August Coup Attempt - 1991

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 2   ( 4) pages

Summary: Part II - The Coup Begins

August 18 at 4:50 p.m.
It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon at Gorbachev's dacha in the Crimea. He was working on his union treaty when there was a knock on his door and he was told that Yuri Plekhanov, a top KGB officer, was there. With Plekhanov was Valery Boldin, Gorbachev's chief of staff. Boldin announced that he represented the State Committee of Emergency, a committee not authorized by Gorbachev.

The president was asked to sign a statement declaring a state of emergency or the head of the committee, Soviet Vice President Gennady Yanayev, would take control of the country. Gorbachev refused and Boldin left along with the black box; the president's briefcase which held all of the launch codes for the nation's nuclear arsenal.

This group of conspirators were known as the Gang of Eight. They immediately sent troops to Moscow, Leningrad and the Baltics. The one thing they did not think to do was to detain Boris Yeltsin.

August 19 at 6:30 a.m.
The Gang of Eight made their presence known to the public. Yanayev claimed to have control of the government, stating that serious health problems prohibited Gorbachev from serving as president any longer. Yanayev stated that, Over these years Gorbachev has got very tired and needs some time to get his health back. The Gang announced, through the state news agency TASS, that all demonstrations and strikes were now illegal and that the media had been taken under state control. Later that day, the Emergency Committee conspirators made a television appearance. They appeared uneasy and ill prepared. One thing, however, was clear; Yanayev intended to establish a new dictatorship.

Meanwhile, Gorbachev and his family were virtual prisoners in their Crimean dacha. All of his phone lines and other means of communication with the outside world had been cut off. In fact, the outside world did not know where Gorbachev was or if he was even alive for roughly 72 hours. This gave Yeltsin the perfect opportunity to take charge and, as it turned out, grab all the glory for putting down the coup for himself.

Yeltsin, who had been at his dacha just outside Moscow, made haste for the White House (parliament building). He was making and receiving phone calls from all over the world and had dinner brought in from the Moscow Pizza Hut. Finally, Yeltsin called Yanayev to tell him that the Russian people wanted nothing to do with him or his gang of bandits. It was at this point that Yeltsin did what we remember most. He went outside, where there were some 20,000 citizens protesting the attempted coup, and climbed atop a tank. From this dramatic pose, Yeltsin proclaimed the coup as unconstitutional and called for a general strike. In an effort to turn the troops away from the coup conspirators, Yeltsin declared, You have taken an oath to your people, and your weapons cannot be turned against the people.

Soon, over 100,000 people rallied with Yeltsin, the Guardian of Democracy. Many were pensioners who had lived through Stalin and world wars and refused to tolerate another dictator. Before the day was over, many of the troops had sided with Yeltsin and were protecting him and the White House. Similar protests also took place in Leningrad (modern day St. Petersburg).

August 20
By mid-day, over 150,000 citizens had gathered in Moscow to protest the coup. In Leningrad, some 250,000 protestors voiced their disapproval of the Gang of Eight. The Emergency Committee attempted to place a curfew on Moscow. This was ignored. Suddenly, they all became ill with what was dubbed the coup flu and hid in their homes. Yeltsin spoke from the balcony of the White House describing the battle as democracy vs. dictatorship. In the midst of the drama some rather bizarre things happened. Mstislav Rostropovich, an exiled cellist, flew in from Paris to play in the parliament building. Carry-out food from the Moscow Pizza Hut and McDonalds was brought in to keep up the strength of those fighting the coup attempt.

Tens of thousands of protestors remained in the streets and around the Parliament building, turning back tanks and troops still loyal to Yanayev and his gang. In the confusion, it is amazing that only three protesters were killed.

August 21
When it became clear to the coup plotters that the will of the people was strongly in opposition to them and that the troops were willing to disobey orders and not attack, the coup simply and undramatically fell apart. It is announced that the coup leaders were trying to flee the country. In fact, two of them went to the Crimea in hopes of explaining themselves to Gorgachev who refused to see them. Yeltsin had Gorbachev and his family safely returned to Moscow the following morning.

The eight members of the so called State Emergency Committee were arrested. They were:

• Gennady Yanayev, Soviet vice president; today is a pension fund consultant
• Vladimir Kryuchkov, head of the KGB; has since written his memoirs
• Dimitri Yazov, Soviet defense minister; now an advisor to an arms exporter
• Valentin Pavlov, Soviet prime minister; today is a banker
• Oleg Baklanov, of the Soviet Defense Council
• Vasily Starodubtsev, member of the Soviet Parliament
• Alexander Tizyakov, president of state enterprises, industrial construction, transport, and communications.

The eighth member, Interior Minister Boris Pugo, shot himself to avoid arrest. The people celebrated the actions of Boris Yeltsin whom they now considered their nation's savior.

Next page Aftermath >Page 1, 2, 3, 4

Russia Changes
The Events of August 1991 and the Russian Constitution
A. S. Durgo (Editor)

Library Binding, 162pp.
Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated
January 1992