Former Vilnius Radio Transmission Point. Gedimino Avenue 34

People over 30 may recall so-called radio points, receivers that were once installed in almost every kitchen and played radio programmes.

In Vilnius they then depended on the Wire Radio Broadcasting Hub that was operating from this building. On January 14, Soviet soldiers occupied the building, seized equipment, dispersed the employees, and sealed all entrances. Radio points across the city went silent.

The broadcasts were resumed by Kaunas journalists from a radio station in Sitkūnai. Foreign reporters who were documenting the occupation of the building were beaten.

The Soviet military purposefully targeted media infrastructure, in order to limit access to information and replace it with their own propaganda.

However, Lithuanians – particularly TV, radio and newspaper reporters and technicians – would always find ways around it, ways to put their messages through. Unbiased information about the events of January 1991 did reach the audiences in Lithuania and abroad.