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World

Marking 25 years of independence, Lithuania worries about Moscow's intentions

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Lithuanian soldiers carry a giant Lithuanian flag during a celebration of Lithuania's independence in Vilnius, Lithuania, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Lithuania celebrated the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on Wednesday, recalling the seminal events that set the Baltic nation on a path to freedom and helped lead to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) (The Associated Press)

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    Lithuania's Honor Guards stand during a celebration of Independence day at Independence Square, in front of the Parliament Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Lithuania celebrated the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on Wednesday, recalling the seminal events that set the Baltic nation on a path to freedom and helped lead to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis). (The Associated Press)

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    A child holds a flag during a celebration of Independence day at Independence Square, in front of the Parliament Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Lithuania celebrated the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on Wednesday, recalling the seminal events that set the Baltic nation on a path to freedom and helped lead to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) (The Associated Press)

VILNIUS, Lithuania – Lithuania has marked the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union amid warnings that its freedom could once again come under threat.

In celebrations overshadowed by Moscow's intervention in Ukraine — another former Soviet republic — Lithuania's first post-independence president Vytautas Landsbergis told lawmakers Wednesday not to take freedom for granted or "our success story may soon become a temporary success story."

Current President Dalia Grybauskaite urged Lithuanians to show strength and courage as "the rattle of the guns is heard" from the east.

Lithuania, now a member of NATO and the European Union, became the first Soviet republic to declare independence on March 11, 1990. But it only achieved its freedom over a year later after a failed communist coup in Moscow.