When did Lithuania declare independence from the Soviet Union?

The story behind the answer

Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990, when the Supreme Council adopted the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, making it the first Soviet republic to break away. December 25, 1991 marks the USSR’s official dissolution; April 20, 1989 and December 5, 1991 are not tied to Lithuania’s declaration.

Driven by the Sąjūdis reform movement and the 1989 Baltic Way human chain, Lithuania moved early despite a Soviet economic blockade. After the failed August 1991 coup in Moscow, the USSR recognized Lithuanian independence on September 6, 1991. Memory tip: think “3/11”—Lithuania “Marched” (March) first, well before the USSR’s 12/25 end.