The internal political conflict of September 21 - October 4, 1993 was the culmination of the constitutional crisis in Russia that began in 1992. The crisis was caused by the confrontation between two political forces: on the one hand, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the government led by Viktor Chernomyrdin, a number of regional leaders, including the Moscow government, and some people's deputies; on the other, the leadership of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation headed by Ruslan Khasbulatov, most of the people's deputies, and Vice President of Russia Alexander Rutsky. The president's supporters advocated the adoption of a new Constitution, strengthening presidential power and liberal economic reforms; The Supreme Council and the Congress of People's Deputies are for maintaining the full power of the Congress, according to Art. 104 of the Constitution of the RSFSR of 1978, and against radical economic reforms.
September 21, 1993 In 2009, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed Decree No. 1400 “On step-by-step constitutional reform in the Russian Federation,” voiced in a television address to Russian citizens. The Decree, in particular, ordered to interrupt the exercise of legislative, administrative and control functions by the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, not to convene the Congress of People's Deputies, and also to terminate the powers of people's deputies of the Russian Federation. By decree, elections to the first State Duma were scheduled for December 1993.
After the president’s address, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, Ruslan Khasbulatov, spoke on television and qualified Boris Yeltsin’s actions as a coup. On the same day, at an emergency meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme Court, a resolution was adopted “On the immediate termination of the powers of the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin.” The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, meeting for an emergency meeting, concluded that the presidential decree violates the Constitution in twelve points and is the basis for Yeltsin’s removal from office, according to Article 121-6 of the Basic Law and the Law “On the President of the RSFSR.” The Supreme Council decided to organize the defense of the White House. An open-ended rally of many thousands spontaneously formed outside the building.
September 22nd At the VII (emergency) session of the Supreme Council, a resolution was adopted to terminate Yeltsin’s powers from the moment he signed Decree No. 1400; the duties of head of state were entrusted to Vice-President Alexander Rutsky. On Rutskoi’s proposal, the Supreme Court adopted resolutions on the appointment of Viktor Barannikov, Vladislav Achalov and Andrey Dunaev to the posts of Ministers of Security, Defense and Internal Affairs. The resolutions of the Supreme Court on the termination of Yeltsin's powers and their transfer to Rutskoi were approved on the evening of September 23 by the X /Extraordinary/ Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation.
To protect the Armed Forces building, units were formed from among volunteers, whose members were given firearms that belonged to the Armed Forces Security Department. President Yeltsin and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin demanded that R. Khasbulatov and A. Rutsky withdraw people from the White House and surrender their weapons by October 4. By order of the government, telephone communications and electricity were cut off in the building.
In the following days, the situation around the White House deteriorated sharply. The building of the Supreme Council was cordoned off by units of internal troops and riot police, who were armed with firearms, special equipment, armored personnel carriers and water-jet installations. For their part, the defenders of the Supreme Council began to erect barricades in the center of Moscow.
October 1 In the St. Daniel Monastery, through the mediation of Patriarch Alexy II, negotiations began between representatives of the governments of Russia and Moscow and the Supreme Council. As a result, on the night of October 2, a protocol on the surrender of weapons was signed. Electricity was turned on at the White House and access restrictions were relaxed. However, a few hours later, at the initiative of the Supreme Council, the negotiations were stopped and the protocol was denounced.
2 October A rally of supporters of the Supreme Council began on Smolenskaya Square, which resulted in clashes between demonstrators and police and riot police.
October 3 The opposition rally that began on Oktyabrskaya Square attracted tens of thousands of people. Having broken through the riot police barriers, the protesters moved to the White House and unblocked it. On the orders of Alexander Rutsky, demonstrators seized the Moscow City Hall building and attempted to storm the Ostankino television center. When breaking through the cordon in the area of the city hall, police officers used firearms. When storming the television center, demonstrators used military trucks. The broadcast of all TV channels was interrupted; only the second channel, operating from a backup studio, went on air. During the riots, an explosion occurred, which killed a special forces soldier, one of the defenders of the television center. After this, the special forces opened fire on the attackers. The attack on Ostankino was repelled.
In the evening of the same day, Boris Yeltsin’s decree on introducing a state of emergency in Moscow and releasing Rutskoi from his duties as vice president of the Russian Federation was broadcast on television. Units and divisions of the Taman and Kantemirovskaya divisions, the 27th separate motorized rifle brigade and several parachute regiments, the internal troops division named after. Dzerzhinsky.
In the morning The 4th of October government troops completely surrounded the White House and began shelling it with tank guns. A fire broke out in the building. At 5 p.m., White House defenders announced the cessation of resistance. A. Rutskoy, R. Khasbulatov, V. Barannikov, A. Dunaev, V. Achalov, A. Makashov and others were arrested. The Alpha group took 1.7 thousand people under guard and evacuated from the building - deputies, employees of the Supreme Council apparatus, journalists.
October 6 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree “On declaring mourning for the victims of the armed coup attempt.”
According to various sources, during the days of the armed conflict, from 140 to 160 people were killed and from 380 to 1000 people were injured. According to the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, 147 people are listed as dead. At parliamentary hearings in the State Duma in October 1995, the figure was announced - 160 dead. The State Duma Commission for Additional Study and Analysis of the Events of 1993, which worked from May 1998 to December 1999, published data on 158 deaths. At the same time, the Commission's materials indicated that "according to a rough estimate, in the events of September 21 - October 5, 1993, about 200 people were killed or died from their wounds."
February 26, 1994 Khasbulatov, Rutskoy, Makashov, Dunaev, Anpilov, Achalov - a total of 16 people accused of organizing the October events, in accordance with the State Duma amnesty resolution of February 23, 1994, were released from the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center. The adoption of this decision was dictated by the conviction that “it is impossible to lead Russia out of the national crisis without an amnesty for all participants in the October 1993 events, impossible without a stable civil peace.” At the beginning of 1995, the criminal proceedings were terminated and archived.
The political results of the events of 1993 were the adoption of a new Constitution on December 12, 1993, the strengthening of presidential power, and the formation of a new bicameral parliament - the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
The confrontation between the two branches of Russian government, which has lasted since the collapse of the USSR - the executive in the person of Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the legislative in the form of parliament (the Supreme Council (SC) of the RSFSR), headed by Ruslan Khasbulatov, around the pace of reforms and methods of building a new state, October 3-4, 1993 year and ended with a tank shelling of the seat of parliament - the House of Soviets (White House).
According to the conclusion of the State Duma Commission for additional study and analysis of the events that took place in the city of Moscow on September 21 - October 5, 1993, the initial cause and grave consequences of them were the preparation and publication by Boris Yeltsin of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 21 No. 1400 "On the phased constitutional reform in Russian Federation", voiced in his television address to the citizens of Russia on September 21, 1993 at 20.00. The Decree, in particular, ordered to interrupt the exercise of legislative, administrative and control functions by the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, not to convene the Congress of People's Deputies, and also to terminate the powers of people's deputies of the Russian Federation.
30 minutes after Yeltsin’s television message, Chairman of the Supreme Council (SC) Ruslan Khasbulatov spoke on television. He qualified Yeltsin's actions as a coup d'etat.
On the same day at 22.00, at an emergency meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme Court, a resolution was adopted “On the immediate termination of the powers of the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin.”
At the same hours, an emergency meeting of the Constitutional Court (CC) began, chaired by Valery Zorkin. The court concluded that this decree violates the Constitution and is the basis for the removal of President Yeltsin from office. After the conclusion of the Constitutional Court was delivered to the Supreme Council, it, continuing its meeting, adopted a resolution entrusting the execution of presidential powers to Vice President Alexander Rutsky. The country entered into an acute political crisis.
On September 23 at 22.00, the extraordinary (extraordinary) X Congress of People's Deputies opened in the building of the Supreme Council. By order of the government, telephone communications and electricity were cut off in the building. The congress participants voted to terminate Yeltsin's powers and assigned Vice President Alexander Rutsky to act as president. The congress appointed the main "power ministers" - Viktor Barannikov, Vladislav Achalov and Andrei Dunaev.
To protect the Armed Forces building, additional security units were formed from among volunteers, the members of which, with a special permit, were issued firearms that belonged to the Armed Forces Security Department.
On September 27, the building of the Supreme Council was surrounded by a continuous ring of police officers and internal troops, and a barbed wire fence was installed around the building. The passage of people, vehicles (including ambulances), food and medicine into the cordoned off zone was virtually stopped.
On September 29, President Yeltsin and Prime Minister Chernomyrdin demanded that Khasbulatov and Rutskoi withdraw people from the White House and surrender their weapons by October 4.
On October 1, at the St. Daniel Monastery, through the mediation of Patriarch Alexy II, negotiations began between representatives of the governments of Russia and Moscow and the Supreme Council. Electricity was turned on in the building of the Supreme Council, and water began to flow.
At night, a protocol was signed at the mayor’s office on the gradual “removal of the tension of the confrontation,” which was the result of negotiations.
On October 2 at 13.00 a rally of supporters of the Armed Forces began on Smolenskaya Square in Moscow. There were clashes between demonstrators and police and riot police. During the unrest, the Garden Ring near the Foreign Ministry building was blocked for several hours.
On October 3, the conflict acquired an avalanche-like character. The opposition rally, which began at 14.00 on Oktyabrskaya Square, attracted tens of thousands of people. Having broken through the riot police barriers, the rally participants moved to the White House and unblocked it.
At about 16.00, Alexander Rutskoy from the balcony called for storming the city hall and Ostankino.
By 5 p.m., demonstrators stormed several floors of City Hall. When breaking through the cordon in the area of the Moscow City Hall, police officers used lethal firearms against the demonstrators.
At about 19.00 the assault on the Ostankino television center began. At 19.40 all TV channels interrupted their broadcasts. After a short break, the second channel went on air, working from a backup studio. The demonstrators' attempt to take over the television center was unsuccessful.
At 22.00, Boris Yeltsin’s decree on introducing a state of emergency in Moscow and releasing Rutskoi from his duties as Vice President of the Russian Federation was broadcast on television. The deployment of troops to Moscow began.
On October 4, at 7:30 a.m., the operation to clear the White House began. Large-caliber weapons are being fired. At about 10.00 the tanks began shelling the Armed Forces building, causing a fire there.
At about 13.00, the defenders of the Armed Forces began to leave, and the wounded began to be carried out of the parliament building.
At about 6 p.m., White House defenders announced the cessation of resistance. Alexander Rutskoy, Ruslan Khasbulatov and other leaders of the armed resistance of supporters of the Supreme Council were arrested.
At 19.30, the Alpha group took 1,700 journalists, members of the Armed Forces, city residents and deputies under guard and evacuated from the building.
According to the conclusions of the State Duma Commission, according to a rough estimate, in the events of September 21 - October 5, 1993, about 200 people were killed or died from their injuries and at least 1,000 people were injured or other bodily harm of varying degrees of severity.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
August 1991 coup
Since 1989, the power of the party-state nomenklatura has been steadily decreasing. New commercial and political structures slowly but steadily gained strength. All this caused open and hidden protest from the “ruling class”. The last straw that pushed the party and state leadership of the USSR to act was the threat of signing on August 22, 1991, a new Union Treaty, which was developed during negotiations between representatives of the republics in Novo-Ogarevo, at a government dacha near Moscow.
According to this agreement, the republics included in the new Union received significantly more rights, and the center was transformed from a manager into a coordinating one. In reality, only issues of defense, financial policy, internal affairs, and partly tax and social policy remained in the hands of the union leadership. Some republics refused to sign even this fairly liberal agreement (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia).
In order to disrupt the signing of this agreement and maintain their powers of power, part of the top party and state leadership tried to seize power. On August 19, 1991, a state of emergency was introduced in the country, troops, including tanks, were brought into the streets of Moscow and a number of other large cities, almost all central newspapers, with the exception of Pravda, Izvestia, Trud and some others, were banned, all channels of Central Television, with the exception of the 1st program, and almost all radio stations stopped working. The activities of all parties except the CPSU were suspended.
The coup was led by the “State Committee for the State of Emergency” (GKChP) consisting of: acting. O. President of the USSR G. I. Yanaev, Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, First Deputy Chairman of the Defense Council O. D. Baklanov, Chairman of the KGB of the USSR V. A. Kryuchkov, Prime Minister of the USSR V. S. Pavlov, Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR B. K. Pugo, Chairman of the Peasant Union of the USSR V. A. Starodubtsev, Minister of Defense of the USSR D. T. Yazov and President of the Association of State-Owned Enterprises A. I. Tizyakov. The State Emergency Committee saw the main task of the coup in restoring the order in the USSR that existed before 1985, that is, in eliminating the multi-party system, commercial structures, and destroying the sprouts of democracy.
The main political rival of the central leadership of the USSR was the leadership of the RSFSR. It was against him that the main blow was directed. Troops were concentrated around the building of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR ("The White House"), who were supposed to occupy the building, disperse the parliament and arrest its most active participants.
But the coup failed. The population of the country basically refused to support the State Emergency Committee, while the army did not want to use force against its citizens. Already on August 20, barricades grew up around the “White House”, on which there were several tens of thousands of people, and some military units went over to the side of the defenders. The coup was received very negatively abroad, where statements were immediately made about the suspension of aid to the USSR.
The coup was extremely poorly organized and prepared. Already on August 22, he was defeated, and the members of the State Emergency Committee themselves were arrested. As a result of the events of August 19-21, 1991, three of its defenders were killed near the White House.
Immediately after the defeat of the putsch, mass demonstrations against the CPSU took place in almost all major cities, which served as a convenient reason for suspending the activities of the CPSU in the country. By order of the President of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin, the buildings of the CPSU Central Committee, regional committees, district committees, archives, etc. were closed and sealed. Since August 23, 1991, the CPSU has ceased to exist as a ruling state structure.
Simultaneously with the cessation of the activities of the CPSU, a number of newspapers were temporarily closed by decree of the President of the RSFSR. In September, all Union republics that had not yet declared their full sovereignty and independence made these declarations.
After the events of August 1991, the importance of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR came to naught. The next Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, held at the end of August - beginning of September 1991, was the last. The congress declared self-dissolution.
In September - November 1991, sluggish attempts were made to prevent the final economic and political collapse of the former Soviet Union. The work was carried out in two directions: the creation of an economic union and the formation of new political relations.
In September, the Interrepublican Economic Committee (IEC) was created, headed by I. S. Silaev. The greatest success of the IEC was the preparation of an economic agreement, which was signed by nine republics: the RSFSR, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. This agreement was a real step designed to stop the collapse of a single economic organism.
The contradictions regarding the political union were much more serious. The Baltic states, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia refused to even discuss this problem. The first preliminary negotiations took place only in the second half of November, with the participation of the presidents of seven republics. As a result of negotiations, the presidents came to the conclusion that it was necessary to create a new state on a confederal basis.
After the declaration of independence, relations between the republics on border issues worsened. A number of peoples of the North Caucasus, part of the RSFSR, declared independence and sovereignty and made political and territorial claims both to the RSFSR and to their neighbors. This was most clearly manifested in the emergence of the Chechen Republic. Events in Chechnya and a number of other regions of the North Caucasus, the ongoing war in South Ossetia - all this brought the Caucasus by the end of 1991 to the brink of a comprehensive civil war.
The economic situation in Russia and other states of the former USSR in the fall and winter of 1991 was rapidly deteriorating. Inflation rates increased sharply, reaching 25-30% per month in October - November, and industrial and agricultural production declined. All this, coupled with an increase in the issuance of new money, led to the fact that by the end of 1991 there were practically no industrial goods or food products left on store shelves. Problems arose in supplying the population with the basic necessities: bread, milk, potatoes.
October 3 - 15 years ago (October 3-4, 1993) there was an attempted coup in Moscow. This event is also known as the “Constitutional crisis of 1993”, “Coup d’etat of 1993”, “Execution of the White House”, “Execution of the House of Soviets”, “October uprising of 1993”, “Decree 1400”.
The crisis was the result of a confrontation between two political forces: on the one hand, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the executive branch controlled by him and his supporters, and on the other hand, Vice President Alexander Rutsky, the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation headed by Ruslan Khasbulatov, the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation, and their supporters. The confrontation ended with the forceful dispersal of parliament and the victory of President Yeltsin.
After the seizure of the Moscow City Hall building by supporters of the Supreme Council and clashes near the Ostankino television center, President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin declared a state of emergency in Moscow. An assault on the White House was organized. The result of the confrontation was armed clashes on the streets of Moscow.
On the night of October 3–4, a plan was prepared to storm the White House, in which about 1,700 people, 10 tanks and 20 armored personnel carriers took part; the action was extremely unpopular, the contingent had to be recruited from five divisions, about half of the entire contingent were officers or junior command personnel, and the tank crews were recruited almost entirely from officers.
At 9:20 am on October 4, tanks located on the other side of the river began shelling the upper floors of the Supreme Council building. In total, six T-80 tanks took part in the shelling, firing 12 shells.
At 15:00, Special Forces Alpha and Vympel were ordered to storm the White House. The commanders of both special groups, before executing the order, tried to negotiate with the leaders of the Supreme Council on a peaceful surrender.
“Alpha”, having promised security to the defenders of the House of Soviets, managed to persuade them to surrender by 17:00. The Vympel special unit, whose leadership refused to carry out the assault order, was subsequently transferred from the FSB to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which led to the massive resignation of its fighters.
After 5 p.m., by agreement with Yeltsin’s supporters, a mass withdrawal of defenders from the Supreme Council began. According to the assurances of those who stormed, there should have been no shelling. However, those leaving the building had not walked even 100 meters when fire was opened over their heads.
A few minutes later, the attackers began shooting those leaving the building almost point-blank. According to eyewitnesses, it was at this moment that the greatest number of deaths occurred. The relatives of the missing people who came the next day could see up to three rows of troupes lined up along the wall in one of the nearby stadiums. Many of them had bullet holes in the center of their foreheads, like a control shot.
Before leaving the building of the Supreme Council, Rutskoi demonstrated in front of television cameras a Kalashnikov assault rifle, from which not a single shot was fired. He also demonstrated a small cardboard box containing cassettes with recordings of negotiations, including between Yeltsin and Luzhkov. A recording was shown in which a voice similar to Luzhkov’s was clearly heard, calling on the riot police and the Alpha special forces to “shoot mercilessly.”
The video sequence of the film “Secret Russia” also contains footage of one of the halls of the Supreme Council, where more than 30 shots from sniper rifles are visible at the level of the victims’ hearts. According to Rutsky, this is shooting to kill at those people who were in the Supreme Council at that moment. Rutskoy also pointed to the fact that in the corridors of the Supreme Council there were more than 400 corpses of the defenders of the Supreme Council at the end of the assault.
According to official data, the number of people killed during the riots was 150, the number of injured was 389. According to deputy Sazha Umalatova, 2,783 people were killed. As a result of an investigation by the State Duma Commission of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for additional study and analysis of the events of 1993, B. Yeltsin’s actions were condemned and found to be contrary to the Constitution of the RSFSR, which was in force at that time. Based on the materials of the investigation conducted by the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation, it was not established that any of the victims were killed with weapons at the disposal of supporters of the Armed Forces.
Parade of sovereignties (1988-1991) - a conflict between republican and union legislation associated with the declaration of the priority of republican laws over union laws, which resulted in the collapse of the USSR. During the “parade of sovereignties” during 1990-1991, all the union (the sixth was the RSFSR) and many of the autonomous republics adopted Declarations of Sovereignty, in which they challenged the priority of all-union laws over republican ones, which began the “war of laws”. They also took actions to control local economies, including refusals to pay taxes to the union and federal Russian budgets. These conflicts cut off many economic ties, which further worsened the economic situation in the USSR.
The first territory of the USSR to declare independence in January 1990 in response to the Baku events was the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Before the August putsch, the State Emergency Committee announced independence of four union republics (Lithuania, Latvia, Armenia and Georgia), refusal to join the proposed new union (USG) and transition to independence - two more: Estonia and Moldova. At the same time, the autonomous republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which were part of Georgia, as well as the newly formed republics of Transnistria and Gagauzia in Moldova, announced non-recognition of their independence and their desire to remain part of the Union.
With the exception of Kazakhstan, none of the Central Asian union republics had organized movements or parties that aimed to achieve independence. Among the Muslim republics, with the exception of the Azerbaijani Popular Front, the independence movement existed only in one of the autonomous republics of the Volga region - the Ittifak party of Fauzia Bayramova in Tatarstan, which since 1989 has advocated the independence of Tatarstan.
On August 19, 1991, the signing of a new union treaty on the creation of the Union of Sovereign States (USS) as a soft federation was thwarted by the August putsch of the State Emergency Committee during an attempt to remove M. S. Gorbachev from the post of President of the USSR, immediately after which, during the massive collapse of the USSR, almost all the remaining union republics, as well as several autonomous ones (in Russia, Georgia, Moldova). On September 6, the USSR authorities recognized the independence of the three Baltic republics.
Although on November 14, seven of the twelve union republics (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) decided to conclude an agreement on the creation of the GCC as a confederation, after the referendum on the independence of Ukraine held on December 1 by the heads of the three founding republics of the USSR ( RSFSR, Ukraine, Belarus) on December 8, the Belovezhskaya agreements on its dissolution are signed, on December 21, this is approved by all eleven republics, and instead of the USG, the Commonwealth of Independent States is created as an international (interstate) organization. Moreover, by the time of the dissolution of the USSR on December 8, of all the union republics, only three had not declared independence (RSFSR, Belarus and Kazakhstan; the latter did so a week later, on December 16).
Some of the autonomous republics that declared independence later became the so-called. unrecognized (Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria) or partially recognized (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) states (while Gagauzia, Tatarstan and Chechnya did not retain such status).
The economic and political crisis that began in the 80s of the 20th century in the USSR intensified significantly in the 90s and led to a number of global and radical changes in the territorial and political system of one sixth of the land, then called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and its collapse .
It was a period of intense political strife and confusion. Supporters of maintaining a strong central government came into conflict with supporters of decentralization and sovereignty of the republics.
On November 6, 1991, Boris Yeltsin, who by that time had been elected to the post of President of the RSFSR, by his decree stopped the activities of the Communist Party in the republic.
On December 25, 1991, the last President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, spoke on central television. He announced his resignation. At 19:38 Moscow time, the USSR flag was lowered from the Kremlin, and after almost 70 years of existence, the Soviet Union disappeared forever from the political map of the world. A new era has begun.
Crisis of dual power
Confusion and chaos, which always accompany changes in the political system, did not bypass the formation of the Russian Federation. At the same time as the Congress of People's Deputies retained broad powers, the post of President was established. Dual power arose in the state. The country demanded rapid changes, but the President, before the adoption of the new version of the basic law, was severely limited in power. According to the old Soviet Constitution, most of the powers were in the hands of the highest legislative body - the Supreme Council.
Parties to the conflict
On one side of the confrontation was Boris Yeltsin. He was supported by the Cabinet of Ministers, headed by Viktor Chernomyrdin, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, a small part of deputies, as well as security forces.
On the other side was the bulk of the people's representatives and members of the Supreme Council, headed by Ruslan Khasbulatov and Alexander Rutsky, who served as vice president. Among their supporters, the majority were communist deputies and members of nationalist parties.
Causes
The President and his associates advocated for the rapid adoption of a new basic law and strengthening the influence of the President. The majority were supporters of “shock therapy”. They wanted the speedy implementation of economic reforms and a complete change in all power structures. Their opponents advocated that all power should remain with the Congress of People's Deputies, and also against hasty reforms. An additional reason was the reluctance of the Congress to ratify the treaties signed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. And supporters of the Council believed that the president’s team was simply trying to blame their failures in economic reform on them. After lengthy and fruitless negotiations, the conflict reached a dead end.
Open confrontation
On March 20, 1993, Yeltsin spoke on central television about the signing of decree No. 1400 “On phased constitutional reform in the Russian Federation.” It provided for management procedures during the transition period. This decree also provided for the termination of the powers of the Supreme Council and the holding of a referendum on a number of issues. The President argued that all attempts to establish cooperation with the Supreme Council had failed, and to overcome the protracted crisis he was forced to take certain measures. But later it turned out that Yeltsin never signed the decree.
On March 28, the Congress considers the proposal to impeach the President and dismiss the head of the Council, Khasbulatov. Both proposals did not receive the required number of votes. In particular, 617 deputies voted for Yeltsin’s impeachment, and at least 689 votes were needed. The draft resolution on holding early elections was also rejected.
Referendum and constitutional reform
On April 25, 1993, a referendum was held. There were four questions on the ballot. The first two are about trust in the President and the policies he pursues. The last two are about the need for early elections of the President and deputies. The respondents answered positively to the first two, but the latter did not receive the required number of votes. The draft of the new version of the Constitution of the Russian Federation was published in the Izvestia newspaper on April 30.
Escalation of confrontation
On September 1, President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree on the temporary removal of A. V. Rutsky from his position. The Vice President constantly sharply criticized the decisions made by the President. Rutskoi was accused of corruption, but the accusations were not confirmed. In addition, the decision made did not comply with the norms of the current law.
On September 21 at 19:55, the Presidium of the Supreme Council received the text of Decree No. 1400. And at 20-00 Yeltsin addressed the people and announced that the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Council were losing their powers due to their inactivity and sabotage. Temporary management bodies were introduced. The Russian Federation was appointed.
In response to the actions of the President, the Supreme Council issued a resolution on the immediate removal of Yeltsin and the transfer of his functions to Vice President A.V. Rutsky. This was followed by an appeal to the citizens of the Russian Federation, the peoples of the commonwealth, deputies of all levels, military personnel and law enforcement officers, which called for stopping the attempted “coup d’etat.” The organization of the security headquarters of the House of Soviets also began.
Siege
At approximately 8:45 p.m., a spontaneous rally was gathering near the White House, and the construction of barricades began.
On September 22 at 00-25 Rutskoi announced his assumption of office as President of the Russian Federation. In the morning there were about 1,500 people near the White House; by the end of the day there were several thousand. Volunteer groups began to form. Dual power arose in the country. The heads of administrations and security officials mostly supported Boris Yeltsin. Bodies of representative power - Khasbulatov and Rutsky. The latter issued decrees, and Yeltsin, with his decrees, declared all his decrees invalid.
On September 23, the government decided to disconnect the House of Soviets building from heating, electricity and telecommunications. The security of the Supreme Council was issued machine guns, pistols and ammunition for them.
Late in the evening of the same day, a group of armed supporters of the Armed Forces attacked the headquarters of the joint armed forces of the CIS. Two people died. The president's supporters used the attack as a reason to increase pressure on those holding the blockade near the Supreme Council building.
At 22-00 the extraordinary extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies opened.
On September 24, the Congress recognized President Boris Yeltsin as illegitimate and approved all personnel appointments made by Alexander Rutsky.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Government S. Shakhrai said that people's deputies had become virtually hostages of armed extremist groups forming in the building.
September 28. At night, employees of the Moscow Central Internal Affairs Directorate blocked the entire territory adjacent to the House of Soviets. All approaches were blocked with barbed wire and sprinklers. The passage of people and transport has been completely stopped. Throughout the day, numerous rallies and riots of supporters of the Armed Forces occurred near the cordon ring.
September 29. The cordon was extended all the way to the Garden Ring. Residential buildings and social facilities were cordoned off. By order of the head of the Armed Forces, journalists were no longer allowed into the building. Colonel General Makashov warned from the balcony of the House of Soviets that if the perimeter of the fence was violated, fire would be opened without warning.
In the evening, the demand of the Russian government was announced, in which Alexander Rutsky and Ruslan Khasbulatov were asked to withdraw from the building and disarm all their supporters by October 4 under a guarantee of personal safety and amnesty.
September 30th. At night, a message was circulated that the Supreme Council was allegedly planning to carry out armed attacks on strategic targets. Armored vehicles were sent to the House of Soviets. In response, Rutskoy ordered the commander of the 39th Motorized Rifle Division, Major General Frolov, to move two regiments to Moscow.
In the morning, demonstrators began to arrive in small groups. Despite the completely peaceful behavior, the police and riot police continued to brutally disperse the protesters, which further aggravated the situation.
October 1st. At night, negotiations took place in the St. Danilov Monastery with the assistance of Patriarch Alexy. The president's side was represented by: Oleg Filatov and Oleg Soskovets. Ramazan Abdulatipov and Veniamin Sokolov arrived from the Council. As a result of the negotiations, Protocol No. 1 was signed, according to which the defenders handed over some of the weapons in the building in exchange for electricity, heating and working telephones. Immediately after the signing of the Protocol, heating was turned on in the White House, electricity was installed, and hot food began to be prepared in the dining room. About 200 journalists were allowed into the building. It was possible to enter and exit the besieged building relatively freely.
2 October. The Military Council led by denounced Protocol No. 1. The negotiations were called “nonsense” and a “screen.” An important role in this was played by the personal ambitions of Khasbulatov, who was afraid of losing power in the Supreme Council. He insisted that he must personally negotiate directly with President Yeltsin.
After the denunciation, the power supply in the building was again cut off, and access control was tightened.
Attempted capture of Ostankino
14-00. A rally of thousands is being held on Oktyabrskaya Square. Despite attempts, riot police are unable to dislodge the Protestants from the square. Having broken through the cordon, the crowd moved towards the Crimean Bridge and beyond. The Moscow Central Internal Affairs Directorate sent 350 internal troops to Zubovskaya Square and tried to cordon off the protesters. But within a few minutes they were crushed and pushed back, capturing 10 military trucks.
15-00. From the balcony of the White House, Rutskoy calls on the crowd to storm the Moscow City Hall and the Ostankino television center.
15-25. A crowd of thousands, having broken through the cordon, is moving towards the White House. The riot police who moved to the mayor's office open fire. 7 protesters were killed and dozens were injured. 2 police officers were also killed.
16-00. Boris Yeltsin signs a decree introducing a state of emergency in the city.
16-45. Protestants, led by the appointed Minister of Defense, Colonel General, seize the Moscow City Hall. Riot police and internal troops were forced to retreat and in a hurry left 10-15 buses and tented trucks, 4 armored personnel carriers and even a grenade launcher.
17-00. A column of several hundred volunteers in captured trucks and armored personnel carriers, armed with automatic weapons and even a grenade launcher, arrives at the television center. In the form of an ultimatum, they demand to provide a live broadcast.
At the same time, armored personnel carriers of the Dzerzhinsky division, as well as special forces units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Vityaz" arrive at Ostankino.
Long negotiations begin with the security of the television center. While they are dragging on, other detachments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and internal troops arrive at the building.
19-00. Ostankino is guarded by approximately 480 armed soldiers from different units.
Continuing the spontaneous rally, demanding to be given airtime, the protesters attempted to break down the glass doors of the ASK-3 building with a truck. They succeed only partially. Makashov warns that if fire is opened, the protesters will respond with the grenade launcher they have. During the negotiations, one of the general's guards is wounded by a firearm. While the wounded man was being carried out to the ambulance, explosions were simultaneously heard near the demolished doors and inside the building, presumably from an unknown explosive device. A special forces soldier dies. After this, indiscriminate fire was opened on the crowd. In the approaching twilight, no one knew who to shoot at. They killed Protestants, journalists, and simply sympathizers trying to pull out the wounded. But the worst thing began later. In panic, the crowd tried to hide in Oak Grove, but there the security forces surrounded them in a tight ring and began shooting them at point-blank range from armored vehicles. Officially, 46 people died. Hundreds of wounded. But perhaps there were many more victims.
20-45. E. Gaidar appeals on television to supporters of President Yeltsin with a call to gather at the Mossovet building. From among those who arrive, people with combat experience are selected and volunteer detachments are formed. Shoigu guarantees that people will receive weapons if necessary.
23-00. Makashov orders his people to retreat to the House of Soviets.
White House shooting
October 4, At night, Gennady Zakharov’s plan to seize the House of Soviets was heard and approved. It included the use of armored vehicles and even tanks. The assault was scheduled for 7-00 am.
Due to the chaos and lack of coordination of all actions, conflicts occur between the Taman division that arrived in Moscow, armed people from the “Union of Afghan Veterans” and Dzerzhinsky’s division.
In total, 10 tanks, 20 armored vehicles and approximately 1,700 personnel were involved in the shooting of the White House in Moscow (1993). Only officers and sergeants were recruited into the detachments.
5-00. Yeltsin issues Decree No. 1578 “On urgent measures to ensure a state of emergency in Moscow.”
6-50. The shooting of the White House began (year: 1993). The first to die from a bullet wound was the police captain, who was on the balcony of the Ukraina Hotel and filmed the events taking place on a video camera.
7-25. 5 infantry fighting vehicles, crushing the barricades, enter the square in front of the White House.
8-00. Armored vehicles open aimed fire at the windows of the building. Under cover of fire, fighters of the Tula Airborne Division are approaching the House of Soviets. The defenders shoot at the military. A fire started on the 12th and 13th floors.
9-20. The shooting of the White House from tanks continues. They began to fire at the upper floors. A total of 12 shells were fired. Later it was claimed that the shooting was carried out with blanks, but judging by the destruction, the shells were live.
11-25. Artillery fire resumed again. Despite the danger, crowds of curious people begin to gather around. There were even women and children among the onlookers. Despite the fact that 192 victims of the White House shooting have already been admitted to hospitals, 18 of whom have died.
15-00. Unknown snipers open fire from high-rise buildings adjacent to the House of Soviets. They also shoot at civilians. Two journalists and a woman passing by are killed.
The special forces units “Vympel” and “Alpha” are given the order to storm. But contrary to the order, the group commanders decide to make an attempt to negotiate a peaceful surrender. Later, the special forces will be secretly punished for this arbitrariness.
16-00. A man in camouflage enters the room and leads about 100 people out through the emergency exit, promising that they are not in danger.
17-00. The special forces commanders manage to persuade the defenders to surrender. About 700 people left the building along a lively corridor of security forces with their hands raised. They were all put on buses and taken to filtration points.
17-30. Still in the House, Khasbulatov, Rutskaya and Makashov asked for protection from the ambassadors of Western European countries.
19-01. They were detained and sent to the pre-trial detention center in Lefortovo.
Results of the storming of the White House
Very different assessments and opinions now exist about the events of “Bloody October”. Data on the number of deaths also vary. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, 148 people died during the White House shooting in October 1993. Other sources give figures from 500 to 1,500 people. Even more people could have become victims of executions in the first hours after the end of the assault. Witnesses claim to have observed the beatings and executions of detained Protestants. According to the testimony of deputy Baronenko, about 300 people were shot without trial at the Krasnaya Presnya stadium alone. The driver who transported the corpses after the shooting of the White House (you can see photos of those bloody events in the article) claimed that he was forced to make two trips. The bodies were taken to the forest near Moscow, where they were buried in mass graves without identification.
As a result of the armed confrontation, the Supreme Council ceased to exist as a state body. President Yeltsin asserted and strengthened his power. Undoubtedly, the shooting of the White House (you already know the year) can be interpreted as an attempted coup. It is difficult to judge who was right and who was wrong. Time will judge.
Thus ended the bloodiest page in the new history of Russia, which finally destroyed the remnants of Soviet power and turned the Russian Federation into a sovereign state with a presidential-parliamentary form of government.
Memory
Every year in many cities of the Russian Federation, many communist organizations, including the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, organize rallies in memory of the victims of that bloody day in the history of our country. In particular, on October 4, in the capital, citizens gather on Krasnopresenskaya Street, where a monument to the victims of the royal executioners was erected. A rally is held here, after which all its participants make their way to the White House. They are holding portraits of victims of “Yeltsinism” and flowers.
After 15 years since the shooting of the White House in 1993, a traditional rally was held on Krasnopresenskaya Street. His resolution consisted of two points:
- declare October 4 a Day of Mourning;
- erect a monument to the victims of the tragedy.
But, to our great regret, the participants of the rally and the entire Russian people did not receive an answer from the authorities.
20 years after the tragedy (in 2013), the State Duma decided to create a Commission of the Communist Party faction to verify the circumstances preceding the events of October 4, 1993. Alexander Dmitrievich Kulikov was appointed Chairman. On July 5, 2013, the first meeting of the created commission took place.
Nevertheless, Russian citizens are confident that those killed in the White House shooting in 1993 deserve more attention. Their memory must be perpetuated...
Confrontation legislative And executive power in Russia ended with bloody events in October 1993. One of the main reasons for the conflict was the fundamental difference of views on the issue of socio-economic And political course of Russia. The government headed by B.N. Yeltsin and E.T. Gaidar acted as a defender of radical market reforms, and the Supreme Council of the RSFSR headed by R.I. Khasbulatov and Vice-President of Russia A.B. Rutskoi resisted reforms, opposing the market regulated economy.
In December 1992 V.S. Chernomyrdin
V.S. Chernomyrdinreplaced by E.T. Gaidar as head of government. But the expected change of course did not happen; only some adjustments were made to the monetarist course, which caused even greater indignation among legislators. The political situation in Russia in 1993 became increasingly tense.
An important reason for the growing antagonism between the two branches of government was their lack of experience in interaction within the framework of the system of separation of powers, which Russia practically did not know.
The Russian president was the first to strike at a political opponent. In a TV appearance September 21 he announced termination of powers of the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Council. At the same time, the presidential decree “On phased constitutional reform in the Russian Federation” came into force. It actually introduced temporary presidential rule and meant a radical breakdown of the entire existing state-political and constitutional system.
The Supreme Council, located in the White House, refused to obey the presidential decree and equated it to a coup d'etat. On the night of September 21-22, the Supreme Council took the oath of office as President of the Russian Federation Vice President A. Rutsky. On September 22, the Supreme Council decided to supplement the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with an article punishing unconstitutional activities, failure to comply with its decisions and the Congress, and obstruction of its activities “up to and including execution.” On the same day, the White House security service began distributing weapons to civilians.
Over the course of 10 days, the confrontation between the executive and legislative branches of government developed increasingly. September 27 - 28 The blockade of the White House began, surrounded by police and riot police. On the night of October 3-4, bloody skirmishes took place near and inside the television buildings; television broadcasts were interrupted, but attacks by the Supreme Council detachments were repulsed. By decree of B.N. Yeltsin in Moscow was introduced state of emergency, government troops began entering the capital. Yeltsin declared the White House's actions an “armed fascist-communist rebellion.”
Introduction of troops into the capital in 1993
On the morning of October 4 government troops began siege And tank attack on the White House. By the evening of the same day, it was captured, and its leadership, led by R. Khasbulatov and A. Rutsky, was arrested.
As a result of the storming of the White House, there were casualties on both sides, and, undoubtedly, October 1993 became a tragic page in Russian history. The blame for this tragedy lies on the shoulders of Russian politicians, who clashed in the fall of 1993 not only in fighting for their political goals, but also, to no lesser extent, in power struggle.
In September 1993 B.N. Yeltsin issued a Decree, according to which, in July 1994, early presidential elections. In the statement of the President of the Russian Federation dated October 8, i.e. After the defeat of the opposition, it was confirmed that elections to the highest legislative body would take place in December.
