January Events (Lithuania) - List of Victims

List of Victims

In all, thirteen Lithuanians were killed by the Soviet army. An additional civilian died at the scene due to a heart attack, and one Soviet soldier was killed by friendly fire. All victims, except the soldier, were awarded the Order of the Cross of Vytis (the Knight) on January 15, 1991.

1. Loreta Asanavičiūtė (b. 1967) – the only female victim. Worked as a seamstress in a factory. Died in hospital after she fell under a tank. Noted for her shy character, she became the most famous victim.
2. Virginijus Druskis (b. 1969) – student at Kaunas University of Technology. Was shot in the chest.
3. Darius Gerbutavičius (b. 1973) – student at a vocational school. Was shot five times (legs, arms and back).
4. Rolandas Jankauskas (b. 1969) – student. He was hit in the face by an explosive device. His mother was a native Russian from Altai Krai.
5. Rimantas Juknevičius (b. 1966) – senior at Kaunas University of Technology. He was shot.
6. Alvydas Kanapinskas (b. 1952) – worker at a Kėdainiai biochemical factory. He was shot.
7. Algimantas Petras Kavoliukas (b. 1939) – butcher at a grocery store. He was wounded by a rubber bullet on January 11, 1991, when he protested against the Soviet troops near the Press House. On January 13, he was hit by a tank. According to some witnesses, he was the first victim killed that night.
8. Vytautas Koncevičius (b. 1941) – shopman. Died in hospital about a month after the attacks. He was born in Siberia, to an exiled Lithuanian family. He was shot.
9. Vidas Maciulevičius (b. 1966) – locksmith. Died from bullet wounds to the face, neck and spine.
10. Titas Masiulis (b. 1962) – Kaunas resident who was shot in the chest.
11. Alvydas Matulka (b. 1955) – Rokiškis resident who died from a heart attack.
12. Apolinaras Juozas Povilaitis (b. 1937) – metalworker at an institute. He died from bullet wounds to the heart, right lung, upper arm and thigh.
13. Ignas Šimulionis (b. 1973) – high school student, friend of Gerbutavičius. Was shot in the head.
14. Vytautas Vaitkus (b. 1943) – plumber at a meat plant. Died from bullet wounds to the chest
15. Viktor Viktorovich Shatskikh (b. 1961) – Lieutenant Group 'A' Service Office MTO 7 of the KGB. Mortally wounded by a bullet 5.45 mm passing through the slit in body armor (died from a ricochet bullet shot by a fellow soldier inside the Lithuanian National Radio and Television building). He was awarded the Order of Red Banner (posthumously).