Celebrations of March 11 in Vilnius [Gallery]

Lithuania celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Act of Restoration of the Lithuanian State. In 1990, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania declared that Lithuania was a free country and that its forceful incorporation into the Soviet Union was invalid. It was one of Lithuania’s milestones towards freedom, which, as it turned out, had to be paid for in blood.

Vilnius was filled with the colors of the Lithuanian flag. However, it wasn’t just the reds, greens and yellows that fluttered in the sunlight. This year, those celebrating independence also brought flags of Ukraine to show solidarity with their neighbor, which is defending itself against Russian aggression.

The culminating moment was the raising of the flags of the Baltic countries — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This was a tribute to those times when the Baltic sisters were the first to break out of the bloodthirsty regime of the Soviet Union.

The ceremony was captured by our photojournalist, Marian Paluszkiewicz.

The photo gallery can be viewed online at: https://kurierwilenski.lt/2022/03/11/obchody-11-marca-w-wilnie-galeria/