Coup of The Volunteers - The Coup

The Coup

In 1993, an armed SKAT unit near Kaunas refused to obey the government and hid in local forests, where they were joined by additional recruits. The leaders of LDDP considered attacking the rebels. The state was on the brink of a civil war, which would have served Russia's interests, demonstrating that Russian troops were still necessary in Lithuania to prevent disturbances and riots. But the Russian army left Lithuania just before the coup. The leaders of other military units refused to attack the rebels, and some even declared support for the rebels. The government had to seek a peaceful solution, which eventually was found by the end of 1993.

The coup remains controversial. Some historians claim that it helped to ensure the independence of Lithuania — that if SKAT had been dissolved in 1993, Lithuania effectively would have been left without military defence. Others claim that the coup did nothing good for Lithuania and was merely a fight over influence in the newly reborn state. Different sides are also blamed for the coup: some blame LDDP government and others blame the Russian secret service, while still others blame certain leaders of the volunteers.