From Occupation to Freedom by Rail: New Installation Opens at Vilnius Railway Station

A new installation at Vilnius Railway Station presents Lithuania’s path from Soviet occupation to independence through archival images and text. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas opened the display under the title “Towards Unconditional Freedom.”

Kaunas said Lithuania finally secured its freedom on Aug. 31, 1993, when the last Russian military units left the country. He argued that independence cannot depend on another state’s permission or conditions, saying, “Freedom is not an object of negotiation.”

Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence on March 11, 1990, but more than three years passed before the withdrawal of Soviet and then Russian forces was completed. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia took control of the Soviet troops stationed in Lithuania, and negotiations resumed.

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Freedom is not an object of negotiation.

The process faced repeated difficulties. Russia sought concessions that Lithuania considered unacceptable and at times said it would halt the withdrawal. Lithuania also barred the arrival of new conscripts at Russian military units. The source says recruits were nevertheless transported illegally by rail and air, prompting Lithuanian troops and volunteers to blockade Russian units.

The installation has four screens. Three continuously show archival photographs and texts about Lithuania’s Freedom Day. Kaunas presented the display as a reminder that similar attempts to impose conditions on a nation’s right to determine its future can still be seen in Ukraine. He said Lithuania and its allies are choosing a Western direction.

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Today Lithuania, together with its allies, is choosing a Western direction.