322 Lithuania's border guards after independence. / VSAT After declaring independence in March 1990, Lithuania’s newly-founded border guard service faced attacks by the Soviet forces, culminating in the Medininkai massacre that left seven officers dead. In November 2020, the service marked its 30th anniversary. In an interview with LRT.lt, one of the first border guards, Almantas Laučius, recalls the first tense days spent by campfires, facing shootings and violence by the Soviet forces. Had you encountered dangerous situations during the first days of border protection? Sometimes passing cars would not stop and break through roadblocks. Various things happened, including during the bloody January events [the Soviet military crackdown in Vilnius on January 13, 1991, that left 14 people dead].