 The Russian Federation refused to question the former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev on the petition of the Lithuanian prosecutors in connection with the January events of 1991.Hearings in Vilnius Regional Court have started on January 27, 2016, with 65 individuals facing charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, battery, murder, endangering other's well-being, as well as unlawful military actions against civilians.Defendants included ex-Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, former commander of Soviet Alpha anti-terror group Mikhail Golovatov and Head of the Soviet Army's Vilnius garrison Vladimir Uskhopchik.