On the morning of September 3, 1991 Minister Michael Wilson’s delegation on Canadian military forces’ planes landed in Riga, As we finished taxing to a distant location on the tarmac we were encircled by dozens of men all armed with AK-47s.
Once we were out of the plane, we got a better view of the situation. The men, in civilian clothes, were not facing us. They were standing in a circle around the planes, facing outwards with weapons aimed at the rooftops of the various airport buildings.
On September 21, 1991, by a vote of 133 to 13, the Latvian parliament declared the country’s immediate independence from the Soviet Union. This was several hours before Soviet troops began to withdraw from strategic locations such as radio stations and other government facilities of which they seized control during the attempted coup in Moscow.
While there was a general ease of concern with the troops standing down, the possibility of rogue elements of the Black Berets remaining in Latvia caused lingering anxiety.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 20. augusti 2021 paber- ja PDF/Digilehest)
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