October 1993. Moscow rebellion

[nick_ua]

Here is the story
http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~mes/russia/period/october93.html
here is the pictures
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct1.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct2.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct3.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct4.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct8.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct6.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct5.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct9.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct10.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct11.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct12.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct13.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct14.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct15.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct16.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct17.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct18.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct19.jpg
http://ljplus.ru/img/d/o/dondanillo/oct20.jpg
Rory Peck foreign journalist killed during this sad events
http://www.ljplus.ru/img/s/h/shurigin/pek.JPG
http://www.ljplus.ru/img/s/h/shurigin/belyj-dom.JPG

from here
http://dondanillo.livejournal.com/

[Switek]

Wow, dramatic. Thanks for posting Nick. Very interesting pix.

[Cat_Behemoth]

http://www.ljplus.ru/img/s/h/shurigin/belyj-dom.JPG
from here
http://dondanillo.livejournal.com/

I did similar photo of this BTR, too
Sad time, it was.

[august]

wOw!
thanks!
I was looking for pictures of this for a long time now, do you have any videos?

[nick_ua]

I was looking for pictures of this for a long time now, do you have any videos?

Nope just News reports from this event, and only in a news
I also heard that at least one of Mi 24 was present at the scene, and even made several shots into parlament building, however, I haven't seen any pictures or video which can prove that.

[august]

Nope just News reports from this event, and only in a news
I also heard that at least one of Mi 24 was present at the scene, and even made several shots into parlament building, however, I haven't seen any pictures or video which can prove that.
doesn't matter, if you could post those news reports it would be great.

[Alan]

Remember watching it all on the news. ****ty times thay were.

[Proud American]

nick, you should get paid for your ivestigative skills. Awesome pictures.
My friend who works in the NYPD had a Ukrainian Police Officer from Kharkov over as a guest in his house for 2 weeks during "Police Exchange" training. Are you from the Ukraine?

[M4ko]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_constitutional_crisis_of_1993

prelude

The intensifying executive-legislative power struggle

Yeltsin's reform program took effect on January 2, 1992 (see Russian economic reform in the 1990s for background information). Soon afterward prices skyrocketed, government spending was slashed, and heavy new taxes went into effect. A deep credit crunch shut down many industries and brought about a protracted depression. Certain politicians began quickly to distance themselves from the program; and increasingly the ensuing political confrontation between Yeltsin on the one side, and the opposition to radical economic reform on the other, became centered in the two branches of government.

Throughout 1992, opposition to Yeltsin's reform policies grew stronger and more intractable among those concerned about the condition of Russian industry and among regional leaders who wanted more independence from Moscow. Russia's vice president, Aleksandr Rutskoy, denounced the Yeltsin program as "economic genocide."[1] Leaders of oil-rich republics such as Tatarstan and Bashkiria called for full independence from Russia.

Also throughout 1992, Yeltsin wrestled with the Supreme Soviet (the standing legislature) and the Russian Congress of People's Deputies (the country's highest legislative body, from which the Supreme Soviet members were drawn) for control over government and government policy. In 1992 the speaker of the Russian Supreme Soviet, Ruslan Khasbulatov, came out in opposition to the reforms, despite claiming to support Yeltsin's overall goals.

The president was concerned about the terms of the constitutional amendments passed in late 1991, which meant that his special powers of decree were set to expire by the end of 1992 (Yeltsin expanded the powers of the presidency beyond normal constitutional limits in carrying out the reform program). Yeltsin, awaiting implementation of his privatization program, demanded that parliament reinstate his decree powers (only parliament had the authority to replace or amend the constitution). But in the Russian Congress of People's Deputies and in the Supreme Soviet, the deputies refused to adopt a new constitution that would enshrine the scope of presidential powers demanded by Yeltsin into law.



final crush.


The storming of the Russian White House
Between October 2-4, the position of the army was the deciding factor. The military equivocated for several hours about how to respond to Yeltsin's call for action. By this time dozens of people had been killed and hundreds had been wounded.

Rutskoy, as a former general, appealed to some of his ex-colleagues. After all, many officers and especially rank-and-file soldiers had little sympathy for Yeltsin. But the supporters of the parliament did not send any emissaries to the barracks to recruit lower-ranking officer corps, making the fatal mistake of attempting to deliberate only among high-ranking military officials who already had close ties to parliamentary leaders. In the end, a prevailing bulk of the generals did not want to take their chances with a Rutskoy-Khasbulatov regime. Some generals had stated their intention to back the parliament, but at the last moment moved over to Yeltsin's side.

By sunrise, October 4, the Russian army encircled the parliament building, and a few hours later army tanks began to shell the White House. By noon, troops entered the White House and began to occupy it, floor by floor. Hostilities were stopped several times to allow some in the White House to leave, but Khasbulatov and Rutskoy stayed to the bitter end before surrendering. Many in the building, including Rutskoy and Khasbulatov, were taken away in the end in buses. By mid-afternoon, popular resistance in the streets was completely suppressed, barring an occasional sniper's fire.

Crushing the "second October Revolution," which, as mentioned, saw the deadliest street fighting in Moscow since 1917, cost hundreds of lives. Police said, on October 8, that 187 had died in the conflict and 437 had been wounded. Unofficial sources named much higher numbers, up to 1500 dead, mostly inside the White House. In any event, nearly all victims were killed by troops loyal to Yeltsin. Russian Army and Interior Ministry lost 12 soldiers, at least 9 of which were accidentally killed by their own men. It had been a close call; Yeltsin owed his victory to the military, the former KGB, and the Ministry of Interior, not to support from the regions or a popular base of support.

But he was backed by the military only grudgingly, and at the eleventh hour. The instruments of coercion gained the most, and they would expect Yeltsin to reward them in the future. A paradigmatic example of this was General Pavel Grachev, who had demonstrated his loyalty during this crisis. Grachev became a key political figure, despite many years of charges that he was linked to corruption within the Russian military.[5]

The crisis was a strong example of the problems of executive-legislative balance in Russia's presidential system, and, moreover, the likelihood of conflict of a zero-sum character and the absence of obvious mechanisms to resolve it.[6] In the end, this was a battle of competing legitimacy of the executive and the legislature, won by the side that could muster the support of the ultimate instruments of coercion.[7]


Public opinion on crisis
The Russian public opinion research institute VCIOM (VTsIOM) conducted a poll in the aftermath of October 1993 events and found out that 51% of those polled thought that the use of military force by Yeltsin was justified and 30% thought it was not justified. The support for Yeltsin's actions declined in the later years. When VCIOM-A asked the same question in 2003, only 20% agreed with the use of the military, with 57% opposed.

When asked about the main cause of the events of October 3-4, 46% in the 1993 VCIOM poll blamed Rutskoy and Khasbullatov. However, ten years following the crisis, the most popular culprit was the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev with 31%, closely followed by Yeltsin's policies with 29%.

In 1993, a majority of Russians considered the events of September 21 – October 4 as an attempt of Communist revanche or as a result of Rutskoy and Khasbulatov seeking personal power. Ten years thereafter, it became more common to see the cause of those events in the resolution of Yeltsin’s government to implement the privatization program, which gave large pieces of national property to a limited number of tycoons (later called “oligarchs”), and to which the old Parliament (Supreme Soviet) was the main obstacle.

[nick_ua]

weeks during "Police Exchange" training. Are you from the Ukraine?
in a matter of fact from Kharkov :-)

[Proud American]

in a matter of fact from Kharkov :-)

no way... shoot.. I gotta tell him this. Is Kharkov a big city in terms of poppulation?

[Digimon]

A collection of news reports amalgamated into a film about the events of 1993:

password: 1993

http://rapidshare.de/files/37440054/Holodnaja.osen.93.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440051/Holodnaja.osen.93.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440039/Holodnaja.osen.93.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440052/Holodnaja.osen.93.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440038/Holodnaja.osen.93.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440058/Holodnaja.osen.93.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440043/Holodnaja.osen.93.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440061/Holodnaja.osen.93.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440042/Holodnaja.osen.93.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440063/Holodnaja.osen.93.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37440053/Holodnaja.osen.93.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37439965/Holodnaja.osen.93.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/37439960/Holodnaja.osen.93.sfv

mirrors:

http://rapidshare.com/files/361891/Holodnaja.osen.93.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361646/Holodnaja.osen.93.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361637/Holodnaja.osen.93.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361756/Holodnaja.osen.93.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361864/Holodnaja.osen.93.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361630/Holodnaja.osen.93.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361596/Holodnaja.osen.93.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361796/Holodnaja.osen.93.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361703/Holodnaja.osen.93.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361741/Holodnaja.osen.93.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/361626/Holodnaja.osen.93.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/360836/Holodnaja.osen.93.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/360816/Holodnaja.osen.93.sfv

http://www.filefactory.com/file/b7002d/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/cb6001/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/8def77/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/6f0026/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/b988fc/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/5f8fc7/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/e19d21/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/7a3184/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/0e2787/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/a74be2/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/166095/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/137600/
http://www.filefactory.com/file/bf068d/

screenshots:

[nick_ua]

Is Kharkov a big city in terms of poppulation?
about 2 mil or so

Digimon, you are da man

[AKS]

Wow Nick UA and Digimon thanks for these memories guys. I remember these days like it was yesterday, crazy ****ing times.

BTW Yeltsin is an ass say whatever you want. He kept his power thanks to "siloviki", and yet after evrything treated them like ****. Yeltsin years were the worst years for Russian military, police, and ex KGB, maybe only equaled by the last months of czarist rule in Russia.

BTW if ALPHA unit listened to Yeltsin and stormed the building there could have been MANY more people dead now. They made the right decision and instead of storming the building they entered and talked to Rutskoy and Khasbulatov, thus resolving the stand off in relative peace. While exiting the building one Alpha officer was shot in the neck (bullet went in between the helmet and the body armor).

Because of their refusal to storm the building Alpha guys and Vympel guys LOST a lot of favors. Yeltsin basically destroyed the highly trained Vympel and Alpha barely survived.

What an ASS WIPE

[desantnik85]

Those are superb pictures Nick!

I remember watching all of that unfold on TV... and sitting thinking that I really wasn't quite sure how well things would turn out... scary!

I have some more pics here I'll stick up in a mo.

[august]

Wow Nick UA and Digimon thanks for these memories guys. I remember these days like it was yesterday, crazy ****ing times.

BTW Yeltsin is an ass say whatever you want. He kept his power thanks to "siloviki", and yet after evrything treated them like ****. Yeltsin years were the worst years for Russian military, police, and ex KGB, maybe only equaled by the last months of czarist rule in Russia.

BTW if ALPHA unit listened to Yeltsin and stormed the building there could have been MANY more people dead now. They made the right decision and instead of storming the building they entered and talked to Rutskoy and Khasbulatov, thus resolving the stand off in relative peace. While exiting the building one Alpha officer was shot in the neck (bullet went in between the helmet and the body armor).

Because of their refusal to storm the building Alpha guys and Vympel guys LOST a lot of favors. Yeltsin basically destroyed the highly trained Vympel and Alpha barely survived.

What an ASS WIPE

Yeltsin was a drunk bastard.

[nick_ua]

Yeltsin was a drunk bastard.
well, he is still alive

[Sergei]

well, he is still alive

The bastards usually live longer than the good folks.

[august]

well, he is still alive
hehe ok my fault.
Yeltsin IS a drunk bastard.

[AT-T]

He schould be hanged on the highest kremlin tower. And Chubajs, Gaidar, Chernomyrdin and Berezovsky on the other towers.

[nick_ua]

how dare you not reserving a spot for Gorbachev.
The whole world love him..... except soviet citizens

[Cat_Behemoth]

He'll be hanged on Kutaf'ya, that's enough for him ;)

[AKS]

how dare you not reserving a spot for Gorbachev.
The whole world love him..... except soviet citizens

Amen brother

oh how I HATE GAYDAR and Chubays and Yeltsin and Beroza and Yeltsin. What they did not only caused pain to Russian people but EVRYBODY in ex USSR.

I think hanging them is too nice, they need to feel the pain and a lots of it

[AT-T]

how dare you not reserving a spot for Gorbachev.
The whole world love him..... except soviet citizens

He is to be hanged on the fore yard of cruiser Aurora.

[august]

how dare you not reserving a spot for Gorbachev.
The whole world love him..... except soviet citizens
hehe so true... he is and was the no.1 enemy of the people.