Part of the Restored Seimas sought to overthrow Landsbergis and Lithuanian authorities

Vilnius, Lithuania — Gediminas Vagnorius, twice prime minister of Lithuania and a signatory of the 1990 Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, has stated that some members of the Restored Seimas attempted to stage a coup against Vytautas Landsbergis and the country’s leadership in January 1991.

In an interview with LRT RADIJO’s Pas Nemirą programme, Vagnorius described the period as one of extreme pressure, when Soviet military equipment moved through the capital and the state lacked a functioning government. “Everyone understood what awaited us, and we had little hope of surviving that night,” he said. “We had to form a government quickly or at least remove certain ministers whose loyalty was in doubt or who no longer wished to remain in office.”

Vagnorius was first offered the premiership on 8 January 1991 but did not secure sufficient support. After the designated prime minister vanished, Landsbergis again proposed Vagnorius, who was appointed on 13 January—the night Soviet troops attempted to seize the Supreme Council building.

According to Vagnorius, preparations for a coup were underway not only in Moscow but also within Lithuania. He alleged that some Restored Seimas members organised parallel sessions and sought to remove Landsbergis and the government. “One of those Seimas members agitated to seize power, to overthrow Landsbergis, but the cabinet did not yield,” he said. “A replacement for V. Landsbergis had already been identified, and alternatives for the government were prepared.”

The coup ultimately failed when Soviet forces were unable to take control of the Supreme Council building.

Vagnorius noted that the full details of the January 1991 events remain undisclosed and that public knowledge of that night is limited.