Latvia: regaining independence - 1991 (59 images)

In August 1991 Latvia regained its independence after 50 years under Soviet power. Martin Fejer just happened to be in Riga when all of a sudden the anti-Gorbachev-coup hit the town and died away the very next day. Being practically the only foreign photographer on the spot, he witnessed the liberation of the radio central, the declaration of independence and the toppling of the Lenin statue. These pictures are rare documents, only a few similar ones may be retrieved from Latvian domestic...
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In August 1991 Latvia regained its independence after 50 years under Soviet power. Martin Fejer just happened to be in Riga when all of a sudden the anti-Gorbachev-coup hit the town and died away the very next day. Being practically the only foreign photographer on the spot, he witnessed the liberation of the radio central, the declaration of independence and the toppling of the Lenin statue. These pictures are rare documents, only a few similar ones may be retrieved from Latvian domestic sources.

One of the key incidents during the breakup of the Soviet Union was the anti-Gorbachev-coup in August 1991. A group of hard-line officers and apparatchiks locked up Gorbachev on the Crimea and called for the resurrection of Soviet power. KGB and special units swarmed out to regain control of the secessionist union republics. In the early morning hours of August 20 the Latvian capital Riga saw itself hit by Soviet paratroopers and OMON interior forces. Among others the TV and radio centrals were occupied and disabled, tanks took control of all the bridges and strategic points. Streetlife became dangerous, people were even shot during the dusk-to-dawn curfew. However, the coup rapidly lost momentum and broke down the very next day. The Latvian government, locked into the barricaded parliament building, took advantage of the situation and declared final independence. Just a few days later the giant statue of Lenin had to leave its pedestal. The Second Latvian Republic had come into being, while the Soviet Union ceased to exist just four months later.
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