Varennikov spent 18 months in Matrosskaya Tishina, refused to accept the offered amnesty, and was eventually found not guilty to the Russians. Prior to the formation of the SCSE, Varennikov participated in the January Events, an attempt to capture the TV-station in Vilnius, Lithuania. According to Gorbachev's aide, Anatoly Chernyaev, Varennikov personally made the decision to use force against the Lithuanians, without discussion with the President. Varennikov was a people's deputy, starting in 1995 and until his death. In 2008, he publicly stated that the military force used during the 1991 coup attempt was intended for security purposes, including the protection of Yeltsin. Varennikov died in 2009 and was buried in Moscow.