Russian Coup Day 1
Brutus.ettu
Day 1
18 - 19 August 1991
A Minute-By-Minute Chronology
18 August 1991: (Prologue)
12.00: CRIMEA. Gorbachev, on vacation in Crimea, speaks on phone with Vice
President Yanaev, telling him he is returning to Moscow on the next day.
Yanaev thanks Gorbachev for telling him the scheduled time of his arrival
and promises to meet him.
16.50: Gorbachev's phones cut off. Coup plotters Boldin (Chief of the
President's staff), Shenin (Member of Politburo, Secretary of the Central
Committee), Baklanov (Deputy Chief of Defense Council), Varennikov (General
of the Army), and Plekhanov (Chief of KGB department of personal protection)
arrive at Gorbachev's dacha. They demand he either sign decree declaring a
state of emergency or resign. Gorbachev refuses. His nuclear "briefcase" is
confiscated and his dacha is isolated. His 32 personal body guards remain
loyal.
DAY 1
19 August 1991:
4.00: BELBEK, CRIMEA. Runway at airport in Belbek where Gorbachev's plane
and helicopter are based is blocked with two tractors. Done on the order of
General Maltsev, chief of staff of anti-aircraft forces.
4.00: LENINGRAD. In Leningrad, all television equipment taken under control
by persons in military uniforms. Leningrad Telecenter surrounded by police.
Done under orders from Alexsander Belyaev, Chairman of the Leningrad Soviet.
6.00: MOSCOW. Minister of Defense Yazov gathers military commanders,
instructing them to ensure law and order according to the situation and to
strengthen the defense of military sites. "As for the rest", he said,
"you'll learn that from the radio and newspapers".
6.30: Announcement made that Gorbachev is relieved of his duties, "due to
the condition of his health" and that power is transferred to Vice President
Gennadi Yanaev. A State Committee on the State of Emergency (GKChP) is
established with the following membership: Baklanov O.D.--First Deputy
Chairman of the Soviet of Defense of the USSR; Kriuchkov V.A.--Chairman of
the KGB USSR; Pavlov V.S.--Prime Minister of the USSR; Pugo B.K.--Minister
of Internal Affairs of the USSR; Starodubtsev V.A.--Chairman of the
Peasants' Union of the USSR; Tizyakov A.I.--President of the Association of
State Enterprises and Establishments of Industry, Construction,
Transportation and Communication of the USSR; Yazov D.T.-- Minister of
Defense of the USSR; Yanaev G.I.--acting President of the USSR.
8.25: LITHUANIA. Television and radio center in Kaunas, Lithuania, seized by
Soviet troops. Broadcasts haulted. Lithuanian Radio in Vilnius, however,
continues broadcasting.
9.12: VLADIVOSTOK. All quite in Vladivostok. No troops on the street.
9.20: VILNIUS. No increased military presence in Vilnius, Lithuania.
9.40: MOSCOW. Russian TV is blockaded, its broadcasts haulted. Some movement
of army vehicles noted in Moscow. No military activity in or around the
Kremlin. Military traffic controllers posted on some streets.
10.00: LENINGRAD. Lenigrad radio reports creation of local committee for the
state of emergeny. Serving on the committee are: Victor Samsonov (commander
of the Leningrad military okrug and military commander of Leningrad),
Vyacheslav Shcherbakov (1st deputy mayor of Leningrad and chairman of the
committee for emergency situations), Yarov (chairman of the Leningrad oblast
Soviet), Anatoli Kurkov (Chairman of the UKGB), and Viktor Khramtsov (deputy
chairman of the committee for emergency situtions). Strikes, meetings, and
sales of alcoholic beverages are forbidden. Limitations are placed on use of
video and audio devices as well as various printing and copying
technologies. Mass media will be placed under control. Transportation will
be regulated. Plenum of Leningrad obkom planned for 20 August where it is
expected that First Secretary Boris Gidaspov will be removed.
11.30: MOSCOW. Yeltisn's press office says that reports claiming he called
for a 12:00 mass meeting in Manezh square are "a blatant provocation."
11.34: Coup denounced as reactionary and anticonsitutional in a statement by
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Chairman of the Soviet of Ministers of the
RSFSR I.S. Silaev, and acting Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR
R.I. Khasbulatov. They also call for a general strike.
11.45: Anti-coup demonstartors begin gathering in Manezh Square. No attempts
are made to disperse the crowd. No military presence is seen. Demonstrators
chase away Vladimir Zhirinovsky with shouts of "Fascist".
11.49: RYAZAN. State of emergency declared in Ryazan. Local deputies are
stripped of their immunity. Meetings prohibited in the city. Mass media
placed under control.
11.54: MOSCOW. Ten armored personnel carriers are positioned near the TASS
news agency building in Moscow. The captain in charge says he will fire on
the population if ordered to.
12.00: Crowd in Manezh square for an anti-coup rally grows to the thousands.
A column of armored personnel carriers start to approach from the direction
of the Bolshoi Theater. However, thousands of people join hands and block
their entry into the square.
12.00: SYKTYVAR. In Syktyvar in the northern Komi Autonomous Republic, local
organization of "Democratic Russia" calls for a campaign of civil
disobedience. Presidium of local supreme soviet makes no statement, awaiting
return of its Chairman and the Chairman of the local Soviet of Ministers,
who were in Moscow for the signing of the Union Treaty. No statements issued
by local garrison commander or the forces of the local MVD (Ministry of
Internal Affairs) or KGB.
12.13: MOSCOW. Yeltsin denouces coup at press conference. Says his feelings
are shared by leader of Ukraine and other republics with whom he has spoken.
He says attempts to contact Gorbachev have failed. He notes he was given
power by the people and no one can strip him of that power. He announces
that later today he will publish a Presidential Ukaz (decree) mandating that
the decrees of the illegal committee not be carried out in Russia.
12.19: People are gathering across from the Moscow Soviet building. Ten
armored personnel carriers appear from the direction of Mayakovsky Square.
People block Tverskaya Street, preventing the army vehicles from approaching
the Kremlin in the center of the city. Demonstrators them climb up on top of
the armored personnel carriers, carrying slogans such as "No to Fascism!".
12.30: Armored personnel carriers in front of Moscow Soviet retreat.
Demonstrators and slogans remain on top of the vehicles.
12.30: Ten buses full of OMON troops appear on Tverskaya Street by the hotel
National, off Manezh square. Demonstrators on the square use two trolley
buses to block the Tverskaya entrance onto the square. Ambulances approach
the square.
12.30: Column of tanks spotted on the Minsk Highway, headed toward the
center of Moscow. 12.30: KHABAROVSK. First Secretary of Khabarovsk Kraikom
(local Communist Party),Sergei Markarov calls on people to trust the GKChP
and to support law and order.
Head of the Khabarovsk KGB, Major General Vitalii Pirozhniak, announces
there will be no state of emergency in Khabarovsk krai. Also says he must
respect the military groupings formed by the government of the republic.
Commander of the Far Eastern Military District General Viktor Novozhilov
says he had no advance warning of the coup or state of emergency.
Commander of the Far Eastern Border Troops, Vladimir Butenko says his forces
don't care who's in power...they will guard the border just the same.
Head of the Khabarovsk UVD, Vladimir Balanov says "Our job is to preserve
exemplary order, so the rightists and the leftists don't come to blows."
12.36: MOSCOW. Commendant of Moscow says all is quiet in the capital and no
state of emergency has been declared there. Weaponry will not be used, and
all military groupings will be withdrawn from the city by evening.
12.44: Parlimentary group "Union" supports GKChP, according to a member of
the group, Georgi Tikhonov. The group had no prior knowledge of the coup.
12.46: VILNIUS. Thousands gather around the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet
building to protect it. Chief of the Vilnius garrison, General Valeri Florov
refuses to give any statement on his intentions. At this point, no military
actions have been taken.
12.50:ESTONIA. Leaders of Estonia call for calm and firmness of spirit. They
pledge to continue to restore Estonia's independence.
12.51:VILNIUS. Chairman of the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet, Vitautas
Landsbergis, speaks on radio, calling for Western nations and the UN to
defend Lithuania and oppose the "new Stalinism". He also reveals that he was
phoned by Feodor Kyzmin, commander of the Baltic military district, who
demanded that he disarm the troops of the Lithuanian Department of Security.
Landsbergis rejects the demand.
12.51:SVERDLOVSK. Chairman of the Sverdlovsk oblast Soviet, Anatoli
Grebenkin, labels the "Announcement of the Soviet Leadership" an attempt at
a military coup. The Sverdlovsk Oblast Soviet is in urgent session and
awaiting reaction from President Yeltsin's staff.
13.00: Miners in Severourlask, Sverdlovsk Oblast, go on strike.
13.00:MOSCOW. Yeltsin comes out of the House of the Soviets, climbs up on
top of Tank No. 110 of the Taman Division and gives speech demanding that
the country return to normal constitutional development.
13.08: Tanks, their barrels uncovered, are posted on all bridges in the
center of Moscow. Movement on Tverskaya Street is blocked by armored
personnel carriers. Commendant of Moscow, Nikolai Smirnov, says a state of
emergency has been declared in Moscow and that troops have been brought into
Moscow "to defend order and interdict terrorists acts". He also declares he
has no idea where Gorbachev is.
13.20: Water cannon try to enter Manezh square. Demonstrators attack and
start smashing the machines, so they retreat.
13.30: ALTAI. In Altai krai, so far today mass media has not reported or
distributed any documents signed by the leaders of the RSFSR.
13.39:MOSCOW. Khasbulatov announces that the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR
will meet on 21 August to discuss "the political situation in the republic
resulting from the government coup".
DZERZHINSK. In Dzerzhinsk, Nizhegorodskaya Oblast, City Soviet decides to
obey orders of Russian government and President. Organs of internal affairs
are placed under control of the City Soviet. City radio, also under local
control, broadcasts declartions of Yeltsin et al.
ROSTOV-ON-DON. In Rostov-on-Don, local emergency committee created to
support the GKChP. This committee controls local mass media.
TAGANROG. In Taganrog, Oblast Soviet passes resolution to support Russian
President.
13.44:MOSCOW. Yeltsin issues an ukaz delcaring the GKChP illegal and
promising to prosecute anyone who helps it.
14.00: LENINGRAD. Scheduled television appearance of Chairman of the
Leningrad Soviet, Alexander Belyaev, does not take place. No explanation
given.
14.00:MOSCOW. Several tanks have appeared in Okhotny Riad near Theater
Square. They are headed toward the Liubianka (KGB Headquarters). A motorized
infantry subdivision is stationed outside the Bolshoi Theater. Access to
Manezh Square is blocked by trolley buses. Buses with OMON troops are parked
by the History Museum. A column of armored personnel carriers tried to cross
between Manezh and the Alexander garden but were blocked by demonstrators.
Major Viktor Gogolev, standing on one of the armored personnel carriers
announces that he has no orders to shoot and shows the empty magazine in his
pistol.
Auto factory Likhachev is on strike.
Parliment member Telman Gdlian reportedly arrested.
Part of the demonstrators move from Manezh to the Russian Soviet building on
Krasnopresensky Quai.
Tanks are stationed on both sides of every bridge across the Moscow River.
Several columns of tanks and armored personnel carriers pass along the
Garden Ring Road near Zubovskaya Square. Soliders and military equipment are
massing near the Russian Soviet building.
14.06:VILNIUS. Lithuanian parliment calls on people to stage general
political strike in case government is toppled by Soviet forces. People
called to gather in central squares of all cities and towns.
14.11:VLADIVOSTOK. In Vladivostok, local organization of Democratic Russia
calls events "illegal military coup" and calls for resistance. Meeting of
workers scheduled in Vladivostok for 20 August.
14.20:RIGA. Member of the Politburo and First Secretary of the Communist
Party of Latvia, Alfreds Rubiks gives press conference in Riga where he says
he's watching the takeover "not only with joy, but with pride. This was the
dream of our Communist Party". He also says Latvia is in one of the six
regions where a state of emergency will be declared for six months. All
power will be handed over to an emergency committe to be formed by the
Commander of the Baltic Military District, Feodor Kuzmin. The Latvian
Communist Party will offer candidates for this body. All political parties
acting in contradiction to the Constitution of the USSR and Latvia will be
outlawed. All forms of mass media which do not support the new order will be
closed. Rubiks says some "extremist deputies" will be arrested and the
guards surrounding the Latvian Supreme Soviet will be disarmed. He further
asserts that any resistance to the emergency committee would be suicide.
14.37: Leader of the organization "Unity", Nina Andreeva gives full support
to actions of the GKChP and expects it to take "decisive measures to
establish socialist order in the nation and to extract the USSR from a very
deep crisis." She says that most of the people of the USSR support the
GKChP, but that in Moscow and Leningrad the reaction will be negative.
14.43: More than a thousand demonstrators gather outside the Leningrad
Soviet Building with placards reading "Everyone on Strike!" and "No to the
Fascist Junta!". Some delegates from the Leningrad Soviet join them.
14.49: Report from Kemerovo says that miners will probably call a strike.
In Karagand, there is no agitation for a strike.
Stike committee in Vorkutinsk considers actions of GKChP a coup and will
continue to do so until Gorbachev and Yeltsin are allowed to speak through
the mass media. They will probably join the political strike.
14.49: VOLGAGRAD. In Volgagrad, Presidum of Oblast Soviet supports Yeltsin.
Text of Yeltsin's decrees broadcast on oblast radio and television. Head of
Oblast Ministry of Internal Affairs and KGB support Russian government.
14.50: TOMSK. In Tomsk, Chairman of Oblast Soviet, Viktor Kress, Chairman of
the City Soviet, Anatoli Cherkassky, Chairman of the City Executive
Committee, Vladimir Gonchar, and member of the Russian Supreme Soviet Daniil
Dobzhinsky appear on local television. They do not support the actions of
the GKChP. Dobzhinsky calls it an attempted military coup.
14.58: By order of Leonid Kravchenko, Chairman of the State Television and
Radio Company, Russian Television and Radio will not broadcast on 19 & 20
August. The editorial staff will continue to work, however.
15.00: VILNIUS. OMON troops occupied the main telephone station. Operators
were ordered to leave their posts until tomorrow morning.
15.09: Deputy of the Azerbaidzhan Supreme Soviet Isa Gambarov and a second
unnamed deputy agree that the change in the country will have a positive
effect on the Armenian-Azeri conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
OMSK: Chairman of the Omsk City Soviet, Vladimir Varnavsky, calls coup: "An
act of desperation. And regression."
Docent of the Omsk Higher Police School and one of the authors of Russian
law on police, Yuri Solovei, the coup is not serious and will not succeed.
Omsk KGB head reportedly knew nothing about the impending coup before it
happened.
KHABAROVSK: First Deputy Chairman of the Khabarovsk Krai Executive
Committee, Viktor Ishaev, says "Gorbachev should have been removed three
years ago."
Khabarovsk radio has canceled some broadcasts, although it received no
concrete orders to do so.
There are police patrols on all intersections in the center of Khabarovsk.
15.21: Chairman of Latvian Supreme Soviet, Anatoli Grobunov, has tried to
contact Yanaev to learn if state of emergency has been declared in Latvia.
All attempts at contact have failed.
Organization "Memorial" denounces coup.
15.28: Sources close to the GKChP deny rumors that Gorbachev is dead.
Organization "Democratic Russia" denounces coup and calls for a strike. They
also call on soldiers to replace officers who obey the GKChP.
15.30: OMSK. "Democratic Russia" begins meeting in the city Soviet building
to create a committee in defense of the constitutionally elected government.
Local KGB chief Alexander Bannikov again denies knowing about the coup
beforehand.
15.30: Outside of the House of the Soviets (White House) building, people
are ripping stones and bricks up from the pavements to erect barricades. The
defense of the building is being organized by parlimanent member General
Konstantine Kobets
15.32: Gennady Burbulis, Russian secretary of state, requests that all FAX
machines in Russia be turned on in the automatic receiving mode.
15.41: ZIL auto factory is working normally, no strike. Kalibra factory is
also working normally. 15.50: OMSK. Two KGB Officers are at the offices of
the newspaper "Vechernii Omsk", exerting strict control over press coverage.
Yeltsin's message to the Russian people is not being distributed. Local
radio and television broadcasts have been suspended.
15.51: LENINGRAD. All newspapers are publishing normally. Yeltsin's
announcement has been printed.
15.55: TIUMEN. Yeltsin's announcement is read on local radio. The newspaper
"Tiumen Izvestia" plans to publish both Yeltsin's announcement and
announcements of the central government in tomorrow's newspaper.
LENINGRAD. Leningrad militia receives orders to place themselves under
command of Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
15.56: KHABAROVSK. Local KGB head, Vitali Pirozhniak said he had no advance
warning of coup. Local army garrison also had not advance word.
16.00: IRKUTSK. Irtutsk Executive Committe decides that Gorbachev's removal
is illegal. They also call for immediate sessions of the Russian and USSR
Supreme Soviets and for the orders of the GKChP to be ignored. Chairman of
the Executive Committee, Yuri Nozhikov appears on television to read
Yeltsin's decrees. He also invites people to attend a rally in support of
Yeltsin at 6:00 p.m. on 20 August.
16.17: In Lithuania, Landsbergis says Lithuania will not join in the strike
called for by Yeltsin, but that Lithuanians will engage in civil
disobedience. Self-proclaimed military commendants are appearing in various
Lithuanian towns trying to establish control. Landsbergis calls on USA to
recognize Lithuania. He does not exclude the possiblity of forming a
government in exile.
16.31: Moscow mayor Yuri Liuzhkov denouces coup and calls on Muscovites to
join the general strike.
16.47: Yeltisin issues ukaz declaring that (1) all organs of executive power
of the USSR on Russian territory--including the KGB, the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense--are now subject to the
authority of the President of Russian, Boris Yeltsin; (2) All organs of USSR
executive power on Russian territory are now subordinate to the
corresponding organs of the Russian government; and (3) any government
workers who fullfill the orders of the GKChP will be relieved of duty and
prosecuted.
17.00: Chairman of the Russian Soviet of Ministers, Ivan Silaev gives press
conference outside White House. Calls for resistance to coup. Says Russian
government has no knowledge of Gorbachev's whereabouts.
17.00: KAZAN. 300 protestors gather in front of the Tatarstan government
building. They carry a portrait of Gorbachev with the caption "Where's our
President?"
Chairman of the Kazan Executive Committee Kamil Iskhakov declines comment on
the new governmental situation.
Yeltsin's address to the Russian people is removed from the newspaper
"Evening Kazan".
17.00: MOSCOW. Armored personnel carriers clear the entrances to Manezh
Square. The trolley buses blocking the Tverskaya entrance have been removed.
Cars cannot enter the square, but people on foot still can. An unnamed
general asked the people to disperse, but instead, the crowd grows in size.
17.06: LENINGRAD. Leningrad Soviet denouces coup and pledges support to
Yeltsin. Proclamation signed by Chairman of the Leningrad Soviet Aleksandr
Belyaev
17.10: The first report of shots fired. In Moscow, Tanks and military
vehicles tried to cross the Borodinsky Bridge toward the city center, but
they were stopped by barricades of buses and trolley cars erected by
demonstrators. The soldiers turned around and departed, but not before one
officer fired six shots from a pistol into the air.
17.15: Demonstrators around the White House are erecting barricades, using
trash trucks, fences from a nearby playground, and from around the White
House itself, concrete blocks, benches, and trees. A mobil medical treatment
center has been established. Russian Ministry of Interior troops, loyal to
the Russian government, are gathered in the White House. Representatives of
the Russian cossacks entered the building and were met with an ovation.
17.30: VOLGAGRAD. Democratic organizations call for the citizens of
Volgagrad to come out for a protest demonstration. The Volgagrad Soviet has
printed up Yeltsin's address to the nation and is distributing it.
17.36: SYKTYVAR. The Syktyvar branch of Democratic Russia denounces coup,
supports Yeltsin, and calls for a demonstration.
17.55: LENINGRAD. Leningrad Soviet meets and states its opposition to the
State of Emergency called for in Leningrad. Head of city's Internal Affairs
forces, Arkady Kramarov says he will follow only the instrustions of the
Leningrad Soviet.
The entrances and exits to the Leningrad Soviet building are blocked with
trucks.
18.00: PERM. Unconfirmed reports indicate that troops in the area have no
clear instructions on how to act.
18.01: Aleksandr Silantyev, Chairman of the Soviet Committee of War
Vetarans, says he will support the GKChP if it was created to establish
"order, law, and discipline" in the nation. However, he warns, the
discipline must not be brutal.
18.04: SVERDLOVSK. Head of the local KGB, Eduard Voytsitsky, is neutral,
expressing support for neither Gorbachev nor the GKChP.
Sverdlovsk Oblast Soviet declares its support for Yeltsin. Representatives
of local KGB and Interior Troops tell Soviet that they have received no
instructions from the center, but they will let the Soviet know if they do
receive any orders.
Bureau of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Communist Party is concerned about the
situation and thinks it must be evaluated by the Congress of Peoples
Deputies of the USSR.
18.22: Yeltisn issues call to all members of the armed forces, the KGB, and
the Ministry of Interior troops, asking for their support.
18.34: Party of Constitutional Democrats ceases legal activities and goes
underground because of the military putsch, according the party's chairman,
Viktor Zolotarev.
KRASNOYARSK. Presidium of krai Soviet takes neutral course. Yeltsin's
decrees will be published only if they arrive through proper channels.
Chairman of the krai Soviet, Vsevolod Sevastyanov, appearing on local TV
expresses hope that Russian government and GKChP can together find a
reasonable way out of the crisis.
NIZHNEVARTOVSK. Chairman of the Nizhnevartovsk City Soviet, Yuri Timashkov
holds press conference along with representatives of the local procurator's
office, Interior Ministry troops, and the KGB. Timashkov calls events an
anti-Constituional coup and declares the city will honor the laws of the
Russian Federation.
18.38: Yeltisn issues appeal for support to Patriarch of Russian Orthodox
Church.
18.45: RIGA. Latvian Parliment affirms statement of the Presidium of the
Latvian Supreme Soviet and Soviet of Ministers, calling the government coup
illegal.
18.48: MOSCOW. Chairman of the Democratic Party of Russia, Nikolai Travkin,
denounces coup and calls for immediate session of the Supreme Soviet of the
USSR.
18.56: KAZAKHSTAN. President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev, says Kazakh
leaders have no intention of declaring a state of emergency in Kazakhstan.
Also, he asserts, all power belongs to local organs.
19.00: MOSCOW. Social-Democratic Party of Russia calls takeover a "military
putsch" and calls for general political strike. Republican Party of the
Russian Federation and the Constitutional Democratic Party also support this
call.
19.00:: TIUMEN. Tiumen oblast KGB head, Vasili Efremov says he will obey
instructions of the chairman of the KGB. Head of the oblast Interior
Ministry troops, Veniamin Basharin, however, says he will obey the Russian
government. Oblast procurator, Valeria Bagina says laws of Russian
Federation shall be enforced in the territory.
RIGA. OMON troops occupy Latvian television center. No casualties.
19.07: MOSCOW. On Tverskaya Street, copies of Yeltsin's call to the people
and his ukazes are tossed to the crowds below from windows of the Moscow
Soviet Building.
UFA. Meeting with Yanaev. Chairman of the Bashkir Supreme Soviet, Murtaza
Rakhimov says a group of representatives of the 15 former autonomous
republics met with Gennady Yanaev. Yanaev told them that a group of national
leaders turned to Gorbachev about the need to establish order in the nation.
Gorbachev supposedly said, "I have a deputy for that, Yanaev. Let him
establish order."
The leaders of the autonomous republics tell Yanaev they will support the
GKChP if the reforms and democratization continue. However, they will refuse
to support it if there arises the danger of a military dictatorship.
Chairman of the Bashkiri Soviet of Ministers, Mansur Aiupov siezes 80,000
copies of the local youth newspaper "Leninist".
19.15: Miners Union declares strike in most regions of the country. Only the
question of mines in Sakhalin remains undecided.
19.18: CHELIABINSK. Members of Cheliabinsk City Soviet hold a meeting in the
town's main square. Chairman of the City Soviet, Vadim Solovev, annouces
that there will be an emergency session of the Oblast Soviet, which will
declare that the Constitution and laws of the RSFSR will be valid in the
city and oblast.
KHABAROVSK. All official Japanese delegations have postponed their trips to
the region.
VLADIVOSTOK. Ships in the Pacific Ocean fleet are maintaining a heightened
state of military preparedness. All is quiet in the city. Local TV and radio
have ceased broadcasting. Local government leaders have made no comment.
MAGADAN. Commercial TV has been closed. State radio is working. All local
leaders are on vacation. No military of KGB officials will issue a comment.
KAZAN. All factories, stores, and transport systems operating normally.
YELABUG. All quiet. Unions and party organizations in large factories
express hope that measures of GKChP will be accepted with understanding and,
perhaps, approval.
19.23: Printing press refuses to print the newspapers "Moscow News", "Moscow
Komsomolets", "Russian Gazette", "Independent Gazette", and "Kuranty".
Editors of the newspaper "Civil Worth", organ of the Party of the
Constitutional Democrats, have gone underground.
19.28: Anatoly Sobchak, after returning from Moscow, addresses the Leningrad
Soviet. Says he met with members of the CKChP, whom he considers "criminals
who should be punished".
MOSCOW: Liberal-Democratic Party of the Soviet Union expresses its full
support for the transfer of power to the GKChP.
19.32: LENINGRAD. Broadcasts of Leningrad Television are being blocked on
orders from Moscow. Chairman of the Leningrad Committee on Television and
Radio, Boris Petrov promises to find away around this so as to broadcast the
speeches of the deputies in the Leningrad Soviet.
19.43:KEMEROVO. Kemerov Oblast Soviet rejects the legitimacy of the GKChP.
Local police have been instructed not to obstruct any meetings.
20.06: NIZHNII NOVGOROD. Chairman of the Oblast Soviet, Alexsandr Sokolov,
attempted to form an Oblast Committe on the State of Emergency, but his
efforts were blocked by deputies of the oblast and city soviets.
Yeltsin's declarations read to crowd in the town's Minin and Pozharsky
Square.
20.08: LENINGRAD. Anti-coup protest meeting takes place on Isaac's Square.
Barricades are being constructed of trolley buses and park benches.
Reports say many local KGB officers were surprised by the coup and are
against it.
20.15: MOSCOW. Federation of Independent Trade Unions call for emergency
meeting for 21-22 Aug to discuss the situation in the nation.
TOMSK. Presidium of Tomsk Oblast and City Soviets have declared the GKChP
illegal.
IZHEVSK. Presidium of Supreme Soviet of Udmurtiya refuses to recognize
authority of any "state of emergency commitees" within its borders.
ROSTOV-ON-DON. Unnamed respresentative of local KGB says they learned of the
coup and state of emergency from the radio. "We don't know what to do," he
said. "The teletypes are silent. We're waiting for orders from Moscow."
20.13: MOSCOW. Moscow-area Supreme Soviet Deputies plan to visit all
military bases and installations in the area to acquaint armed forces
personnel with Yeltsin's address and decrees. Decisions of the Russian
President and government will be posted in all city railroad stations and
airports.
20.39: LENINGRAD. Leningrad Mayor Anatoly Sobchak calls for a city-wide
politcal strike beginning Aug 20. He also urges people to gather in Palace
Square.
20.41: MOSCOW. Two members of Presidium of Russian Supreme Soviet voted
against summoning an emergency session of the entire Supreme Soviet: Boris
Isaev, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, and Vladimir
Isakov, head of the Soviet of the Republic of the Russian parlimanet. Yuri
Voronin, chairman of the parlimentary commission on the budget, abstained.
Isaev says a thorough study of all facts should be undertaken before working
out a position on such an important matter.
20.47: The All Union Soviet of the Parents of Military Personnell call on
all officers, soldiers, and sailors to oppose the coup.
DONETSK: According to First Deputy Chairman of the City Soviet, Viktor
Bychkov, local Interior Ministry troops are on a hightened state of military
preparedness, even though they received no instructions from above. Soviet
Army troops in the city have received no instructions or orders from
district headquarters.
20.52: Boris Yeltsin spoke to the crowd outside the White House. He
described the government's most recent decisions and let it be known that
the government leaders will remain in the White House 24 hours a day.
21.00: KISHINEV. 10,000 attend mass meeting in front of National Assembly to
denounce coup.
21.00: RIGA. OMON troops seize the building of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs of the Latvian Republic.
21.35: KISHINEV. More than 100 civilians, along with OMON troops are
patrolling government buildings to protect them in case of attack by coup
plotters.
21.40: Anatoly Manokhin and Altai Picheol, parliament deputies.
21.59: LENINGRAD. Leningrad Mayor Anatoly Sobchak appears on local
television to real Yeltsin's latest decrees. Vice-Mayor Vyacheslav
Shcherbakov and Chairman of the Leningrad Oblast Soviet Yuri Yarov also
appear to say they were included on the local Committee on the Emergency
Situation without their knowledge or consent. Yarov says farm workers should
keep working in the fields and that the Oblast Soviet should continue its
normal functioning.
SURGUT. Chairman of the Surgut Stock Exchange, Viktor Tsives calls
Gorbachev's resignation an attempted military coup.
VORKUTA. Vorkuta City Workers Strike Committee and independent miners' union
call for a strike to begin at midnight on 20 August to support Yeltsin and
the Russian government.
22.00: PERM. Deputies of Perm City Soviet call for emergency session of City
Soviet for 18.00 on Aug 20. Deputies express their support for Russian
government.
22.01: LENINGRAD. Union and workers' committee at Kirov Factory send
telegram of support ot Yeltsin, Leningrad mayor Sobchak, and Chairman of the
Leningrad Soviet, Alexandr Belyaev. They also send a telegram to Yanaev,
demanding that at 12.00 on Aug 20 Gorbachev and Yeltsin should be allowed to
appear on television and on radio. If it doesn't happen, they threaten a
campaign of civil disobedience.
22.06: MOSCOW. Over the newly created radio station of the Supreme Soviet of
the RSFSR, citizens are asked to dismantle the barricades around the White
House so that the Taman Division, supporting the Russian government,
including its ten tanks, may pass through to establish defensive positions
around the White House. The Taman Division is commanded by Major Evdokimov.
22.20: Elena Bonner, human rights activist and widow of Andrei Sakharov,
calls on Moscovites to "defend the Russian government and the Russian
president" as well as the President of the USSR. "Today we must prove that
we are worthy to be called residents of the capital, and that we are not
simply a crowd concerned only with sausage", said Bonner.
22.26: The Taman Division and its ten tanks take up defensive positions
around the White House. Citizens there gathered cheer wildly.
23.04: TIUIMEN. Presidium of the Tiumen Oblast Soviet calls GKChP
unconstitutional and supports Yeltsin's decrees.
23.06: TOMSK. Chairman of the Tomsk Oblast Soviet says the lawfully elected
local authority--the oblast Soviet--is functioning. He calls invocation of a
state of emergency unconstitutional and inadequate to the situation.
However, he calls on people to refrain from striking until the situation
becomes more clear.
23.08:: VORNEZH. Chairman of the Voronezh Oblast Soviet, Viktor Kalashnikov
says Yeltsin's decress will be obeyed in the region. The local organs of law
and order have declared themselves neutral. FAX connection between the
oblast Executive Committee and the Russian Supreme Soviet is not working.
Oblast leaders cannot receive documents from Moscow.
23.16: "The Terskoye Cossacks support the measures taken by the central
government to stabilize the social-political situation in the country", says
the Ataman of the Terskoye Cossasks, Vasili Konyakhin. They send a telegram
of support to Yanaev.
23.18: MOSCOW. Russian Vice-President Aleksandr Rutskoi, himself an Afghan
war vetarn, calls on all military personnel to oppose the coup and support
the Russian government.
23.26: RYAZAN. Mayor of Ryazan, Valery Riumin, says that, in the morning, he
was visited by members of the emergency committee. Riumin called them
criminals and threw them out of his office. Head of the oblast KGB, Yuri
Chichelov has declared his loyalty to the Russian government. Head of local
Interior Ministry troops is supposedly avoiding Riumin. Mayor's office has
printed up 20,000 copies of Yeltsin's decrees to be distributed throughout
the city.
23.30: KISHINEV. Moldovan government and parliament denounce the coup and
say that the decisions of the GKChP have no legal force in Moldavia.
END OF DAY 1
Bru>>> Note the widespread and deepness of the Coup.To contain the secrecy
of such a large plot the entire KGB must have been party..
Note the widespread fence sitting
Note the huge amount of activity in the Baltics and understand
why
the Baltic nation strive for Nato membership to Guarantee independence.Also
the obsession that is still rife among russians for the Baltics..Note the
actions of other republics and regions..
The Coup was well planned and executed but the people were not
ready for it..A bad mistake for the plotters who are by and large are at
liberty
and in positions of power...The russian have to be restless for such a coup
to succeed ..Chechyna is a breaking ground for would be plotters..The
Numerous
old soviet Flags displayed in Chechyna Show where all the dodgy units and
commanders are.. Defeated generals are unrespected..The plotters are still
at large and are waiting for dissention and restlessness to reach a critical
level
to strike..