Vitautas Landsbergis: In January 1991 I Received Phone Threats from General Ushopchik :: Charter'97 :: News

Lithuanian Sojm’s deputy from social-democrats Nikolai Medvedev and writer Vidmante Yasukaitite said that the first deputy Defense Minister of Belarus Vladimir Ushopchik has nothing to do with the bloody massacre at the Vilnius TV tower in January 1991. However, the Lithuanian procuracy general doesn’t view these oral statements as anything worth attention. The leader of the Conservative party of Lithuania Vitautas Landsbergis has records of phone conversations with Ushopchik dating back to January 1991, in which the general threatened to use force against the protesters.

Allegations about general Ushopchik’s innocence sounded in one of the Russian-language programs of Vilnius television. Member of Sojm, social-democrat Nikolai Medvedev and writer Vidmante Yasukaitite said that in January 1991 Vladimir Ushopchik disobeyed Moscow’s order to open fire and was dismissed as a commander of the division and Vilnius garrison, while the command over operation was passed over to lieutenant-colonel Aslan Maskhadov.

Leader of the Conservative party, former chairman of Lithuania’s Supreme Court Vitautas Landsbergis called their allegations ungrounded.

- I do consider them groundless for general Ushopchik took an active part in the event. He was the head of the Vilnius garrison and upon his command tanks and armored vehicles had been thrown at unarmed civilians. Back in those days he called me, demanding obedience, and threatened to use force. I keep phone records of that. So, I’ve really no clue what Medvedev and that writer mean. General’s appointment to high Belarusian post I, as a then head of the Parliament, called provocation against Lithuania. That is really a huge hindrance for cooperation.