August 23: The Baltic Way – a 675-kilometer-long human chain
On August 23, 1989, two million residents of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania formed a human chain from Tallinn to Vilnius. The "Baltic Way" took place on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the secret protocol of which divided spheres of influence in Europe between the USSR and Germany, including the Baltic states. The message was clear: regain independence from the Soviet Union.
"I saw something in the eyes"
There was something special, something alive, in their faces. I lived in Lithuania for over 20 years before the Baltic Way, but then I saw something in their eyes that I hadn't noticed before—something new, something very bright and beautiful.
Audris Stanis, Lithuanian documentary filmmaker / Radio Liberty
Who organized the action
The protest was organized by political movements—the Estonian Popular Front, the Latvian Popular Front, and Sąjūdis. The aim was to show the world that restoring national statehood is not only a political issue, but also a legal and moral one. After all, the voluntary willingness of a quarter of the country's population to join hands on the highway speaks volumes.
The experience was incredible! This frantic self-organization took place without social media or mobile phone service. People stood along the roads, waving flags and posters, waiting for the moment when everyone would join hands and say, "We are for independence from the USSR!" It was the end of the Soviet myth.
Juris Kaja, a reporter for Swedish TV / Meduza
One and a half meters per person
It was Wednesday, a workday. Despite this, employees were allowed to leave work early. The protest was scheduled for 7:00 PM local time. The route from Tallinn to Vilnius was divided into sections, and coordinators assigned people—each person in the human chain was allocated one and a half meters. People reached their destinations in their own cars, by public transportation (drivers volunteered to drive participants), and also in buses and trucks provided by companies.
People recalled cars and buses driving bumper to bumper along the highway, but there weren't a single accidents. Young and old alike were traveling, many with families. At precisely seven o'clock, everyone stopped. Where there were more people, they formed several rows. Where there weren't enough people, they stretched ribbons in the colors of national flags or lit candles—in memory of those who died during the deportations of the 1940s.
It wasn't just a public action, but also an internal one. Before the Baltic Way, I was a little afraid to go out; I was a Soviet child. But after, no longer. We felt that the three Baltic republics were thinking alike.
Maija Zvejniece, librarian / Meduza
We wouldn't have been able to regain freedom if people hadn't participated in the Baltic Way and then come to the huge demonstrations in Riga. Then we showed the world that we haven't forgotten about our country and want to take it back.
Sandra Kalniete, Chief Coordinator in Latvia / Current Time
Many didn't believe we would be free. But now we see that we are free people.
Raivo Hannus, a protester from Estonia / Current Time
The secret protocol that was called a fake for half a century
The Non-Aggression Pact signed between Germany and the USSR in 1939 declared that the countries were obliged
