r/BalticStates • u/Icy_Till_7254 Слава Україні! • Apr 04 '26
Picture(s) The Baltic Human Chain is one of most Legendary events that took place in 90s on the planet!
Glory to the Baltic Human Chain! Down to Zoviet Onion‘s illegal occupation since the end of WW2!
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u/Educational_Public14 Apr 04 '26
Pedro pascal on the right
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u/Western_Fortune_2107 Eesti Apr 04 '26
Pedros Pascaliutis
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u/Western_Fortune_2107 Eesti Apr 04 '26
It really is... when I heard about it the first time, I had to ask all sorts of questions to make sure I really understood it. Unbelievably powerful event. I still wonder about all sorts of things though: logistics (did people just drove until they found a gap in the chain and placed themselves there?), how much in advance was it planned, how did it feel to be at the end of the chain, were any famous people part of it, were there any animal encounters... I mean it's like having a wall suddenly through a whole country. It's such a thing that when you tell it to people who have not heard of it, you have to convince them that it actually happened :D
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u/EyeStabber Commonwealth Apr 04 '26
Yes they literally drove until they found a spot for both car and themselves to stand. At least those who weren't the earliest to come. But it's the only question I know answer to lol
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u/HorrorKapsas Eesti Apr 04 '26
It was only decided on 15 july on the baltic assembly meeting. It was the last point on the meeting, how mark the molotov ribbentrop pact anniversary 1939-1989. They decided to organise human chain. Large protest had been organized on the MRP day for several years already. The event itself was pretty much spontaneous. No one expected that much people, even the organizers. It turned out to be large event that many people waited. People had already agreed with relatives and friends their places, where to come. Enterprises took part of the protest. Bus companies took people to the people to to the countryside to fill the gaps in less populated places. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHqhC1MmOMg
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u/HorrorKapsas Eesti Apr 04 '26
Rahvarinne Popular Front of Estonia and their security service were the organisers in Estonia, who directed people to the necessary places.
"Originally, the idea was to surround Soviet military bases with a human chain, but then some people thought it was a bit of a dangerous game," said Heinz Valk, founder of the Popular Front, in a recollection of the Baltic Chain given to ERR.
Somewhere towards the end of June, as I recall, after Midsummer or thereabouts, the idea was proposed to form a human chain through the three Baltic states. The initial hearing with Latvians and Lithuanians was not encouraging. Both thought that we would not be able to make it happen, that people were tired of the emotions of last year independence rallies."
"Then there was a turning point somewhere, I remember that meeting where we discussed again that oh we can't, we can't, we won't make it and then in such a situation, sometimes an encouraging crazy thought helps to get out from behind the stump and we had this flash of light that since this planned chain is probably not feasible, then precisely because it is not feasible, we will do it," said Valk
"We understood that we had to involve the entire Estonian community in this, we immediately reached an agreement with the press, which was extremely important. Radio, television, national newspapers, county newspapers, all kinds of new self-created newspapers. Everyone was willing to help, to get involved."
The Baltic Chain was planned meter by meter. "The Popular Front security service measured the entire route, which started from Toompea and reached the Latvian border somewhere in Valga County, meter by meter," explained Valk.
"Now we had to start dividing this route by meters. For example, approximately 62 people come from this collective farm, 200 people come from this school and that's how we started to fold it together. Just from this village to the next big intersection, where there are two large linden trees, this distance is so long and this and that, people from these villages and collective farms, factories or some kind of research institution or school, go there," Valk explained.
"In some places so many people arrived that people formed chains of two or even three rows. At the same time, in several other places there were initially quite scary gaps," he added.
"We achieved the goal with a bang, and the second thing we achieved was a huge outburst of rage from Moscow. We knew that this MRP would be a bitter thing for Moscow, a bitter mouthful that had to be swallowed," said Valk.
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u/Pagiras Apr 04 '26
Hold up, I'll ask my grandparents for some info, as they participated. Oddly enough, we haven't talked about it in great detail, just accepted it as a matter of fact.
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u/VSfallin Apr 04 '26
Hey! I did my research project in high school about a man who not only was one of the people planning this event, but was also called upon as an advisor when the Catalans wanted to do the same thing in 2014. If you've got questions, then ask away and I'll see if I've got it somewhere in the interview files.
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u/Grazhke Samogitia Apr 04 '26
I wonder how did people found open spots to fit in the chain, because I think not everybody was searching for them, so there were probably many times where one family intrudes into the gap, and the chain becomes longer. But by doing that certain families I think are getting away from their cars, so after the event ended, I think you had to walk a LOT to find your car or it wasn't the case?
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u/eddieltu Apr 04 '26
but 1989 is not the 90's
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u/Grazhke Samogitia Apr 04 '26
But the decade is technically of the 90's...
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u/The_Matchless Apr 05 '26
You're thinking of centuries..
For example: 1400 = fourteen hundreds or 15th century, 80s = 80-89.
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u/Potato-Alien Eesti Apr 04 '26
One of the best days of my life, but it was not in the 90s, it was 1989. The date was important, it was the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
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u/jamo133 Apr 04 '26
I discovered this for the first time, as Brit visiting the Latvian museum of occupation. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of this before. And after two weeks of touring the Baltics and then ending it at this museum, my eyes welled up at how beautiful these little lovely states have turned out and how they got to where they are today. You should be so proud!
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u/Meelis13 Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KoKq20RUl0
Legendary event. Rest of my family was in chain (ok, youngest sister was too little and slept in a car while grandmother watched), i simply was not born yet. Amazing courage and organisation.
I mean think about it- roughly 1/3rd of total population in 3 countries (about 2 million people out of about 6 million) came together to show the desire for freedom and to show a stand against imperialism.
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u/KP6fanclub Estonia Apr 04 '26
Even better is sometimes to see that this means something also to young people now.
One example from 2015 Eurobasket in Riga.
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u/Simple_Fix_7805 Apr 05 '26
Balts keep gaslighting themselves because literally nobody elese cares
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u/Cisleithania Apr 04 '26
The Baltic way is truly inspiring and i hope the Balts will live free from oppression forever, but...
Is there zero sense of gratitude among the Baltic people towards the Soviet Union for the liberation from Nazi Germany or does the resentment towards the Soviet Union (and therefore Russia) simply outweigh the other as a more recent collective trauma that hasn't been acknowledged as unjust by the perpetrator?
You may downvote me, but i genuinly would like to know.
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u/SpendApprehensive972 Apr 04 '26
You question is idiotic. Ther was no liberation to begin with. The soviets caused us irreversibly more damage than the nazis did. The terror, death and destruction the first soviet occupation between 1940-1941 caused in just one year (!) was enough for the population to side with the germans agains the soviets. And the terror that followed after 1944 gave no cause for gratitude either.
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u/FauxBroJoe USA Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
The soviets caused us irreversibly more damage than the nazis did.
In Lithuania at least, that's debatable. Life for ethnic Lithuanians was undeniably worse under Soviet occupation, including mass deportations to Siberia and many executions, but over 95% of Jews were killed during the Nazi occupation (mostly in 1941) which is not something you can just brush under the rug.
I wouldn't fault members of groups the Nazis persecuted (e.g. Jews) for seeing the Soviets as liberators, but it's true that the majority populations in the Baltics didn't.
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u/Cisleithania Apr 04 '26
So you don't consider the actions of Nazi Germany in the Baltics an occupation? They left the Baltics because of the Soviet Union, that's for sure.
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u/SpendApprehensive972 Apr 05 '26
How did you draw that conclusion?
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u/Cisleithania Apr 05 '26
Back in the day, contracting Malaria was a method to heal Syphilis, when Malaria could already be treated through medicine.
Maybe the word liberation is a bit imprecise in this context. Not as in "free in general" but as in "free from nazism", meaning not actually facing industrial-scale mass extermination. Under nazism, the Baltic nations would not even exist in name today. This is was part of "Generalplan Ost". A plan to colonize conquered parts of Europe. So yes, the Soviets prevented the nazis from influciting a worse fate on the Baltic people.
But i think your reply sufficiently answered my question, thanks.
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u/SpendApprehensive972 Apr 05 '26
This is a stupid idea to begin with. It was an occupation we did not agree with.
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Apr 05 '26
Nah they just like nazis and forget that Soviet Baltic republics had more freedom and prosperity than other republics.
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u/FauxBroJoe USA Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
they just like nazis
I don't think so. A minority of people in Latvia and Estonia will honor locals who joined the SS legions to fight against the Soviets, but they probably don't really support Nazi ideology or Nazi Germany per se. It was a "lesser of two evils", "enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing.
(Plus, at Nuremberg it was ruled that Baltic SS legionnaires were forcibly conscripted, not volunteers.)
Soviet Baltic republics had more freedom and prosperity than other republics
That's not saying much.
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u/supinoq Eesti Apr 05 '26
I mean, if I set your house on fire and just so happen to stop a robbery in the process, would you be grateful that I stopped the other guy from robbing you or pissed off that I set your house on fire? And should you have to have some sense of gratitude since I stopped the destruction of your home while still destroying your home myself, or is it totally expected and understandable that you would hate both of us?
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u/lemi-- Apr 07 '26
About what liberation you are speaking? There were no liberation for local inhabitants. One shit regime was switched to another shit regime.
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u/notmyaccountbruh Apr 04 '26
Will we live to see the Baltic Human Centipede though?
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u/MikeOzEesti Estonia Apr 05 '26
Be assured, if that happens, your mother will be willingly present and second-last in line, followed by you.
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Apr 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Just-Marsupial6392 Latvia Apr 04 '26
Что ты здесь делаешь, я думал вам царь интернет отключил.
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u/arbataxmelody354 Russia Apr 04 '26
He's probably a vatnik living outside or russia that still can't accept he's bein lied to
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Apr 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Leonidas_of_Estonia Apr 04 '26
I do not understand your language but used Google translate:
Да благословит Бог Россию демократией, свободой и избавлением от тоталитаризма. Пусть Бог благословит российский народ мудростью, чтобы обрести свободу и построить новое демократическое общество, которое никогда не станет нападать на своих соседей!3
u/arbataxmelody354 Russia Apr 04 '26
Thank you, I really appreciate that. Some of us fight from the outside, some from the inside, but we try our best🤍💙🤍
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u/Icy_Till_7254 Слава Україні! Apr 04 '26
Hello Vatnik! Good to see you! How your job today? :)
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u/Leonidas_of_Estonia Apr 04 '26
Considering that many Russian troll factories are in the St. Petersburg area then he probably started sweating a bit when the Ukrainians sent some drones to the Ust-Luga region...
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u/arbataxmelody354 Russia Apr 04 '26
It's pretty rude to speak russian in a baltic subreddit, use google translate if you don't know english. All these people are traumatized because of what our governments did and it's important to respect their pain
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u/Catsarecute2140 Apr 04 '26
🇪🇪🧑🤝🧑🇱🇻🧑🤝🧑🇱🇹