Less than a year later, in January 1991, Soviet troops were on the streets of the capital, Vilnius.

Fourteen people were killed and hundreds injured as special forces fought independence demonstrators.

But the desire to break free from Moscow's rule was unstoppable.

And Lithuania was the loose thread which eventually caused the entire tapestry of the USSR to unravel.

Turbulent and triumphant

Those who lived through the turbulent, but ultimately triumphant, period in their country's history have been recalling the spirit of the times.

From the Russian side too, there was a recognition that things would never be the same, as Nikolai Lashkevich, who was a correspondent for the Soviet daily, Izvestiya, recalls.

"I personally realised that Lithuania would leave the Soviet Union back in 1988 - in summer," he says.

"At that time, there were huge demonstrations, and I understood at that period that the historical process would take Lithuania onto the path of independence."

Struggle

The intervening years have not been easy.

Like most former Soviet states, Lithuania has struggled to build democracy and a free market from the ruins of totalitarian economic management.

But definite progress has been made. And Lithuania now presents full membership of the European Union and Nato as its main foreign policy goals.

Elections later this year will help to determine the direction Lithuania takes as it continues to go forward as an independent country.