to be reconstructed or demolished on the street side opposite the telephone exchange. Two sharp young high school students, maybe already students, could not tear off the boards from an old high wooden fence and Jānis and I were shouted: "Oh, help you demolish the fence you are looking at!"

It wasn't even five minutes before the yard was already across the street with all the rubbish, old beds, barrels, chairs and cabinets. When there was nothing left, we went back to the Cabinet of Ministers to our group. Some trucks with gravel and rubble soon arrived here, later also the car Ural - a timber truck with logs.

Zigulis and the boys of the People's Front soon arrived at the agreed place again. Arriving at them, I got in the car. The young people asked if we could take a bus to see what was happening at some parts of the Soviet troops. I said we would definitely be able to, just talk to the others. They said they would bring another person and let us prepare for the ride.

Grava Jānis, of course, was ready to drive, and after a few minutes the students brought two people around the age of 30 and a walkie-talkie. Maybe one came forward as Druvis. Some of our group stayed at the Cabinet of Ministers, and we drove in the direction of Jugla to the current Krustabaznicas Street, then along Viskaļu and Ezermalas Streets. Then along Meža Avenue and Viestura Avenue to Omon base in Vecmilgrāvis. From time to time, Druvis reported to his headquarters about the army machines seen, BTRs (armored personnel carriers), their number, marks, soldiers seen in them and directions of movement. Apparently, the troops were in an alarmed state, because in several places on the streets we saw guards with automatic machines on their shoulders.

From Vecmilgrāvis, through the center, we drove to the Salu Bridge to assess the situation at the Television Center in Zaķusala, where Kurzeme residents were invited. The Island Bridge and the Television Center were already completely blocked - with cars, agricultural and construction heavy machinery, reinforced concrete blocks. Somewhere anti-tank hedgehogs were welded directly on the street. It was possible to move across the bridge with great difficulty and only in one lane. There were many members of the barricades and the National Guard. We were stopped several times and sometimes quite aggressively asked who we were. We clarified and crossed the bridge in about an hour. Then we returned to the center via the Stone Bridge. Druvis with the walkie-talkie and colleagues thanked us for their help and said that they would be on their own. Some of us still went to the building of the Supreme Council, now the Saeima on Jēkaba Street. Old Riga was already totally barricaded with heavy machinery, which had come together so tightly that only one could break out one by one to move forward. A narrow street was completely blocked by the largest wheeled tractor, the T 700, that it was difficult to get past. In Jēkaba Street, the foundation was reinforced with concrete blocks, forming a maze. Seeing all this, we became convinced that together we are a huge, incomprehensible force. Although we do not have weapons and are only "cannon fodder", our commonality is a stronghold of naked life and technology, which would require a huge, unprecedented, brutal bloody force against the peaceful people, as it was in China's Pyongyang Square against students before. for several years, where they were dredged with tank chains. Who could give such an order - to expand the war against the unarmed people? Impossible.

Therefore, Soviet functionaries later devised an attack on the Ministry of the Interior, which did not support the Communist Party's efforts to preserve Soviet power, but was in the spirit and conviction of the members of the barricades.

Returning to the remaining members of the group of the Cabinet of Ministers, we saw that this building is relatively the least protected, because it is large enough, located in the middle of wide streets, and some approaching trucks did not cause significant obstacles to violent occupation, as only half of Brīvības Street was blocked. but from Elizabetes and Tērbatas streets there were only a few cars and also our minibus "Latvija".

Then, after consultation, we decided that we should invite ours from Kocēni with the big T150 tractors. I went somewhere to the cinema "Pionieris" or "Rīga" and from a payphone, it could be around 23.00 - 24.00, I called Vitautas Staņš, the chief engineer of the joint farm "Kocēni", because I knew that he would support this event. Having briefly described the situation in Riga, I said that I am trying to organize as many tractors as possible to Riga, without which we can do without to ensure production. I offered to offer to ride our skating team riders brothers Juris and Jānis Caunes, Guntis Skrastiņš, Guntis Zēvalds, Juris Bečeris and others, because I was a coach for them and I knew that they would not refuse and they could be relied on in any situation. Then I returned to the bus, and realized that we had to wait here in the morning and additional forces, we warmed up with a balm left by Dina Kuple. Somewhere on the Vērmaņdārzs side, a small fire had already been lit, there was not much firewood. The night was very humid and cold.

After the midnight route, the trolleybuses did not go to the garages, but were placed close to each other around the entire Cabinet building, in places also in two rows, where there were no other vehicles. Immediately after eight, I called the chief mechanic again, asked what the situation was, can we expect some equipment from Kocēni. Vitauts replied that some are already being refueled, works are being identified and planned so that potential riders can go to Riga without interrupting production. I also informed that there was no firewood to burn in the campfires in Riga, and I ordered that all tractors go to the sawmill before leaving and load the sawdust into the trailers - log sawdust, which stood there in large quantities at that time and was a burden for production.

On the morning of January 14, three or four T150 tractors with trailers left for Riga, having previously loaded firewood into the sawmill. The following is a list of barricade participants who came to Riga with collective farm equipment.

As I think, around noon Juris Caune arrived at the Cabinet of Ministers in Riga with a MTZ 82 tractor and three T150 tractors with trailers. Jānis Caune, Guntis Skrastiņš, Juris Bečers arrived with them. As I had already indicated, the tractor trailers were stacked with firewood. After a short time, the tractors were sent to block Dzirnavu Street at the telephone exchange. Here, too, our collective farm equipment stood throughout the barricades. Only Guntis Škrastiņš was on the Brasa bridge with his tractor for some time, the day after the first tragic events. During the Omon attack, A. Bāliņš from Kocene also stood there with his car factory Kamaza.

To warm up and fry the sausages, we lit a fire right on the street between the tractors. Later, someone had brought or brought a large cast iron pot in which soup or some porridge was boiled. Every day more and more members of the barricades came from the collective farm to the shifts. I remember that later Jānis Krīgers, Aivars Rags came with their daughter Sanita, Jānis Jēgers, Juris Fridvalds, Kārlis Koķis, Vitalijs Bečers, Edgars Bečers, Uldis Lukss, Jānis Trēziņš and others. Of course, all hard to remember. Gas masks were also taken from the kolkhoz reserves. For every occasion.

The friendly and supportive attitude of the people of all nationalities around us about being in Riga and protecting it was fantastic. Many came and cheered, brought tea and cigarettes in a thermos. I remember that a Russian woman brought a large plate with warm, freshly baked pancakes and a bottle of vodka bought on vouchers one evening, because she was not drinking herself, but it would be useful for us to be warmer at night. She also told a lot about her life and why she enjoys a free Latvia.

I remember one day, I don't remember which of the people sitting in the tractors had noticed that two men in the best years walk slowly between the tractors, watch everything, talk to each other, one takes photos from time to time. Just suspicious types. We thought check agents were collecting information about access to the PBX. We went there and started to whine about these spies, because they didn't behave like correspondents or just interested people, as many had already seen with cameras. After quite a long discussion, we have already realized that these observers are also their own, but with a different perspective and desire to perpetuate this situation or a moment in history.

After the tense situation of the first night, the following nights were already relatively boring and monotonous. Some nights were also quite cold, it seems to be up to some -15 °. Then we went to a nearby cinema and watched a movie, because the movies were shown continuously, seemingly, around the clock and for free. For two nights for a couple of hours, I had come to sit and warm up at the Dome Church as well. It was hardly warm in degrees, but the peace that prevailed there is indescribable. The short-lived meditation in the coldest, guarded port of peace gave us the strength, faith, and conviction that we are on the right path. One corner of the church was prepared to receive the wounded. It seems there were dozens of stretchers, bandages and medications.

I also remember that a large screen was later installed at the Cabinet of Ministers, which constantly showed information from CNN about events in Latvia, Kuwait, the Desert Storm and elsewhere in the world.

On the evening of January 20, when the Ministry of the Interior was captured, I had taken another bus to the collective farm to Valmiera. But they wanted to warm up and wash at home. His wife Gunta had already gone to Valmiera with her children with her children, because her birthday was on January 20. I also went straight to the anniversary. When I entered the apartment around nine in the evening, I remember that the television already showed footage from the center of Riga, where the attack on the Ministry of the Interior took place, how the injured Gvido Zvaigzne, Andris Slapiņš, was carried on a stretcher. His wife Hedwig cried. The stepfather Ēvalds, an old soldier, was silent in thought. I had two feelings, on the one hand, the joy of being at home, in the warmth with my own, and on the other hand, that I am not there, in Riga, with the barricades. How will it all end? On the second day we went to Riga again by shuttle bus ... "