State Committee for the State of Emergency. After the August events

The events that took place from August 18 to 21, 1991, during which an attempted coup d'état was made, was called the August putsch. During this period, President Gorbachev was blocked by the top leadership of the USSR, with a further introduction of a state of emergency in the country, and the government of the country was taken over by the GKChP created by the "putschists".

What is the "August Putsch" and "GKChP"?

GKChP (State Committee for state of emergency) is a body (most often referred to in the form of an abbreviation) that was created by the top leadership of the USSR.

The GKChP planned to realize its goals by introducing a state of emergency in the country and blocking Gorbachev at a dacha in Crimea. At the same time, troops and special forces of the KGB were brought into Moscow.

The composition of the GKChP included almost all the leaders of the highest echelon of power:

• Yanaev Gennady Ivanovich(Vice-President of the USSR, Acting President of the USSR from August 19 to August 21, 1991).


• Baklanov Oleg Dmitrievich(First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council).


• Kryuchkov Vladimir Alexandrovich(Chairman of the KGB of the USSR).


• Pavlov Valentin Sergeevich(Prime Minister of the USSR).


• Pugo Boris Karlovich(Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR).


• Yazov Dmitry Timofeevich(Minister of Defense of the USSR).


• Starodubtsev Vasily Alexandrovich(Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU).


• Tizyakov Alexander Ivanovich(President of the Association of State Enterprises and Associations of Industry, Construction, Transport and Communications of the USSR).

As can be seen from the list of participants, the leadership of the GKChP are the first persons of the state who, according to the official hierarchy, immediately follow Gorbachev, so it can be assumed that even his closest associates were dissatisfied with Gorbachev's activities in his post. Despite the fact that vice-president Yanaev assumed the duties of the president, the actual leader of the process was the chairman of the KGB, Kryuchkov.

The period of the so-called activity of the GKChP was officially regarded and named as the August Putsch.

Attempts by the GKChP to seize power were unsuccessful, on August 22 all members of this committee were arrested, and the legitimate president took up his duties.

The political and state crisis in the USSR reached its climax by 1991, according to many experts, the state inevitably had only a few months to exist, since there was a lot, even without the creation of the State Emergency Committee, which actually acted as a catalyst for the collapse of the country.

Until now, there is no consensus in society about the State Emergency Committee and the August Putsch. Someone believes that it was an attempted coup d'état, with the aim of seizing power, and someone - that it was the last desperate attempt to save the Soviet Union from an obviously impending collapse.

Goals of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

At that time, no one had any doubts that Gorbachev's Perestroika policy was clearly a failure. The standard of living in the country deteriorated significantly: prices were constantly rising, money was depreciating, and there was a huge shortage of all kinds of goods in stores. In addition, the control of the “center” over the republics was weakening: the RSFSR already had “its own” president, and there were protest moods in the Baltic republics.

The goals of the State Emergency Committee, in fact, can be divided into two groups: state and political. The state goals included preventing the collapse of the USSR, while the political goals included improving the standard of living of the population. Let's look at these goals in more detail.

State goals

Initially, the "putschists" wanted to preserve the integrity of the USSR. The fact is that on August 20 it was planned to sign a new union treaty between the republics that are part of the USSR, which involved the creation of a confederation between these states (the Union of Sovereign States), which, in fact, meant the actual collapse of the USSR and the formation of a new union based on independent republics . This is exactly what the “GKCHPists” wanted to prevent, which such a new agreement led to, we can see on the example of the CIS, with the creation of which the Soviet Union collapsed and the republics began to exist independently of each other.

Some historians believe that main goal The GKChP was to retain its own positions, since when signing a new union treaty, their powers or positions in general would have been actually abolished. However, after the failure of the coup, Yanaev claimed that the members of the GKChP did not stick to their posts.

Political goals

The political goals of the GKChP were to carry out economic and social reforms. The people were tired of the hard life and really really wanted change, as was sung in the then popular song of V. Tsoi. The standard of living was inexorably falling, the crisis covered almost all spheres of life in the USSR, and the only way out of this situation, according to the "putschists", was to remove Gorbachev from office and change the country's political course.

The State Committee for the State of Emergency promised to freeze and reduce prices, as well as distribute land plots of 15 acres free of charge. As such, the GKChP did not announce an action plan and economic steps, most likely, they simply did not have such specific action plans.

Course of events

The events of the August putsch unfolded as follows.

During his vacation, in the city of Foros on the state. dacha, at the direction of the "putschists", the President of the USSR Gorbachev was blocked by employees of specially created units, while all communication channels were turned off for him.

From 8 o'clock in the morning, announcers on the radio read out a message stating that, for health reasons, the President of the USSR Gorbachev cannot fulfill his duties, and these powers are transferred to the Vice President of the USSR Yanaev. The report also spoke about the introduction of a state of emergency on the territory of the USSR and the State Emergency Committee is being formed for the effective management of the country.

All TV programs have been canceled on central television and concerts are being broadcast, including the famous Swan Lake ballet. Broadcasting of other channels is disabled. The ECHO of Moscow radio station broadcasts to Moscow.

The suburban dacha of RSFSR President Yeltsin is surrounded by employees of the Alpha unit. As soon as he learns about the creation of the State Emergency Committee and the attempts of the state. coup - decides to go to the White House. The commander of Alpha is given the command to release Yeltsin from the dacha to Moscow, but this decision, in fact, became fatal for the GKChP.

Upon arrival in Moscow, Yeltsin and other leaders of the RSFSR give a press conference at which they do not recognize the GKChP, calling their actions a coup, and calling on everyone to a general strike. TO to the White House people are starting to turn up. Yeltsin's statement on Moscow is broadcast by the ECHO of Moscow radio station.

Meanwhile, the “putschists” are sending a tank battalion to the White House, which, having not received further orders from the command, after negotiations and psychological pressure from the crowd, goes over to the side of the people and Yeltsin. Then a significant historical event occurs: Yeltsin reads an appeal to citizens from one of the tanks, in which he declares the illegality of the State Emergency Committee and their decrees, that Gorbachev is blocked in the country and must speak to the people, convenes a congress of people's deputies of the USSR, and also calls for a general strike.

The gathered people are building barricades of trolleybuses and improvised metal objects in order to block the approaches to the White House of heavy military equipment.

In the evening, the GKChP holds a press conference that looks more like justifying its actions than any statements. The video clearly shows that the “putschists” are worried. You can watch the press conference below.

From the evening news release of the Vremya program, the country learns about ongoing events. Even then it becomes clear that the "putschists" are not succeeding in a coup.

In the morning, people are gathering at the White House, where a 200,000-strong rally against a coup d'état is taking place. In the evening, the demonstrators are preparing for the assault. A curfew is being introduced in Moscow. Alpha Special Forces refuses to carry out the assault order. As a result of the tank assault, three people from the civilian population die. The assault attempt failed.

Realizing the failure of the GKChP, members of its committee decided to go to Gorbachev in Foros, but he refuses to accept them. Along with this, representatives of the RSFSR fly to Foros for Gorbachev.

At 00:04 Gorbachev arrives in Moscow, these shots also became historical. After that, he reads an appeal to the people on television.

Then Gorbachev holds a press conference in which he gives an assessment of the events. After this press conference, the State Emergency Committee is actually liquidated and the August coup ends.

At a rally on August 22, the protesters decide to make the pre-revolutionary tricolor flag of the RSFSR: white, red, blue flag. And at midnight, the monument to Dzerzhinsky, erected opposite the KGB, was dismantled at the request of the protesters.

After these events, the statehood of the USSR begins to actively collapse, with the declaration of independence by Ukraine, then these processes of declaring independence began to snowball.

All participants and accomplices of the GKChP were arrested. In 1993, over them began trial, which almost all ended in amnesty. Army General Varennikov refused the amnesty, but was acquitted, since the court did not see any criminal acts in his actions.

Numerous documentaries have been made about the events of this period. You can watch the video chronicle of those days in this video.

A fragment of the transfer of the Namedni, dedicated to the August coup.

There are different opinions about the reasons for the creation of the State Emergency Committee, the main ones are:

1) fear of persons who are members of the State Emergency Committee of losing power;

2) saving the USSR from collapse.

According to the first version, scheduled for August 20, 1991. the signing of the new Union Treaty pushed the conservatives to take decisive action, since the agreement deprived the top of the CPSU of real power, posts and privileges. According to the secret agreement between M. Gorbachev, B. Yeltsin and the President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev, which became known to the chairman of the KGB V. Kryuchkov, after the signing of the agreement, it was supposed to replace the Prime Minister of the USSR V. Pavlov N. Nazarbayev. The same fate awaited the Minister of Defense, Kryuchkov himself, and a number of other high-ranking officials.

I would like to believe that the organizers of the GKChP were driven not by selfish intentions, but by patriotism, the desire to preserve the Soviet Union. Let's take a closer look at this version.

Since December 1990, the chairman of the KGB of the USSR V.A. Kryuchkov analyzed the situation in the country and tried to introduce a state of emergency in the ways provided for by the Constitution. The introduction of a state of emergency was necessary in order to restore the rule of law in the USSR and stop the collapse of the Union. By the beginning of August 1991, it became clear that it would not be possible to do this by legal means: they began to prepare a coup. August 7-15, 1991 V.A. Kryuchkov repeatedly met with future members of the State Emergency Committee. On August 18, surveillance was established for the President of the USSR M.S. Gorbachev, who at that moment was on vacation in the Crimea, and the President of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin.

On August 18, Vice-President of the USSR G.I. Yanaev issued a decree on his assumption of the post of President of the USSR. On the same night, the State Committee for the State of Emergency was created. It included the Internet. "Statement of the Soviet leadership". 08/18/1991:

V.S. Pavlov - Prime Minister of the USSR;

D.T. Yazov - Minister of Defense of the USSR;

V.A. Kryuchkov - Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;

O.D. Baklanov - Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council;

B.K. Pugo - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR;

V.A. Starodubtsev - Chairman of the Peasant Union of the USSR;

A.I. Tizyakov - President of the Association of State Enterprises of the USSR.

The main goal of the putschists was to "prevent the collapse of the Union", which, in their opinion, was to begin on August 20 during the first stage of the signing of a new union treaty, turning the USSR into a confederation of independent states. It was on August 20 that the representatives of the RSFSR and Kazakhstan were to sign the agreement.

The putschists chose the moment when the President was away and announced his temporary removal from power for health reasons.

The GKChP relied on the forces of the KGB (Alpha), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Division named after Dzerzhinsky) and the Moscow Region (Tula Airborne Division, Taman Division, Kantemirovskaya Division). In total, about 4 thousand military personnel, 362 tanks, 427 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles were brought into Moscow. Additional parts of the Airborne Forces were deployed in the vicinity of Leningrad, Tallinn, Tbilisi, Riga. "Itogi Nedeli" newspaper. Article: "Twenty years after the coup". 08/21/2011 Generals Pavel Grachev and his deputy Alexander Lebed commanded the troops of the Airborne Forces. However, the putschists did not have complete control over their forces; so, on the very first day, parts of the Taman division went over to the side of the defenders of the White House. From the tank of this division, Yeltsin delivered his famous message to the assembled supporters.

The informational support for the putschists was provided by the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (for three days, news releases invariably included exposure of various acts of corruption and violations of the law committed as part of the "reformist course"). The GKChP also enlisted the support of the Central Committee of the CPSU, however, these institutions could not have a noticeable impact on the situation in the country, and for some reason the committee could not or did not want to mobilize that part of society that shared the views of the members of the GKChP.

The resistance to the GKChP was led by the political leadership of the Russian Federation. At the call of the Russian authorities, masses of Muscovites gathered at the House of Soviets of the Russian Federation ("White House"), among whom were representatives of various social groups- from the democratic community, student youth, intellectuals and veterans Afghan war to members of criminal structures and the "petty bourgeoisie".

GKChP - abbreviation of the name State Committee under the state of emergency, created by several top functionaries of the Communist Party of the USSR on August 19, 1991 in order to save the collapsing Soviet Union. The formal head of the committee was the vice-president of the USSR, member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Gennady Ivanovich Yanaev

background

Economic restructuring

In 1982, the long-term head of the Soviet Union, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, L. I. Brezhnev, died. With his death, the period of relatively calm, stable, more or less prosperous life of the USSR ended, which began for the first time since the formation of the Land of Soviets. In 1985 post Secretary General and, therefore, the absolute master of the fates of 250 million Soviet citizens occupied by M. S. Gorbachev. Aware of the complexities of the Soviet economy, its growing lag behind Western countries, Gorbachev made an attempt to cheer up the socialist economic system by introducing elements of the market into it.
Alas, having said “A”, you should definitely continue, that is, one concession to the ideological enemy was followed by another, a third, and so on until complete surrender

• 1985, April 23 - at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Gorbachev proclaimed a course towards acceleration - improving the existing economic system
• 1985, May - Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On measures to overcome drunkenness and alcoholism"
• 1986, February 25-March 6 - XXVII Congress of the CPSU. It defined the task of "improving socialism"
• 1986, November 19 - The Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted the Law "On individual labor activity"
• 1987, January - at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the task of a radical restructuring of economic management was put forward
• January 13, 1987 - Decree of the Council of Ministers allowing the creation of joint ventures
• 1987, February 5 - Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On the creation of cooperatives for the production of consumer goods"
• 1987, June 11 - the law "On the transfer of enterprises and organizations of sectors of the national economy to full self-support and self-financing"
• 1987, June 25 - The Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU considered the issue "On the tasks of the party for a radical restructuring of economic management."
• 1987, June 30 - the law "On the state enterprise (association)" was adopted, redistributing powers between ministries and enterprises in favor of the latter
• 1988, May 26 - Law "On Cooperation in the USSR"
• 1988, August 24 - in Chimkent (Kazakh SSR) the first cooperative bank in the USSR ("Soyuz-bank") was registered

The measures taken did not bring results. In 1986, the budget deficit doubled compared to 1985
The resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On measures to overcome drunkenness and alcoholism" led to more than 20 billion losses in budget revenues, the transition to the category of scarce products that were previously in free sale(juices, cereals, caramel, etc.), a sharp increase in home brewing and an increase in mortality due to poisoning with counterfeit alcohol and surrogates. Due to low world prices for energy carriers, the inflow of foreign currency to the budget has decreased. Large-scale accidents and catastrophes became more frequent (1986, May - Chernobyl). Sugar stamps were introduced in the fall of 1989.

“In a Murmansk store near the bazaar, for the first time after the war, I saw food cards - coupons for sausage and butter (V. Konetsky “No one will take away the path we have traveled”, 1987)

• 1990, June - Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On the concept of transition to a market economy"
• 1990, October - resolution "Main directions for the stabilization of the national economy and the transition to a market economy"
• 1990, December - the government of the USSR, headed by N. Ryzhkov, was dismissed. The Council of Ministers of the USSR was transformed into the Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR, headed by Prime Minister V. Pavlov
• 1991, January 23-25 ​​- exchange of 50- and 100-ruble banknotes for new banknotes
• 1991, April 2 - double price increase for all products

Nevertheless, in 1991 there was an 11% decline in production, a 20-30% budget deficit, and a huge foreign debt of $103.9 billion. Products, soap, matches, sugar, detergents were distributed by cards, cards were often not stocked. Republican and regional customs appeared

Ideological restructuring

The introduction of elements of capitalism into the Soviet economic mechanism forced the authorities to change their policy in the field of ideology. After all, it was necessary to somehow explain to the people why the capitalist system, which had been criticized for 70 years, suddenly turned out to be in demand in their country, the most advanced and rich. New policy was called glasnost

• 1986, February-March - at the 27th Congress of the CPSU, Gorbachev said:

  “The issue of expanding publicity is of fundamental importance for us. This is a political issue. Without glasnost, there is not and cannot be democracy, the political creativity of the masses, their participation in governance.

• 1986, May - at the V Congress of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR, his entire board was unexpectedly re-elected
• 1986, September 4 - the order of Glavlit (the censorship committee of the USSR) to focus the attention of censors only on issues related to the protection of state and military secrets in the press
• 1986, September 25 - Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU on the termination of the jamming of the broadcasts of the Voice of America and the BBC
• 1986, December - Academician Sakharov returned from exile in Gorky
• 1987, January 27 - Gorbachev at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU:

  “We should not have areas that are closed to criticism. The people need the whole truth ... We need more light now than ever, so that the party and the people know everything, so that we don’t have dark corners where mold would start up again ”

• 1987, January - the anti-Stalinist film "Repentance" by T. Abuladze was released on the screens of the country
• 1987, January - the documentary film "Is it easy to be young?" directed by Juris Podnieks
• February 1987 - 140 dissidents released from prison
• 1987 - unlimited subscription to newspapers and magazines is allowed
• 1987, October 2 - the release of the independent television program "Vzglyad" on television
• 1988, May 8 - an organization of dissidents and human rights activists, the Democratic Union, is founded, positioning itself as an opposition party to the CPSU
• 1988, June 28-July 1 - at the XIX All-Union Party Conference of the CPSU, a decision was made on alternative elections of deputies to the Soviets of all levels
• November 30, 1988 - Jamming of all foreign radio stations is completely prohibited in the USSR
• 1987-1988 - publication of literary works banned in the USSR, articles about the past of the USSR were published in magazines and newspapers, refuting established myths (" New world”, “Moscow News”, “Arguments and Facts”, “Spark”)
• 1989, March 26 - the first free elections to the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR
• 1989, May 25 - The First Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR opened in Moscow, at which for the first time the problems of the country were openly discussed, some actions of the authorities were criticized, proposals and alternatives were put forward. The meetings of the congress were broadcast live and listened to throughout the country.
• 1989, December 12-24 - at the II Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, Boris Yeltsin, who led a group of democrats, demanded the abolition of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR, which stated that "the CPSU is the leading and guiding force" in the state

Perestroika, acceleration, glasnost - the slogans of the policy pursued by M. S. Gorbachev

The collapse of the USSR

The Soviet Union was based on violence and fear, or discipline and respect for authority, as one likes. As soon as the people discovered a certain lethargy and helplessness in the actions of the state, some freedom, actions of disobedience began. Somewhere there were strikes (in the spring of 1989 in the mines), somewhere there were anti-communist rallies (in August-September 1988 in Moscow). However, inter-ethnic conflicts and the activities of national republics caused the biggest problems for Moscow, the leaders of which, sensing the weakness of the Center, decided to take all power in the territory under their control.

• 1986, December 17-18 - anti-communist protests of Kazakh youth in Alma-Ata
• 1988, November-December - aggravation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia because of Nagorno-Karabakh
• 1989, June - pogrom of the Meskhetian Turks in the Ferghana Valley
• 1989, July 15-16 - bloody clashes between Georgians and Abkhazians in Sukhumi (16 dead).
• 1989, April 6 - anti-Soviet rally in Tbilisi, suppressed by the army
• 1990, January - unrest in Baku, suppressed by the Army
• 1990, June - conflict between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the city of Osh
• 1990, March 11 - Declaration of Independence of Lithuania
• 1990, May 4 - Declaration of Independence of Latvia
• 1990, May 8 - Declaration of Independence of Estonia
• 1990, June 12 - declaration of independence of the RSFSR
• 1990, September 2 - the proclamation of the Transnistrian Republic
• 1991, January 8-9 - bloody clashes between the army and demonstrators in Vilnius
• 1991, March 31 - a referendum on the independence of Georgia
• 1991, April 19 - conflict between Ingush and Ossetians, one dead

On August 20, 1991, the signing by the former republics of the USSR of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and in the fall - Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Turkmenistan, a new treaty that terminates the union of 1922 and creates a new public education confederation instead of federation

GKChP. Briefly

For the sake of preventing the creation of a new state and saving the old - the Soviet Union, part of the party elite formed the State Committee for the State of Emergency. Gorbachev, who was resting in the Crimea at that moment, was isolated from the ongoing events.

Composition of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

*** Achalov - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, Colonel General
*** Baklanov - First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council
*** Boldin - Chief of Staff of the President of the USSR
*** Varennikov - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces
*** Generalov - head of security of the residence of the President of the USSR in Foros
*** Kryuchkov - Chairman of the KGB of the USSR
*** Lukyanov - Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
*** Pavlov - Prime Minister of the USSR
*** Plekhanov - Head of the Security Service of the KGB of the USSR
*** Pugo - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR
*** Starodubtsev - Chairman of the Peasants' Union of the USSR
*** Tizyakov - President of the Association of State Enterprises of the USSR
*** Shenin - member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU
*** Yazov - Minister of Defense of the USSR
*** Yanaev - Vice President of the USSR

• 1991, August 15 - the text of the new Union Treaty was published
• 1991, August 17 - Kryuchkov, Pavlov, Yazov, Baklanov, Shenin, Boldin at a meeting decide to introduce a state of emergency from August 19, require Gorbachev to sign the relevant decrees or resign and transfer powers to Vice President Yanaev
• 1991, August 17 - the conspirators decided to send a delegation to Gorbachev demanding the introduction of a state of emergency and non-signing of the Treaty
• 1991, August 18 - Yanaev in the Kremlin met with members of the delegation who returned from the Crimea after a meeting with Gorbachev
• 1991, August 18 - Yazov ordered to prepare the entry of troops into Moscow
• 1991, August 19 - Yanaev signed a decree on the formation of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

GKChP Resolution No. 1 introduced a ban
- rallies
- demonstrations
- strikes
- activities political parties, public organizations, mass movements
- issues of some central, Moscow city and regional socio-political publications
- the allocation of 15 acres of land to all interested residents of cities for gardening and gardening

• 1991, August 19 - units of the Taman motorized rifle division, the Kantemirovskaya tank division, the 106th (Tula) airborne division entered Moscow
• 1991, August 19 - people opposing the GKChP began to gather near the building of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, on Manezhnaya Square, in the evening B. Yeltsin spoke to them, reading out the Decree "On the illegality of the actions of the GKChP"
• 1991, August 20 - the confrontation between Muscovites, led by Yeltsin and the State Emergency Committee, continued. There were rumors about the preparation of a forceful dispersal of the protesters, the storming of the White House, on TV they suddenly showed a true story about what was happening near the White House
• 1991, August 21 - at 5 o'clock in the morning Yazov ordered the withdrawal of troops from Moscow
• 1991, August 21 - at 17:00, a delegation of the State Emergency Committee arrived in Crimea. Gorbachev refused to accept it and demanded to restore contact with the outside world
• 1991, August 21 - At 9 o'clock in the evening, Vice-President Yanaev signed a decree in which the State Emergency Committee was declared dissolved, and all its decisions were invalid
• 1991, August 21 - at 10 p.m., the Prosecutor General of the RSFSR Stepankov issued a decree on the arrest of members of the State Emergency Committee ( more details about the August Putsch are written on Wikipedia)

Outcome of the GKChP

• 1991, August 24 - Ukraine declared state independence
• 1991, August 25 - Belarus
• 1991, August 27 - Moldova
• 1991, August 31 - Uzbekistan
• 1991, October 27 - Turkmenistan
• 1991, August 31 - Kyrgyzstan
• 1991, September 9 - Tajikistan
• 1991, September 21 - Armenia
• 1991, October 18 - Azerbaijan
• 1991, December 8 - in Viskuli near Brest (Belarus), President of the RSFSR B. Yeltsin, President of Ukraine L. Kravchuk and Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus S. Shushkevich signed an Agreement on the disintegration of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Perestroika, acceleration, glasnost, the State Emergency Committee - all these attempts to fix, restore the Soviet state machine were in vain, because it was inseparable and could only exist in the form in which it was

Formation of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

Preparing to create a committee

From the "Conclusion on the materials of the investigation of the role and participation of officials of the KGB of the USSR in the events of August 19-21, 1991":

Members of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

1. Yanaev Gennady Ivanovich (1937-2010) - Vice-President of the USSR, Acting President of the USSR (August 18 - 21, 1991), member of the Central Committee of the CPSU. - Chairman of the State Emergency Committee
2. Baklanov Oleg Dmitrievich (b. 1932) - First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
3. (1924-2007) - Chairman of the KGB of the USSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
4. Pavlov Valentin Sergeevich (1937-2003) - Prime Minister of the USSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
5. Pugo Boris Karlovich (1937-1991) - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
6. (1931-2011) - Chairman of the Peasant Union of the USSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
7. Tizyakov Alexander Ivanovich (b. 1926) - President of the Association of State Enterprises and Objects of Industry, Construction, Transport and Communications of the USSR.
8. Yazov Dmitry Timofeevich (b. 1924) - Minister of Defense of the USSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

Political positions of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

In its first appeal, the GKChP assessed the general mood in the country as very skeptical about the new political course to dismantle the highly centralized federal structure of government, the one-party political system and state regulation economy, condemned negative phenomena, which new course, according to the compilers, brought to life, such as speculation and the shadow economy, proclaimed that "the development of the country cannot be based on a drop in the living standards of the population" and promised a tough restoration of order in the country and a solution to the main economic problems, without mentioning, however, about specific measures.

Television announcement of the creation of the State Emergency Committee

Official statement of the GKChP

Due to the impossibility for health reasons of Gorbachev's performance, the duties of the President of the USSR and the transfer in accordance with Article 127/7 of the Constitution of the USSR, the powers of the President of the USSR to the Vice-President of the USSR Yanaev Gennady Ivanovich.

In order to overcome the deep and comprehensive crisis, political, interethnic, civil confrontation, chaos and anarchy that threaten the life and security of the citizens of the Soviet Union, the sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom and independence of our state.

2. To establish that throughout the territory of the USSR, the Constitution of the USSR and the Laws of the USSR have unconditional leadership.

3. To govern the country and effectively implement the state of emergency, establish "State Committee for the State of Emergency" in the USSR (GKChP of the USSR), in the following composition:

• Baklanov Oleg Dmitrievich - First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council;
• Kryuchkov Vladimir Alexandrovich - Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;
• Pavlov Valentin Sergeevich - Prime Minister of the USSR, Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR;
• Pugo Boris Karlovich - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs;
• Starodubtsev Vasily Alexandrovich - Chairman of the Peasant Union of the USSR;
• Tizyakov Alexander Ivanovich - President of the Association of State Enterprises and Objects of Industry, Construction, Transport and Communications;
• Yazov Dmitry Timofeevich - Minister of Defense of the USSR of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR;
• Yanaev Gennady Ivanovich - Vice-President of the USSR, Acting President of the USSR.

4. Establish that the decisions of the State Committee for the State of Emergency of the USSR are obligatory for strict execution by all bodies of power and administration, officials and citizens throughout the territory of the USSR.

Signature: Yanaev, Pavlov, Baklanov.

In a difficult, critical hour for the fate of the fatherland and our peoples, we turn to you. Over our great homeland hung deadly danger. The policy of reforms initiated on the initiative of M. S. Gorbachev, conceived as a means of ensuring the country's dynamic development and democratization of public life, for various reasons, has reached a dead end. The initial enthusiasm and hopes were replaced by disbelief, apathy and despair. The authorities at all levels have lost the trust of the population. Politicism has ousted concern for the fate of the fatherland and the citizen from public life. An evil mockery is being imposed on all the institutions of the state. The country, in fact, became ungovernable. Taking advantage of the freedoms granted, trampling on the newly emerging sprouts of democracy, extremist forces arose, heading for the liquidation of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the state and the seizure of power at any cost. The results of the nationwide referendum on the unity of the fatherland have been trampled on. Cynical speculation on national feelings is just a front to satisfy ambitions. Neither today's misfortunes of their peoples, nor their tomorrow disturb political adventurers. The crisis of power had a catastrophic effect on the economy. A chaotic, spontaneous slide towards the market caused an explosion of regional, departmental, group and personal egoism. The war of laws and the encouragement of centrifugal tendencies resulted in the destruction of a single national economic mechanism that had been taking shape over decades. The result was a sharp drop in the standard of living of the overwhelming majority of Soviet people, the flourishing of speculation and the shadow economy. It is high time to tell people the truth: if urgent and decisive measures are not taken to stabilize the economy, then, in the very near future, famine and a new round of impoverishment are inevitable, from which one step to mass manifestations of spontaneous discontent with devastating consequences. Only irresponsible people can hope for some help from abroad. No handouts will solve our problems - salvation is in our own hands. The time has come to measure the authority of each person or organization by a real contribution to the restoration and development of the national economy. The deepening destabilization of the political and economic situation in the Soviet Union is undermining our positions in the world; here and there revanchic notes were heard. Demands are being put forward to revise our borders. There are even voices about the dismemberment of the Soviet Union and the possibility of establishing international guardianship over individual objects and regions of the country. This is the bitter reality. The State Committee for the State of Emergency" in the USSR is fully aware of the depth of the crisis that has struck our country. He assumes responsibility for the fate of the Motherland, and is determined to take the most serious measures to bring the state and society out of the crisis as soon as possible. We promise to hold a broad nationwide discussion of the draft of a new union treaty, immediately restore law and order, put an end to the bloodshed, declare a merciless war on the criminal world, put an end to the arbitrariness of the plunderers of the people's property. We stand for truly democratic processes, for a consistent policy of reforms leading to the economic and social prosperity of our Motherland. In a healthy society, the constant improvement of the well-being of all citizens will become the norm. We will focus on protecting the interests of the broadest sections of the population. By developing the multifaceted nature of the national economy, we will also support private enterprise. Our first priority will be to solve food and housing problems. We call on all Soviet people to the shortest time to restore labor discipline and order, to raise the level of production, so that they would then decisively move forward - our life and the fate of the fatherland depend on this. We are a peace-loving country and will strictly comply with all our obligations, but no one will ever be allowed to encroach on our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. We call on all true patriots, people of good will to put an end to the current time of troubles, realize their duty to the Motherland and provide all possible support to the efforts to bring the country out of the crisis.

Official Decree No. 1 (GKChP)

On August 19, 1991, in the continuation of the Vremya information program, the central television announcer, Vera Shebeko, read out the official First Decree of the USSR State Emergency Committee:

In order to protect the vital interests of the peoples and citizens of the USSR, the independence and territorial integrity of the country, restore law and order, stabilize the situation, overcome a severe crisis, prevent chaos, anarchy, and fratricidal civil war. The State Committee for the State of Emergency (GKChP), decides: 1. All authorities and administrations of the USSR, Union and autonomous republics, territories, regions, cities, districts, towns and villages to ensure strict observance of the state of emergency, in accordance with the Law of the USSR on the legal regime of the state of emergency and the decisions of the State Emergency Committee of the USSR. In case of failure to ensure the implementation of this regime, the powers of the relevant authorities and administration are suspended, and the implementation of their functions is entrusted to persons specially authorized by the USSR State Emergency Committee. 2. Immediately disband the structures of power and control, paramilitary formations acting contrary to the Constitution of the USSR. 4. Suspend the activities of political parties, public organizations and mass movements that impede the normalization of the situation. 5. Due to the fact that the State Committee for the State of Emergency (GKChP) in the USSR temporarily takes over the functions of the USSR Security Council, the activities of the latter are suspended. 6. Citizens, institutions and organizations to immediately hand over all types of firearms, ammunition, explosives, military equipment and equipment illegally in their possession. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, the KGB and the Ministry of Defense of the USSR ensure the strict implementation of this requirement. In case of refusal to seize them forcibly, with the involvement of violators to strict criminal and administrative liability. In the government's White House, Boris N. Yeltsin refuses to cooperate with the GKChP and decides not to obey the actions of the GKChP, calling their actions unconstitutional. The leadership of the State Emergency Committee sends a tank battalion of the 1st motorized rifle regiment of the 2nd Taman division under the command of chief of staff Sergei Evdokimov to the building. Liquidation of the State Emergency Committee and arrest On the night of August 20, the first clash between the army and demonstrators takes place in Moscow; three demonstrators died. On the morning of August 21, the Minister of Defense of the USSR D.T. Yazov orders his military leaders and commanders to withdraw all units from Moscow to their places of permanent deployment and lift the blockade of the White House. At 9:00 at a meeting with and. about. President of the USSR G. I. Yanaev, it was decided to send a delegation to Foros to M. S. Gorbachev, consisting of: Luktyanov, Yazov, Ivashko and Kryuchkov The arrested were placed in the Matrosskaya Tishina prison, where they stayed until 1994, when they were released under an amnesty by the State Duma. "Accomplices" and "sympathizers" After the failure of the August coup, in addition to members of the State Emergency Committee, some persons were brought to justice and taken into custody, who, according to the investigation, actively contributed to the State Emergency Committee. Among the "accomplices" were: Ageev Genius Evgenievich - Colonel General, First Deputy Chairman of the KGB of the USSR. Akhromeev Sergey Fedorovich - Marshal of the Soviet Union, Advisor to the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Advisor to the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Advisor to the President of the USSR M. S. Gorbachev on military affairs. Boldin Valery Ivanovich - Head of the General Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Varennikov Valentin Ivanovich - General of the Army, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Generalov Vyacheslav Vladimirovich - head of security of Gorbachev's residence in Foros Lukyanov Anatoly Ivanovich (born 1930) - Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR; his appeal was broadcast on TV and radio along with the main documents of the State Emergency Committee. Medvedev Vladimir Timofeevich - Major General, head of Gorbachev's security. Makashov Albert Mikhailovich - Commander of the Volga-Ural Military District Shenin Oleg Semyonovich - member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Prokofiev Yuri Anatolyevich - member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, 1st Secretary of the CPSU MGK. Ryzhkov Nikolai Ivanovich - Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Kalinin Nikolai Vasilievich - commander of the Moscow Military District, military commandant from the State Emergency Committee in Moscow. Kruchina Nikolay Efimovich - manager of affairs of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Grushko Viktor Fedorovich - First Deputy Chairman of the KGB of the USSR All of them were released under an amnesty in 1994. According to the memoirs of Yu. A. Prokofiev, in preparing decisions of the State Emergency Committee and bringing them to government agencies the secretary of the Central Committee Yu. A. Manaenkov took part, who, however, was not held accountable later. The leaders of the republican authorities in most cases did not enter into open confrontation with the State Emergency Committee, but sabotaged its actions. Open support for the GKChP was expressed by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus N.I. Dementei, 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine S.I. Gurenko and 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Azerbaijan SSR, President of Azerbaijan Ayaz Niyazi oglu Mutalibov, and the leaders of Russia declared themselves opponents of the GKChP - B. N. Yeltsin and Kyrgyzstan - A. A. Akaev. IN Baltic countries the leadership of the Lithuanian Communist Party (CPSU) (M. Burokyavichyus), the Latvian Communist Party (A. Rubiks), and the Estonian Intermovement (E. Kogan), who had lost power by that time, came out in support of the GKChP. After the August events The Russian leadership, which led the fight against the GKChP, ensured the political victory of the supreme bodies of Russia over the Union Center. From the autumn of 1991, the Constitution and laws of the RSFSR, the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, as well as the President of the RSFSR received complete supremacy over the laws of the USSR on the territory of Russia. With rare exceptions, the leaders of the regional authorities of the RSFSR, who supported the State Emergency Committee, were removed from their posts. On December 8, 1991, the presidents of the three founding states of the USSR B. N. Yeltsin, L. M. Kravchuk and S. S. Shushkevich, despite the decision of the all-Union referendum on the preservation of the USSR Union, signed the Belovezhskaya Agreement on the termination of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev officially resigned as President of the USSR. On December 26, 1991, the USSR officially ceased to exist. In its place, a number of independent states were formed (currently - 19, of which 15 are UN members, 2 are partially recognized by UN member countries, and 2 are not recognized by any of the UN member countries). As a result of the collapse of the USSR, the territory of Russia (the successor country of the USSR in terms of external assets and liabilities, and in the UN) decreased compared to the territory of the USSR by 24% (from 22.4 to 17 million km²), and the population decreased by 49% (from 290 to 148 million people) (at the same time, the territory of Russia has practically not changed compared to the territory of the RSFSR). The ruble zone and the unified Armed Forces of the USSR collapsed (the CSTO was created instead of them, except for the three Baltic republics, Moldova, Ukraine and subsequently Georgia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan). Execution and dispersal of Parliament 1993 Opinion of former members of the State Emergency Committee Referring to the memoirs of the 1st Secretary of the CPSU MGK Yuri Prokofiev. Gorbachev himself claims that only practical steps were being prepared to implement the USSR Law "On the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency", which did not involve anti-constitutional actions, and that he never agreed to the introduction of a state of emergency. Display in art see also Literature Decrees No. 1 and No. 2 of the State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR memoirs A. S. Chernyaev“Diaries of A. S. Chernyaev. Soviet policy 1972-1991 - inside view G. I. Yanaev"GKChP against Gorbachev" - M. : Eksmo, 2010. - 240 p. - (Court of History), ISBN 978-5-699-43860-0 A. I. Lukyanov“August 91st. Was there a conspiracy? (2010; publishers: Eksmo, Algorithm) Links Chronicle: , Why did the GKChP lose (an excerpt from the book by A. Baigushev)

DECREE
Vice President of the USSR

Due to the impossibility for health reasons of Gorbachev's performance of his duties as the President of the USSR, on the basis of Article 1277 of the Constitution of the USSR, he assumed the duties of the President of the USSR from August 19, 1991.

Vice President of the USSR
G. I. Yanaev

Appeal
to the Soviet people
August 18, 1991

Compatriots!
Citizens of the Soviet Union!

In a difficult, critical hour for the fate of the Fatherland and our peoples, we turn to you!

Mortal danger hangs over our great Motherland! The policy of reforms initiated by MS Gorbachev, conceived as a means of ensuring the country's dynamic development and democratization of public life, has reached a dead end for a number of reasons. The initial enthusiasm and hopes were replaced by disbelief, apathy and despair. The authorities at all levels have lost the trust of the population. Politicism has ousted concern for the fate of the Fatherland and the citizen from public life. An evil mockery is being imposed on all the institutions of the state. The country essentially became ungovernable.

Taking advantage of the freedoms granted, trampling on the newly emerging sprouts of democracy, extremist forces arose, heading for the liquidation of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the state, and the seizure of power at any cost. The results of the nationwide referendum on the unity of the Fatherland have been trampled on. Cynical speculation on national feelings is just a front to satisfy ambitions. Neither today's misfortunes of their peoples, nor their tomorrow disturb political adventurers. Creating an atmosphere of moral and political terror and trying to hide behind a shield of popular confidence, they forget that the ties they condemn and break were established on the basis of much broader popular support, which, moreover, has passed the centuries-old test of history. Today, those who are essentially leading the cause to overthrow the constitutional order, Must answer to their mothers and fathers for the deaths of many hundreds of victims of interethnic conflicts. The crippled fates of more than half a million refugees are on their conscience. Because of them, tens of millions of Soviet people lost peace and joy of life, who only yesterday lived in a single family, and today found themselves outcasts in their own home. What kind of social system should be decided by the people, and they are trying to deprive them of this right.

Instead of taking care of the safety and well-being of every citizen and the whole society, often people who have power in their hands use it in interests alien to the people, as a means of unprincipled self-assertion. Streams of words, mountains of statements and promises only emphasize the poverty and wretchedness of practical deeds. Inflation of power, worse than any other, destroys our state, society. Every citizen feels a growing uncertainty about the future, deep anxiety for the future of their children.

The crisis of power had a catastrophic effect on the economy. A chaotic, spontaneous slip to the market caused an explosion of egoism - regional, departmental, group and personal. The war of laws and the encouragement of centrifugal tendencies resulted in the destruction of a single national economic mechanism that had been taking shape over decades. The result was a sharp drop in the standard of living of the vast majority of Soviet people, the flourishing of speculation and the shadow economy. It is high time to tell people the truth: if urgent measures are not taken to stabilize the economy, then in the very near future, famine and a new round of impoverishment are inevitable, from which one step to mass manifestations of spontaneous discontent with devastating consequences.
Only irresponsible people can hope for some help from abroad. No handouts will solve our problems, salvation is in our own hands. The time has come to measure the authority of each person or organization by a real contribution to the restoration and development of the national economy.

For many years, from all sides, we have been hearing spells about commitment to the interests of the individual, concern for her rights, and social security. In fact, the person turned out to be humiliated, infringed on real rights and opportunities, driven to despair. Before our eyes, all democratic institutions created by the people's will are losing weight and authority. This is the result of the purposeful actions of those who grossly violate the Basic Law of the USSR, in fact, carry out an unconstitutional coup and are drawn to unbridled personal dictatorship. Prefectures, mayor's offices and other illegal structures are more and more implicitly replacing the Soviets elected by the people.

There is an attack on workers' rights. The rights to work, education, health care, housing, recreation are called into question.

Even the basic personal safety of people is increasingly being threatened. Crime is growing rapidly, organized and politicized. The country is plunging into an abyss of violence and lawlessness. Never in the history of the country have the propaganda of sex and violence, which endangered the life and health of future generations, received such a scale. Millions of people are demanding action against the octopus of crime and flagrant immorality.

The deepening destabilization of the political and economic situation in the Soviet Union is undermining our positions in the world. In some places, revanchist notes have been heard, demands are being put forward to revise the borders. There are even voices about the dismemberment of the Soviet Union and the possibility of establishing international guardianship over individual objects and regions of the country. This is the bitter reality. Just yesterday, a Soviet person who found himself abroad felt like a citizen of an influential and respected state. Now he is often a second-class foreigner, treated with contempt or sympathy.

The pride and honor of the Soviet people must be restored in full.

The State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR is fully aware of the depth of the crisis that has struck the country, it assumes responsibility for the fate of the Motherland and is determined to take the most serious measures to bring the state and society out of the crisis as soon as possible.

We promise to hold a broad nationwide discussion of the draft of the new Union Treaty. Everyone will have the right and opportunity in a calm atmosphere to comprehend this most important act and decide on it, because the fate of the numerous peoples of our great Motherland will depend on what the Union will become.

We intend to immediately restore law and order, put an end to the bloodshed, declare a merciless war on the criminal world, and eradicate shameful phenomena that discredit our society and humiliate Soviet citizens.
We will clear the streets of our cities of criminal elements, we will put an end to the arbitrariness of the plunderers of the people's property.

We stand for truly democratic processes, for a consistent policy of reforms leading to the renewal of our Motherland, to its economic and social prosperity, which will allow it to take its rightful place in the world community of nations.
The development of the country should not be based on a decline in the living standards of the population. In a healthy society, the constant improvement of the well-being of all citizens will become the norm.

Without weakening our concern for strengthening and protecting the rights of the individual, we will focus on protecting the interests of the broadest sections of the population, those who have been hit hardest by inflation, disorganization of production, corruption and crime.

Developing the multifaceted nature of the national economy, we will also support private enterprise, providing it with the necessary opportunities for the development of production and the service sector.

Our primary concern will be the solution of food and housing problems. All available forces will be mobilized to meet these most urgent needs of the people.

We call on the workers, peasants, working intelligentsia, and all Soviet people to restore labor discipline and order as soon as possible, to raise the level of production, in order then to move decisively forward. Our life and the future of our children and grandchildren, the fate of the Fatherland depends on this.

We are a peace-loving country and will strictly comply with all our obligations. We have no claims on anyone. We want to live with everyone in peace and friendship, but we firmly declare that no one will ever be allowed to encroach on our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Any attempts to speak with our country in the language of diktat, no matter who they come from, will be resolutely suppressed.

Our multinational people have lived for centuries filled with pride for their Motherland, we were not ashamed of our patriotic feelings and consider it natural and legitimate to raise the current and future generations of citizens of our great power in this spirit.

To be inactive at this critical hour for the fate of the Fatherland means to take on a heavy responsibility for the tragic, truly unpredictable consequences. Everyone who cares about our Motherland, who wants to live and work in an atmosphere of calm and confidence, who does not accept the continuation of bloody interethnic conflicts, who sees their Fatherland in the future independent and prosperous, must make the only right choice. We call on all true patriots, people of good will to put an end to the current time of troubles.

We call on all citizens of the Soviet Union to realize their duty to the Motherland and to provide all possible support to the State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR, to efforts to bring the country out of the crisis.

Constructive proposals of socio-political organizations, labor collectives and citizens will be gratefully accepted as a manifestation of their patriotic readiness to actively participate in the restoration of centuries-old friendship in a single family of fraternal peoples and the revival of the Fatherland.

Decree No. 1
State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR

In order to protect the vital interests of the peoples and citizens of the USSR, the independence and territorial integrity of the country, restore law and order, stabilize the situation, overcome the gravest crisis, prevent chaos, anarchy and fratricidal civil war The State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR decides:

1. All organs of power and administration of the USSR, union and autonomous republics, territories, regions, cities, districts, towns and villages to ensure strict observance of the state of emergency in accordance with the Law of the USSR "On the legal regime of state of emergency and the decisions of the State Emergency Committee of the USSR. In cases of failure to ensure the implementation of this regime, the powers of the relevant authorities and administration are suspended, and the implementation of their functions is assigned to persons specially authorized by the USSR State Emergency Committee.
2. Immediately disband the structures of power and control, paramilitary formations acting contrary to the Constitution of the USSR and the laws of the USSR.
3. Count forward invalid laws and decisions of authorities and administrations that contradict the Constitution of the USSR and the laws of the USSR.
4. Suspend the activities of political parties, public organizations and mass movements that impede the normalization of the situation.
5. Due to the fact that the State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR is temporarily assuming the functions of the USSR Security Council, the activity of the latter is suspended.
6. Citizens, institutions and organizations, immediately hand over all types of illegally located v them firearms, ammunition, explosives, military equipment and equipment. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB and the Ministry of Defense of the USSR shall ensure the strict implementation of this requirement. In cases of refusal - to seize them forcibly with the involvement of violators to strict criminal and administrative responsibility.
7. The Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB and the Ministry of Defense of the USSR organize effective interaction between law enforcement agencies and the Armed Forces to ensure the protection of public order and the security of the state, society and citizens in accordance with the USSR Law "On the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency" and the decisions of the USSR State Emergency Committee.
Rallies, street marches, demonstrations, as well as strikes are not allowed,
In necessary cases, impose a curfew, patrol the territory, carry out inspections, and take measures to strengthen the border and customs regime.
Take control and, if necessary, protect the most important state and economic facilities, as well as life support systems.
Resolutely suppress the spread of inflammatory rumors, actions that provoke violations of law and order and incite ethnic hatred, disobedience to officials who ensure compliance with the state of emergency.
8. Establish control over the mass media, entrusting its implementation to a specially created body under the State Emergency Committee of the USSR.
9. Authorities and authorities, heads of institutions and enterprises to take measures to improve organization, restore order and discipline in all spheres of society. To ensure the normal functioning of enterprises in all branches of the national economy, the strict implementation of measures to preserve and restore vertical and horizontal ties between economic entities throughout the USSR for the period of stabilization, failure to meet the established volumes of production, supplies of raw materials, materials and components.
Establish and maintain a regime of austerity in material, technical and foreign exchange resources, develop and implement specific measures to combat mismanagement and squandering of the people's property.
Resolutely fight against the shadow economy, inevitably apply measures of criminal and administrative responsibility for corruption, theft, speculation, concealment of goods from sale, mismanagement and other offenses in the economic sphere.
Create favorable conditions for increasing the real contribution of all kinds entrepreneurial activity carried out in accordance with the laws of the USSR in the economic potential of the country and ensure the urgent needs of the population.
10. Consider incompatible work on a permanent basis in the structures of power and management with entrepreneurial activity.
11. The Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR, within a week's time, carry out an inventory of all available resources of food and industrial goods of prime necessity, report to the people what the country has, and take their safety and distribution under the strictest control.
To cancel any restrictions that prevent the movement of food and consumer goods, as well as material resources for their production, through the territory of the USSR, to strictly control the observance of such an order.
Pay special attention to the priority supply of preschool children's institutions, orphanages, schools, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions, hospitals, as well as pensioners and the disabled.
Within a week, submit proposals on streamlining, freezing and lowering prices for certain types of industrial and food products, primarily for children, services to the population and public catering, as well as an increase in wages, pensions, benefits and compensation payments to various categories of citizens.
Within two weeks, develop measures to streamline the wages of managers at all levels of state, public, cooperative and other institutions, organizations and enterprises.
12. Considering the critical situation with harvesting and the threat of famine, take urgent measures to organize the procurement, storage and processing of agricultural products. To provide rural workers with the maximum possible assistance with equipment, spare parts, fuels and lubricants, etc. Immediately organize the dispatch of workers and employees of enterprises and organizations, students and military personnel to the village in the quantities necessary to save the harvest.
13. The Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR within a week to develop a resolution providing for the provision in 1991-1992 of all desiring urban residents with land plots for horticultural work in the amount of up to 0.15 hectares.
14. The Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR within two weeks to complete the planning of urgent measures to bring the country's fuel and energy complex out of the crisis and prepare for winter.
15. Within a month, prepare and report to the people real measures for 1992 to radically improve housing construction and provide the population with housing.
Within six months, develop a specific program for the accelerated development of state, cooperative and individual housing construction for a five-year period.
16. To oblige the authorities and administrations in the center and in the localities to give priority attention to the social needs of the population. Find ways to substantially improve free medical care and public education.

DECREE
Acting President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

On the introduction of a state of emergency in the city of Moscow

In connection with the aggravation of the situation in Moscow, the capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, caused by the failure to comply with the decision of the State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR No. 1 of August 19, 1991, attempts to organize rallies, street processions and demonstrations, facts of incitement to unrest, s interests protection and security of citizens, in accordance with Article 1273 of the Constitution of the USSR, I decree:

2. To appoint the commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District, Colonel-General Kalinin N.V., as the commandant of the city of Moscow, who is vested with the right to issue binding orders regulating the maintenance of the state of emergency.

Acting
President of the USSR
G. YANAEV.
Moscow Kremlin.
August 19, 1991

RESOLUTION No. 2
State Committee

On the issue of central, Moscow city and regional gas t

In connection with the introduction of a state of emergency in Moscow and in some other territories of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on August 19, 1991 and in accordance with paragraph l4 of Article 4 of the USSR Law "On the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency", the State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR decides:
1. Temporarily limit the list of issued central, Moscow city and regional socio-political
publications by the following newspapers: Trud, Rabochaya Tribuna, Izvestiya, Pravda, Krasnaya Zvezda, Sovetskaya Rossiya, Moskovskaya Pravda, Leninskoe Znamya, Rural Life.
2. The resumption of publication of other central, Moscow city and regional newspapers and socio-political publications will be decided by a specially created body of the USSR State Emergency Committee.

Statement
State Committee
on the state of emergency in the USSR

Already the first day of the state of emergency in certain areas of the USSR showed that people breathed a sigh of relief.

No serious incidents were noted anywhere. The State Emergency Committee of the USSR receives numerous appeals from citizens in support of the measures taken to bring the country out of the gravest crisis. The first reaction from abroad to the events in our country is also characterized by a certain understanding, because the worst conceivable development scenario, which worries foreign states the most, is chaos and anarchy in our nuclear country. Of course, distrust and fears are expressed both within our society and abroad in connection with the introduction of a state of emergency. Well, they have a basis: after all, in last years Unfortunately, very often real things in our state had nothing to do with the proclaimed goals. The hopes of the people were repeatedly deceived. This time we will do our best to keep the activities of the Soviet leadership; has earned trust.

Most of the Union and Autonomous Republics of our Motherland support the measures taken due to the exceptionally acute situation. The peoples understand that the USSR State Committee for the State of Emergency in no way intends to encroach on their constitutional sovereign rights.

Dissonance at this critical moment, when a national consensus is required, sounded the appeal signed on the morning of August 19 this year by the leaders of the RSFSR B. Yeltsin, I. Silaev and R. Khasbulatov. It is sustained in a confrontational spirit. There is also a direct incitement to illegal actions in this appeal, which is incompatible with the state of emergency established by law.

The State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR, showing patience and striving for constructive cooperation, considers it possible this time to confine itself to warning against irresponsible, unreasonable steps. Once again, ambition has prevailed in the Russian leadership, and yet the people are waiting for the introduction of such adjustments in policy that would meet the fundamental interests of the Russians.

We would like to emphasize once again that the principle of the supremacy of the Constitution of the USSR and the laws of the USSR has been restored from now on throughout the entire territory of the USSR. We assure you that our practice, in contrast to the empty promises that have set the teeth on edge, will certainly be supported by the implementation of the decisions taken.