On August 20, the State Emergency Committee took no significant action. Yanayev issued a decree stating that the decree issued by Russian President Boris Yeltsin, which was aimed at seizing the competence of the highest organs of power and administration in the USSR and giving the *** and state executive bodies the competence of the Union organs, was contrary to the Constitution and the law, and enjoined all the organs of power and administration in the Russian Federation and their chiefs to "carry out in absolute terms the decisions of the USSR Committee on State Emergency", and to "implement the decisions of the USSR Committee on State Emergency". Decision". The order declared the four orders issued by Boris Yeltsin on August 19 "legally invalid from the date of their promulgation". The order demands that the heads of the USSR's law-enforcement agencies "ensure that the staff of the Russian Federation's internal affairs, state security and procuratorial agencies comply with the Constitution and laws of the USSR and the decisions of the USSR's State Committee on State Emergencies".
Moscow City Garrison Commander Kalinin announced that a curfew would be imposed in Moscow from 2300 hours on August 20 until 5:00 a.m.
The USSR State Committee on Emergencies demanded that the Russian Radio and Television Committee submit to the leadership of the All-Soviet Radio and Television Corporation. The USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs revokes the order of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs to transfer hundreds of armed cadets from military academies to Moscow.
In contrast, Russian leaders and their advocates took a series of actions on August 20th. At 9 a.m., some 50,000 marchers gathered next to the Russian parliament building, saying they would defend it. Strikes by Siberian coal miners increased. At 13:36 p.m., Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Vice President Rutskoi, Acting Chairman of the Parliament Khasbulatov, and Government Premier Silayev sent a joint letter to Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Lukyanov and demanded that: a meeting with Gorbachev be held within twenty-four hours of the receipt of the letter; that within three days Gorbachev undergo a medical examination with the participation of experts from the World Health Organization, and that the results of this examination be made public; and that restrictions be lifted on the restrictions on the activities of all instruments of public opinion in Russia; to cease the state of emergency in the territory of the Russian Federation for the duration of the non-routine session of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation on August 21; to withdraw the army to its original quarters; to ensure the unimpeded exercise of power by the President of the Russian Federation; to cease the threats against the Russian leadership and to ensure their inviolability and freedom of access; and to dissolve the USSR Committee on the State of Emergency and to revoke all of its orders and decisions. Lukyanov met with Rutskoi, Khasbulatov and Silayev and promised to guarantee the normal conduct of the August 21 meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, the return of the troops stationed in Moscow to their original quarters, and the absence of threats against the Russian leadership.
Yeltsin declared that he was beginning the takeover of the armed forces in Russia, declaring null and void all orders issued after Aug. 18 by Soviet Defense Minister Yazov. Soviet and KGB troops deployed in Russia were ordered to stand down in place, and all troops who had left their original positions had to return immediately. Yeltsin also appointed Major General Shcherbakov as commander of the Leningrad Military District. In the afternoon, Yeltsin also spoke to U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister John Major, seeking international support and calling on the West to demand Gorbachev's release.
Moscow Mayor Popov and Leningrad Mayor Sobchak spoke out against the State Emergency Committee and in favor of Yeltsin. Lukin, chairman of the State Affairs Committee of the Russian Supreme Soviet, told a press conference that about 70 percent of the leaders of local authorities support the Russian leader.
Some servicemen are beginning to fall in line. The seizure of the Russian parliament building, scheduled for 3 a.m. on Aug. 20, was aborted when the KGB's special forces unit "Alpha" refused to carry out the order (Alpha was subordinate to the KGB chairman and was directly under the Ninth Directorate of the Soviet Union's KGB). The commanders of most divisions stationed around Moscow refused to move. Far Eastern Soviet troops in Sakhalin, Kamchatka and elsewhere expressed support for the Russian president.
On August 20, the situation in the constituent **** and states also changed to the detriment of the USSR's State Emergency Committee. President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan issued an official statement that "the declaration of a state of emergency can be based only on the Constitution and the law" and that the USSR Committee on State Emergencies "worked out openly unlawful documents without the participation of the Supreme Soviets of the USSR*** and the States." . He wanted to hear from Gorbachev himself, suggesting that the political situation be discussed immediately at a meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and that a congress of extraordinary people's deputies of the USSR be convened within 10 days. Moldovan President Snegur issued a decree declaring that the decisions and orders of the USSR State Emergency Committee had no legal effect in the territory of the **** and the country. Moldovan Prime Minister Muravski issues a decree banning the publication of Labor, Workers' Tribune, Pravda, Kommersant, Red Star, Soviet Russia, Rural Life, and Moskovsky Pravda in that **** and country. Georgian President Gamsakhurvia issued an appeal to the West to support Soviet democracy, a multi-party system, and a parliament and president elected by the people.
August 21 was the third day of the events. In the early hours of the morning, the State Emergency Committee took action. Just as the clock struck zero hour, a convoy of military vehicles from the Airborne Corps drove from the direction of the U.S. Embassy toward the roadblock by the Russian parliament building. The lead vehicle was stopped and soldiers fired live rounds into the air. The first group of military vehicles drove through the human wall next to the U.S. Embassy in the direction of Novy Arbat Street. 20 armored vehicles broke through the first barricades on Novy Arbat Street and drove towards the Russian Parliament building.
Sporadic gunfire rang out in Moscow. A youth who tried to open the barn door of an armored car was shot dead. Pickets covered the lookout holes of the airborne armored cars with canvas, forcing one to retreat back into the tunnel under Novy Arbat Street. A number of journalists gathered around, and a major officer told RIA Novosti that an attack on the Russian parliament building would be made this evening. Thirty tanks and forty armored personnel carriers have been prepared for this purpose, and nearly a thousand men will take part in the battle. The armed forces are now coming from the direction of Lenin Street and from the direction of Tepestan.
But the army's armored personnel carriers did not pass through the barrier made of trolleybuses, and at 1.30 a.m. retreated to Novoarbat Street. Two Yeltsin supporters were killed and some wounded in the U.S. embassy area.
The army stopped advancing thereafter. Some of the army fell back in favor of Yeltsin. The army began to withdraw from Moscow. Some military districts, such as the Plivolzhsk-Ural military district, openly expressed their support for Yeltsin.
At noon, Yeltsin announced at an extraordinary meeting of the Russian Supreme Soviet that he had taken control of the armed forces in Russia. Many units, notably the Taman Infantry Division, the Kantemirovka Division, and the Airborne Corps, had turned to the Russian Federation side and were carrying out the orders of the Russian president. Instead of attacking the Russian parliament building, the airborne Tula Corps protected it. Yeltsin also informed the meeting that some members of the State Emergency Committee had arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport and asked the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB to send men to blockade the airport immediately.
The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. At 16:00 p.m., the Soviet Ministry of Defense held a press conference announcing the decision of the Ministerial Council of the Ministry of Defense to withdraw the military forces deployed in the state of emergency area back to their original stations. Moscow Garrison Commander Kalinin issued a circular saying it was "inappropriate to impose a curfew" in the capital, Moscow. It was decided to lift the curfew in the capital from August 21st. The TASS news agency also published an announcement that the August 19 rule of the Soviet State Committee on State Emergencies on restricting the publication of socio-political publications in the center, the city of Moscow, and the oblasts would be revoked.
An extraordinary session of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation decided at 17:00 p.m. to issue an ultimatum to the State Emergency Committee; to dissolve the State Emergency Committee immediately; to release Gorbachev; and to lift the state of emergency throughout the country. Having been informed of the departure of Kryuchkov, Yazov and Tidjakov to meet Gorbachev in the Crimea, the Conference decided to send Vice-President of the Russian Federation Rutskoi and Government Prime Minister Silayev to meet Gorbachev in the Crimea as well.
Rutskoy and Silayev set off immediately with 36 heavily armed Special Forces civilian police, accompanied by members of the Soviet Security Council, Bakatin and Primakov, several Russian parliamentarians, and two medical experts. There were also several Soviet journalists, the French minister to the Soviet Union, Pesik, and the Kazakh representative in Moscow, Temirbayev.
Rutskoy and the others conferred in the front cabin of the plane on three operational scenarios: 1. delivering an ultimatum 10 kilometers from Gorbachev's dacha; 2. encircling the dacha and delivering an ultimatum; and 3. raiding and rescuing Gorbachev. Rutskoi also telegraphed Navy Commander Chernavin from his plane to signal for Marine reinforcements and to ensure that the Russian jet landed at a military airfield near Sevastopol.
At 19 p.m., the plane arrived at Crimea's Belybek airport. Bagrov, chairman of the Crimean Autonomous **** and State Supreme Soviet, went to the airport to meet it, suggesting that a phone call be made to Gorbachev first. Silayev said, "We'll go directly."
The presidential villa was silent. The Russian delegation, journalists and doctors were made to wait in the villa's movie room. Someone watched them every inch of the way and told them that Lukyanov, Ivashko (deputy general secretary of the Soviet ****), Kryuchkov, Yazov, Tidjakov and others had arrived first.
A little more than half an hour later, the Russian delegation was invited to the main building. Gorbachev met with all the members of the delegation, then talked to Rutskoi and Silayev, as well as Lukyanov and Ivashko, ignoring Kryuchkov, Yazov, Tidjakov and others.
At about 21:00 p.m., Gorbachev issued a statement announcing that he was in full control of the situation, that contacts with the outside world, which had been interrupted for a time, had been restored, and that in a few days he would be able to carry out his presidential duties in full.
Late in the evening, Mr. and Mrs. Gorbachev, their daughter, granddaughter and members of the Russian delegation arrived at the airport by car. The Gorbachevs boarded the Russian delegation's Tu-134 passenger plane, taking Kryuchkov as a hostage. Lukyanov, Yazov and others traveled on the same plane on which they had arrived. Both planes flew back to Moscow at the same time.
At 2 a.m. on Aug. 22, the plane arrived in Moscow. Rutskoi told the Russian commandos to go down one person and was sure that Yeltsin loyalist Stankiewicz and others were present before walking off the plane with Gorbachev and others.
Meanwhile, the arrests had begun. After Yazov stepped off the plane, Russian Interior Ministry agents covertly escorted him into the airport building. That's when Russian Interior Minister Baranikov tapped Yazov's personal bodyguard on the shoulder and said, "All right, your job is done." Yazov said to Baklanov, who was walking beside him, "Hey, it seems to be catching me ......"
Yazov got into his car, chagrined, threw his marshal's hat on the car seat, and grunted, "Hey, one step too late! ......"
Kryuchkov was calm when he was arrested. Dunayev, Russia's deputy interior minister, who executed the arrest warrant, asked him, "Do you know what the punishment will be?" The reply was, "The trial of me and the other members of the Emergency Committee will not bring glory to Russia and the Soviet Union." Also arrested at the airport was Tidjakov.
At 4 p.m. on Aug. 21, two aides loyal to Gorbachev, who had been hiding in the Kremlin basement at the beginning of the coup, overpowered the only other guard at Yanayev's side, broke down the door, and broke into Yanayev's office. Yanayev asked, "Has everyone been arrested?" One of them - Veniamin Yarin - lied to him and said, "Yes." Yanayev explained that he had joined the State Emergency Committee to avoid bloodshed. Yarin said, "I am not authorized to come here to have a discussion with you." He ordered Yanayev not to leave his office and left. Yanayev looked dejected and became drunk after drinking two bottles of vodka. The next morning, Yanayev was escorted away.
Soviet Interior Minister Pugo received a call at his home that someone was coming for him and calmly said, "Please." Fifteen minutes later, men from the Russian Interior Ministry arrived at his home and Pugo had shot himself. The gun was fired into his mouth, killing him with one bullet. His wife was shot twice and was dying.
Soviet Premier Pavlov, who was being treated for high blood pressure, was placed in local custody.
People's deputies are not subject to arrest without the approval of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.On August 22, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR met and agreed with the report of the USSR Procurator-General on the criminal liability and arrests of the former people's deputies, Baklanov, Bolkin, Varennikov, Starodubtsev, and Schenin.
On August 26, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR decided to suspend Lukyanov from his post as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, and on August 29, Lukyanov, whom Yeltsin described as the "mastermind of the coup d'état," was taken into custody by the Russian Federal Prosecutor's Office.