What happened on October 3, 1993. Communist Party of the Russian Federation Crimean Republican branch. The White House defenders began to leave. The troops attacking the House of Soviets ask the besieged to cease fire and come out with their hands raised.
The economic and political crisis that began in the 80s of the 20th century in the USSR intensified significantly in the 90s and led to a number of global and radical changes in the territorial and political system of one sixth of the land, then called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and its collapse .
It was a period of intense political strife and confusion. Supporters of maintaining a strong central government came into conflict with supporters of decentralization and sovereignty of the republics.
On November 6, 1991, Boris Yeltsin, who by that time had been elected to the post of President of the RSFSR, by his decree stopped the activities of the Communist Party in the republic.
On December 25, 1991, the last President spoke on central television Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. He announced his resignation. At 19:38 Moscow time, the USSR flag was lowered from the Kremlin, and after almost 70 years of existence, the Soviet Union disappeared forever from political map peace. A new era has begun.
Crisis of dual power
Confusion and chaos that always accompany change political system, did not bypass the formation of the Russian Federation. At the same time as the Congress of People's Deputies retained broad powers, the post of President was established. Dual power arose in the state. The country demanded rapid changes, but the President, before the adoption of the new version of the basic law, was severely limited in power. According to the old, still Soviet Constitution most of powers were in the hands of the highest legislative body - the Supreme Council.
Parties to the conflict
On one side of the confrontation was Boris Yeltsin. He was supported by the Cabinet of Ministers, headed by Viktor Chernomyrdin, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, a small part of deputies, as well as security forces.
On the other side was the bulk of the people's representatives and members of the Supreme Council, headed by Ruslan Khasbulatov and Alexander Rutsky, who served as vice president. Among their supporters, the majority were communist deputies and members of nationalist parties.
Causes
The President and his associates advocated for the rapid adoption of a new basic law and strengthening the influence of the President. The majority were supporters of “shock therapy”. They wanted the speedy implementation of economic reforms and a complete change in all power structures. Their opponents advocated that all power should remain with the Congress of People's Deputies, and also against hasty reforms. An additional reason was the reluctance of the Congress to ratify the treaties signed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. And supporters of the Council believed that the president’s team was simply trying to blame their failures in economic reform on them. After lengthy and fruitless negotiations, the conflict reached a dead end.
Open confrontation
On March 20, 1993, Yeltsin spoke on central television about the signing of decree No. 1400 “On phased constitutional reform in the Russian Federation.” It provided for management procedures during the transition period. This decree also provided for the termination of the powers of the Supreme Council and the holding of a referendum on a number of issues. The President argued that all attempts to establish cooperation with the Supreme Council had failed, and to overcome the protracted crisis he was forced to take certain measures. But later it turned out that Yeltsin never signed the decree.
On March 28, the Congress considers the proposal to impeach the President and dismiss the head of the Council, Khasbulatov. Both proposals did not receive the required number of votes. In particular, 617 deputies voted for Yeltsin’s impeachment, and at least 689 votes were needed. The draft resolution on holding early elections was also rejected.
Referendum and constitutional reform
On April 25, 1993, a referendum was held. There were four questions on the ballot. The first two are about trust in the President and the policies he pursues. The last two are about the need for early elections of the President and deputies. The respondents answered positively to the first two, but the latter did not receive the required number of votes. The draft of the new version of the Constitution of the Russian Federation was published in the Izvestia newspaper on April 30.
Escalation of confrontation
On September 1, President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree on the temporary removal of A. V. Rutsky from his position. The Vice President constantly sharply criticized the decisions made by the President. Rutskoi was accused of corruption, but the accusations were not confirmed. In addition, the decision made did not comply with the norms of the current law.
On September 21 at 19:55, the Presidium of the Supreme Council received the text of Decree No. 1400. And at 20-00 Yeltsin addressed the people and announced that the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Council were losing their powers due to their inactivity and sabotage. Temporary management bodies were introduced. The Russian Federation was appointed.
In response to the actions of the President, the Supreme Council issued a resolution on the immediate removal of Yeltsin and the transfer of his functions to Vice President A.V. Rutsky. This was followed by an appeal to the citizens of the Russian Federation, the peoples of the commonwealth, deputies of all levels, military personnel and law enforcement officers, which called for stopping the attempted “coup d’etat.” The organization of the security headquarters of the House of Soviets also began.
Siege
At approximately 8:45 p.m., a spontaneous rally was gathering near the White House, and the construction of barricades began.
On September 22 at 00-25 Rutskoi announced his assumption of office as President of the Russian Federation. In the morning there were about 1,500 people near the White House; by the end of the day there were several thousand. Volunteer groups began to form. Dual power arose in the country. The heads of administrations and security officials mostly supported Boris Yeltsin. Bodies of representative power - Khasbulatov and Rutsky. The latter issued decrees, and Yeltsin, with his decrees, declared all his decrees invalid.
On September 23, the government decided to disconnect the House of Soviets building from heating, electricity and telecommunications. The security of the Supreme Council was issued machine guns, pistols and ammunition for them.
Late in the evening of the same day, a group of armed supporters of the Armed Forces attacked the headquarters of the joint armed forces of the CIS. Two people died. The president's supporters used the attack as a reason to increase pressure on those holding the blockade near the Supreme Council building.
At 10 p.m. the emergency room opened extraordinary Congress people's deputies.
On September 24, the Congress recognized President Boris Yeltsin as illegitimate and approved all personnel appointments made by Alexander Rutsky.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Government S. Shakhrai said that people's deputies had become virtually hostages of armed extremist groups forming in the building.
September 28. At night, employees of the Moscow Central Internal Affairs Directorate blocked the entire territory adjacent to the House of Soviets. All approaches were blocked with barbed wire and sprinklers. The passage of people and transport has been completely stopped. Throughout the day, numerous rallies and riots of supporters of the Armed Forces occurred near the cordon ring.
September 29. The cordon was extended all the way to the Garden Ring. Residential buildings and social facilities were cordoned off. By order of the head of the Armed Forces, journalists were no longer allowed into the building. Colonel General Makashov warned from the balcony of the House of Soviets that if the perimeter of the fence was violated, fire would be opened without warning.
In the evening, the demand of the Russian government was announced, in which Alexander Rutsky and Ruslan Khasbulatov were asked to withdraw from the building and disarm all their supporters by October 4 under a guarantee of personal safety and amnesty.
September 30th. At night, a message was circulated that the Supreme Council was allegedly planning to carry out armed attacks on strategic targets. Armored vehicles were sent to the House of Soviets. In response, Rutskoy ordered the commander of the 39th Motorized Rifle Division, Major General Frolov, to move two regiments to Moscow.
In the morning, demonstrators began to arrive in small groups. Despite the completely peaceful behavior, the police and riot police continued to brutally disperse the protesters, which further aggravated the situation.
October 1st. At night, negotiations took place in the St. Danilov Monastery with the assistance of Patriarch Alexy. The president's side was represented by: Oleg Filatov and Oleg Soskovets. Ramazan Abdulatipov and Veniamin Sokolov arrived from the Council. As a result of the negotiations, Protocol No. 1 was signed, according to which the defenders handed over some of the weapons in the building in exchange for electricity, heating and working telephones. Immediately after the signing of the Protocol, heating was turned on in the White House, electricity was installed, and hot food began to be prepared in the dining room. About 200 journalists were allowed into the building. It was possible to enter and exit the besieged building relatively freely.
2 October. The Military Council led by denounced Protocol No. 1. The negotiations were called “nonsense” and a “screen.” An important role in this was played by the personal ambitions of Khasbulatov, who was afraid of losing power in the Supreme Council. He insisted that he must personally negotiate directly with President Yeltsin.
After the denunciation, the power supply in the building was again cut off, and access control was tightened.
Attempted capture of Ostankino
14-00. A rally of thousands is being held on Oktyabrskaya Square. Despite attempts, riot police are unable to dislodge the Protestants from the square. Having broken through the cordon, the crowd moved towards Crimean Bridge and further. The Moscow Central Internal Affairs Directorate sent 350 internal troops to Zubovskaya Square and tried to cordon off the protesters. But within a few minutes they were crushed and pushed back, capturing 10 military trucks.
15-00. From the balcony of the White House, Rutskoy calls on the crowd to storm the Moscow City Hall and the Ostankino television center.
15-25. A crowd of thousands, having broken through the cordon, is moving towards the White House. The riot police who moved to the mayor's office open fire. 7 protesters were killed and dozens were injured. 2 police officers were also killed.
16-00. Boris Yeltsin signs a decree on the introduction state of emergency in the city.
16-45. Protestants, led by the appointed Minister of Defense, Colonel General, seize the Moscow City Hall. riot police and internal troops were forced to retreat and in a hurry left 10-15 buses and tented trucks, 4 armored personnel carriers and even a grenade launcher.
17-00. A column of several hundred volunteers in captured trucks and armored personnel carriers, armed with automatic weapons and even a grenade launcher, arrives at the television center. In the form of an ultimatum, they demand to provide a live broadcast.
At the same time, armored personnel carriers of the Dzerzhinsky division, as well as special forces units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Vityaz" arrive at Ostankino.
Long negotiations begin with the security of the television center. While they are dragging on, other detachments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and internal troops arrive at the building.
19-00. Ostankino is guarded by approximately 480 armed soldiers from different units.
Continuing the spontaneous rally, demanding to be given airtime, the protesters attempted to break down the glass doors of the ASK-3 building with a truck. They succeed only partially. Makashov warns that if fire is opened, the protesters will respond with the grenade launcher they have. During the negotiations, one of the general's guards is wounded by a firearm. While the wounded man was being carried out to the ambulance, explosions were simultaneously heard near the demolished doors and inside the building, presumably from an unknown explosive device. A special forces soldier dies. After this, indiscriminate fire was opened on the crowd. In the approaching twilight, no one knew who to shoot at. They killed Protestants, journalists, and simply sympathizers trying to pull out the wounded. But the worst thing began later. In panic, the crowd tried to hide in Oak Grove, but there the security forces surrounded them in a tight ring and began shooting them at point-blank range from armored vehicles. Officially, 46 people died. Hundreds of wounded. But perhaps there were many more victims.
20-45. E. Gaidar appeals on television to supporters of President Yeltsin with a call to gather at the Mossovet building. From among those who arrive, people with combat experience are selected and volunteer detachments are formed. Shoigu guarantees that people will receive weapons if necessary.
23-00. Makashov orders his people to retreat to the House of Soviets.
White House shooting
October 4, At night, Gennady Zakharov’s plan to seize the House of Soviets was heard and approved. It included the use of armored vehicles and even tanks. The assault was scheduled for 7-00 am.
Due to the chaos and lack of coordination of all actions, conflicts occur between the Taman division that arrived in Moscow, armed people from the “Union of Afghan Veterans” and Dzerzhinsky’s division.
In total, 10 tanks, 20 armored vehicles and approximately 1,700 personnel were involved in the shooting of the White House in Moscow (1993). Only officers and sergeants were recruited into the detachments.
5-00. Yeltsin issues Decree No. 1578 “On urgent measures to ensure a state of emergency in Moscow.”
6-50. The shooting of the White House began (year: 1993). The first to die from a bullet wound was the police captain, who was on the balcony of the Ukraina Hotel and filmed the events taking place on a video camera.
7-25. 5 infantry fighting vehicles, crushing the barricades, enter the square in front of the White House.
8-00. Armored vehicles open aimed fire at the windows of the building. Under cover of fire, fighters of the Tula Airborne Division are approaching the House of Soviets. The defenders shoot at the military. A fire started on the 12th and 13th floors.
9-20. The shooting of the White House from tanks continues. They began to fire at the upper floors. A total of 12 shells were fired. Later it was claimed that the shooting was carried out with blanks, but judging by the destruction, the shells were live.
11-25. Artillery fire resumed again. Despite the danger, crowds of curious people begin to gather around. There were even women and children among the onlookers. Despite the fact that 192 victims of the White House shooting have already been admitted to hospitals, 18 of whom have died.
15-00. Unknown snipers open fire from high-rise buildings adjacent to the House of Soviets. They also shoot at civilians. Two journalists and a woman passing by are killed.
The special forces units “Vympel” and “Alpha” are given the order to storm. But contrary to the order, the group commanders decide to make an attempt to negotiate a peaceful surrender. Later, the special forces will be secretly punished for this arbitrariness.
16-00. A man in camouflage enters the room and leads about 100 people out through the emergency exit, promising that they are not in danger.
17-00. The special forces commanders manage to persuade the defenders to surrender. About 700 people left the building along a lively corridor of security forces with their hands raised. They were all put on buses and taken to filtration points.
17-30. Still in the House, Khasbulatov, Rutskaya and Makashov asked for protection from the ambassadors of Western European countries.
19-01. They were detained and sent to the pre-trial detention center in Lefortovo.
Results of the storming of the White House
Very different assessments and opinions now exist about the events of “Bloody October”. Data on the number of deaths also vary. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, 148 people died during the White House shooting in October 1993. Other sources give figures from 500 to 1,500 people. More more people could have become victims of executions in the first hours after the end of the assault. Witnesses claim to have observed the beatings and executions of detained Protestants. According to the testimony of deputy Baronenko, about 300 people were shot without trial at the Krasnaya Presnya stadium alone. The driver who transported the corpses after the shooting of the White House (you can see photos of those bloody events in the article) claimed that he was forced to make two trips. The bodies were taken to the forest near Moscow, where they were buried in mass graves without identification.
As a result of the armed confrontation, the Supreme Council ceased to exist as a state body. President Yeltsin asserted and strengthened his power. Undoubtedly, the shooting of the White House (you already know the year) can be interpreted as an attempted coup. It is difficult to judge who was right and who was wrong. Time will judge.
Thus ended the bloodiest page in new history Russia, which finally destroyed the remains Soviet power and turned the Russian Federation into a sovereign state with a presidential-parliamentary form of government.
Memory
Every year in many cities of the Russian Federation, many communist organizations, including the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, organize rallies in memory of the victims of that bloody day in the history of our country. In particular, on October 4, in the capital, citizens gather on Krasnopresenskaya Street, where a monument to the victims of the royal executioners was erected. A rally is held here, after which all its participants make their way to the White House. They are holding portraits of victims of “Yeltsinism” and flowers.
After 15 years since the shooting of the White House in 1993, a traditional rally was held on Krasnopresenskaya Street. His resolution consisted of two points:
- declare October 4 a Day of Mourning;
- erect a monument to the victims of the tragedy.
But, to our great regret, the participants of the rally and the entire Russian people did not receive an answer from the authorities.
20 years after the tragedy (in 2013), the State Duma decided to create a Commission of the Communist Party faction to verify the circumstances preceding the events of October 4, 1993. Alexander Dmitrievich Kulikov was appointed Chairman. On July 5, 2013, the first meeting of the created commission took place.
Nevertheless, Russian citizens are confident that those killed in the White House shooting in 1993 deserve more attention. Their memory must be perpetuated...
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Gazeta.Ru completes the historical online reconstruction of the events of October 4, 1993 in Moscow and wishes all Russians that nothing like this will ever happen again.
The winners gathered for a gala dinner in the Kremlin. The head of the GUO Barsukov presented Yeltsin with a trophy - Khasbulatov's clay pipe, found in his office. However, the president did not appreciate the gift and threw the valuable thing at the wall. Many participants in the storming of the White House received high awards. The leaders of the Supreme Council were released from Lefortovo in February 1994 by decision of the State Duma. Subsequently, everyone settled well in the new realities.
The tragic events that took place 25 years ago today are remembered by public memorials near the White House, which are looked after by both defense participants and relatives of the victims.
Yeltsin issues decree No. 1580 “On additional measures to ensure the state of emergency in Moscow." A curfew is imposed from 23:00 to 5:00.
According to official data, on the day of October 4, 74 people were killed, 26 of them were military personnel and employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 172 participants in the conflict were injured. As a result of the fire, floors of the White House from the 12th to the 20th were completely destroyed. Approximately 30% of the building's total area was destroyed.
Single shooters continue to fire from the roofs and attics of houses in Krasnaya Presnya and Novy Arbat.
There is a huge explosion in the White House. The fires do not go out. Alpha helps evacuate the remaining people from the building. At the same time, beatings of deputies are taking place in the surrounding courtyards and entrances.
Leader of the Democratic Party Nikolai Travkin makes a statement.
The Supreme Council should have dissolved itself immediately after the April referendum, in which the people refused to trust it, he said. However, exorbitant personal ambitions led the leadership of the abolished Armed Forces and former vice-president Alexander Rutsky to political and moral collapse. In a situation where blood has been shed due to the fault of Khasbulatov and Rutsky and they have driven themselves into a corner, the government must use all means to stop further bloodshed.”
Almost all the leaders of the White House who were inside the building at the time of the assault were detained. Baburin was arrested, while Anpilov managed to escape. He was sent to prison only on October 7.
In his book and numerous later interviews, Korzhakov claimed that he received a special task from Yeltsin - to eliminate Khasbulatov and Rutskoi. The leaders of the White House themselves had such information - they referred, however, to Erin. In any case, the security forces failed to carry out the order. Khasbulatov and Rutskoy did not resist arrest and were in the midst of the deputies.
“Only Khasbulatov, Rutskoi and the security ministers were taken away by bus. The rest were left to be torn apart by riot police and thugs from security business structures, extremist armed groups, and so on,” described deputy Polozkov. — By analogy with the Chilean events of 1973, Yeltsin, like Pinochet, had his own stadium, located not far from the White House. There, many defenders were shot and the corpses were taken away in buses, stacked in piles. They also took away the living to police units.”
According to Polozkov, the official figure of 146 deaths is “absolutely untrue.” The deputy is convinced that at least 2,000 people died, which is indirectly confirmed by the data on unidentified corpses, which in 1993 exceed the neighboring years of 1992 and 1994 by exactly that amount.
Denouement. Chairman of the Supreme Council Khasbulatov, as well as Rutskoi and Makashov were arrested. The leaders are clearly confused and are mentally preparing for the worst. This is how Alexander Korzhakov, who was directly involved in the event, recalled the procedure for detaining the leadership of the Armed Forces. “The inspection procedure lasted more than an hour. An Alpha officer came up to me and reported: Rutskoy and Khasbulatov were downstairs in the hall of the front entrance. Nobody knows what to do with them. They stood in the middle of the group of deputies and did not leave themselves. They are afraid to take them by force.
I went down to the first floor. I didn’t meet Barsukov there. At that time, he was engaged in sending detained generals - Barannikov, Achalov, Dunaev - to the pre-trial detention center. I even had time to talk privately with Barannikov: they say, how did he get to the point where he entered into an open armed struggle with the president.
The bus arrived. I approached the deputies and said in a metallic voice:
Khasbulatov and Rutskoy, please leave.
The answer is silence. About a hundred people stood quietly, without moving. Everyone's faces are depressed, their eyelids are drooping. After hesitating for a few seconds, they hesitantly parted and released the former Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation and the Vice-President.
The head of Rutskoi’s security approached me and asked me to wait a little:
- Alexander Vasilyevich, excuse me, please, now the employees have gone to his office to get his things.
Rutskoi understood that he would be taken to prison, and ordered him to pack his things in advance. Soon they actually brought such a huge trunk that I thought the general had rolled a mattress into it.
Khasbulatov was without things. He behaved with dignity. He didn’t hide his eyes, he just looked too exhausted and unusually pale.
None of the deputies smelled of alcohol, and their appearance seemed quite neat to me.
Rutskoi, without raising his eyes, entered the bus. In the crowd I noticed General Makashov. Ordered:
Take Makashov on the bus at the same time.
According to the Presidential Decree, the instigators of the riots could be detained for thirty days - for resisting. Under the leadership of these people, they destroyed the television center, the mayor's office, and created chaos in the White House. In addition, a separate presidential order was signed for the arrest of Rutsky and Khasbulatov.
The detainees were taken to Lefortovo prison.
The arrest of the security ministers of the Supreme Council - Vyacheslav Achalov, Viktor Barannikov and Andrei Dunaev.
Yeltsin's supporters gather near the Moscow City Council building. There they spontaneously hold rallies and celebrate victory. Leaders of “Democratic Russia” Lev Ponomarev and Gleb Yakunin speak. The first calls for responding with violence to possible violence by supporters of the Armed Forces in the upcoming elections. The second promises to ensure that each Yeltsin supporter is allocated 15 acres of land.
About 100 people remain in the White House, including defense leaders. Separate groups of armed people fight their way through. Shots are heard on Novy Arbat, the editorial office of the newspaper “Moskovskaya Pravda”, the linear department of the transport police of the Oktyabrskaya Railway are being fired upon. Individual pockets of confrontation will flare up throughout Moscow over the next 24 hours. Armed supporters of the Armed Forces and snipers understand perfectly well: in the event of an arrest, there will be no mercy for them, unlike civilians.
Press Secretary of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions Alexander Segal and Moscow Council deputies Boris Kagarlitsky and Vladimir Kondratov were detained after leaving the building.
That's it, the defenders of the White House capitulated. Khasbulatov, Rutskoi and Makashov surrender, but are in no hurry to leave the building. They demand guarantees of their own security from Western European ambassadors accredited in Russia.
Alexander Rutskoy on the journalist’s cell phone in live“Echo of Moscow” addressed the pilots:
“If the pilots hear me, raise your combat vehicles! This gang has settled in the Kremlin and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and controls from there. I am begging you! Save dying people. Save a dying democracy."
And yet the majority did not escape beatings. This is how the MP described the process of leaving the White House Vladimir Isakov:“We were kept on the stairs until dark. And then they suggested walking to the nearest metro station. A chain of people reached the complex of residential buildings on Krasnopresnenskaya embankment. One of them has a studio. We had to go through it, presenting our things for inspection to make sure there were no weapons.
It was then that it became clear that they wouldn’t let us leave just like that... I was pushed into the corridor, and then into the yard. Shouts, obscenities: “Run, ***!” A burly riot policeman grabs me by the shoulder and shouts “Hold the deputy!” - pushes into some entrance.
And immediately - a blow to the head. Instinctively I grab my glasses that have fallen off. Blood floods the face. Blows rain in from the right, from the left... Checkmate. Shouts: “Privatized the apartment, take it!” They hit each other in a bunch, jostling and interfering with each other. It smells disgustingly of fumes. Finally, one guessed: “Come on, move away!” Pushing the others aside, he swings his machine gun and tries to hit him in the groin, but I dodge and the butt of the gun hits my leg to the knee. They tear off the deputy badge and try to attach it to my forehead, over the fresh bruise. Someone hits the bag so hard that it bursts: papers - the documents of the Congress - fly across the floor like a fan. A moment of confusion - they did not expect this. I’m trying to reassure him: “What are you doing... I taught people like you the laws at the university...” They throw them upstairs, onto the stairwell.
From the staircase the same staircase leads down to the second exit from the entrance. They also beat her. I see the massive figure of Ivan Shashviashvili nearby - he is being “processed” by several riot police at once. They beat women - Svetlana Goryacheva, Irina Vinogradova.
I hear Sazha Umalatova’s piercing scream: “Stop it! Stop it!” From the crowd of people, riot police catch a guy in uniform military trousers and take him somewhere. According to many testimonies, such people were shot.
Finally, having had our fill, we (a group of six people) were pushed out of the entrance. The street is brightly lit - we understand that we cannot walk along it. Having slipped along the wall, we dive into the saving darkness of the arch, into the depths of the block. But there are “surprises” prepared there too. Riot police are holed up behind the bushes, chasing people trying to escape from corner to corner in bursts. At the entrances they are waiting for the “finishing” groups. Heartbreaking screams can be heard from there - the riot police are “having fun”...
The exceptionally positive role of Alpha in the events, in contrast to other units, was subsequently noted by many participants in the defense of the White House. And here is what he noted in his book “Privatization according to Chubais. Voucher scam. Shooting of Parliament" People's Deputy Sergei Polozkov.
“If it weren’t for Alpha,” the guys said, we wouldn’t exist. Indeed, the “Alfa people,” despite the fact that their comrade was killed, decided not to carry out the order, but to ensure the withdrawal of people from the White House, and used weapons only when they tried to resist them,” the parliamentarian wrote.
The commanders of Alpha and Vympel are trying to negotiate with the leaders of the Supreme Council on a peaceful surrender. Alpha guarantees the safety of the White House defenders, despite the murder of its officer. 100 people leave the building along with the special forces. They are promised to be released, escorted to the nearest working metro station. Detachment members protect parliament supporters from riot police who are eager to deal with their opponents. Vympel refused to carry out the assault order, as a result of which it will undergo reorganization in the near future.
Many of the direct participants in the October 1993 events are alive and willingly share their memories. Columnist for Gazeta.Ru Alexander Bratersky I spoke with one of the leaders of street protests, a people's deputy, an active supporter of the president and the Prosecutor General of Russia at that time.
Alexander Rutskoy in his memoirs included unknown snipers in the Presidential Security Service. In the press of the mid-1990s, depending on its views, these killers were called “Rutskoi’s snipers” or “Korzhakov’s snipers.” One thing is certain: dozens of people became victims of the shooters, most of whom managed to escape and evade justice.
The sniper fire does not subside, which greatly hinders the de-escalation of the conflict. Now unknown shooters are working on the roofs of buildings opposite the Oktyabr cinema.
The commander of one of the regiments of the Taman division, parts of which are stationed in the building of the Mir Hotel, draws the attention of journalists to teenage marauders. Young people are trying to take possession of weapons left behind by the dead and wounded.
More and more government reinforcements are arriving at the White House. Having finally believed in an imminent victory, Yeltsin left the Kremlin to go home to rest.
At a meeting of the leaders of the constituent entities of the federation in the building of the Constitutional Court, a statement was adopted demanding to stop the storming of the White House and to resume negotiations between Yeltsin and the Supreme Council
The Presidents of Kalmykia and Ingushetia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Ruslan Aushev, entered the building of the Supreme Council under a white flag to meet with Ruslan Khasbulatov and Alexander Rutsky. Defenders reported more than 500 killed. Ilyumzhinov also confirmed a large number of corpses. According to Aushev, they managed to bring out 12 women and a child.
According to Korzhakov, who subsequently found out the identity of the snipers, many of them came from Transnistria.
Details of the tragedy are given in his book"Boris Yeltsin: from dawn to dusk" head of the SBP Alexander Korzhakov.
“The area around the White House was divided into conditional areas. Paratroopers were responsible for one sector, the Ministry of Internal Affairs for another, and Alpha for the third. Barsukov (Head of the Main Directorate of Education. - "Gazeta.Ru") contacted Erin (Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. - "Gazeta.Ru"), he immediately sent four infantry fighting vehicles with driver-soldiers. To the question: “Are there any volunteers?” - Eight people responded. Young, thin-necked drivers were replaced by “alfi drivers.” We got into our cars and drove to the White House. About ten minutes later a message comes over the radio: Gennady Sergeev, a thirty-year-old junior lieutenant, the one who first suggested switching to a BMD, has been killed. They shot him ridiculously. He got out of the armored vehicle and wanted to pick up a seriously wounded paratrooper. He bent over him, and the sniper’s bullet hit him in the lower back, under his body armor,” the lieutenant general describes the murder of the officer.
Emergency! Alpha junior lieutenant Gennady Sergeev was killed by sniper fire. The 29-year-old officer was fatally wounded when he got out of an infantry fighting vehicle and tried to pick up a wounded man lying on the ground. The shot did not come from the White House, but from the opposite direction.
Sergeev should not have been at the Supreme Council at all, since he was on vacation. But he responded to the events taking place and arrived at his unit. On October 7, Yeltsin posthumously awarded the officer the title of Hero of Russia.
After the murder of Sergeev, Alpha cast aside doubts and went to seize the building. This event predetermined the outcome.
The flow of people does not stop. These are mainly simple defenders and random people - for example, from a peacekeeping delegation that came to The White house the day before. There are no recognizable people, much less leaders of the Supreme Council, among those leaving. Everyone is thoroughly searched and prohibited from leaving. A corpse is taken out of the building.
A mass exodus of defenders begins from the White House, mostly civilians, many of them women. People come out in groups at intervals of several minutes. Many security forces greet supporters of the Supreme Council with extreme hostility. Ten policemen who supported parliament and now surrendered are especially hated. They were searched and left standing with their hands raised behind their heads.
“Goats! Rip off their shoulder straps! - is heard in the crowd.
The detainees are taken to Luzhniki and placed in the Druzhba sports complex.
Government troops again and again offer the besieged to cease fire and surrender. However, some defenders continue to resist. Response machine gun fire can be heard from the White House. There are dead and injured among the riot police.
The situation in the city affected the work of the Moscow metro. The sections “Bagrationovskaya” - “Alexandrovsky Garden”, “Park Kultury” - “Belorusskaya” are closed; the stations “Ulitsa 1905 Goda” and “Barrikadnaya” are not open for entry and exit. Of the three Kyiv stations, only the one on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line is operational.
Parallel to the events, a sniper war takes place. The security forces are unable to suppress enemy firing points. There are many shooters - supporters of the Supreme Council. Snipers occupied the upper floors of buildings at the intersection of New Arbat and the Garden Ring. In fear of catching a bullet, onlookers, of which there are a lot, hide in the underground passage. New wounded people are appearing, including among journalists. The offices of RIA Novosti and ITAR-TASS in the White House were destroyed by tank shells.
The television center in Ostankino resumes operation. The building is guarded by armored personnel carriers. A group of pro-government MPs addresses their colleagues in the White House.
“The rabid adherents of Soviet totalitarianism stained society with blood and bandit pogroms,” the appeal says. “Innocent blood is being shed in the name of adventurous ambitions.” Our children, relatives and friends are in danger. Our Fatherland is in danger. The time for long discussions is exhausted. It's time to make decisions."
The Moscow Federation of Trade Unions makes a special statement.
“Gloomy forecasts regarding the deepening of the political crisis in Russia, unfortunately, came true. The civil war is knocking on our doors, not in words, but in deeds. The blood of citizens, riot police and police was shed on the streets of the city. The severity and severity of the political conflict once again fell on the shoulders of Muscovites and workers of the capital. We appeal to the warring parties, the leaders of the country and the city: to ensure as soon as possible the necessary conditions for the peaceful life of citizens, to stop bloodshed and eliminate instances of gross violence. We appeal to all Muscovites and work collectives with a request to observe prudence and restraint, and not to succumb to the provocations of extremists. Let's stop civil war in Moscow!" - says the address to the people.
Security forces are clearing the neighborhoods adjacent to the White House. Shots are heard near the Sovintsentr building (now the World Trade Center) and the American Embassy. Some police officers act especially cruelly. Thus, the security guards of the President of Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, were brutally beaten; they were placed face down on the asphalt and kicked. Law enforcement officers considered Ilyumzhinov himself to be a supporter of the Supreme Council, although the politician served as a peacemaker and called on the government to stop shelling. “Now there is no need to look for those to blame, we just need to do everything to stop the bleeding. Today the White House will be drowned out by tanks and helicopters, and tomorrow - all regions. Today the White House is behind barbed wire, tomorrow it’s Kalmykia, the day after tomorrow it’s all of Russia. At the end of the 20th century, it is unacceptable to solve political problems with tanks and helicopters. I don’t understand the position of the West supporting this massacre,” Ilyumzhinov told reporters.
In the newspaper editorial office Soviet Russia" and "Workers' Tribune" policemen burst in with machine guns. Publication has been discontinued.
Supporters of the Supreme Council located in the former CMEA (City Hall) building are trying to break through to the White House. The 15th floor is on fire there. There are wounded civilians who, however, are afraid to go outside. Ambulances are approaching the building. Tires, tires and sprinklers are burning on the Square of Free Russia.
All this time, the Alpha fighters only observe the events at the White House, but almost do not interfere. Alpha commanders come to Yeltsin's supporters. A number of officers consider what is happening to be unconstitutional and demand an opinion from the Constitutional Court to carry out the order. Aides had to urgently wake up the president, who spoke to the special forces. When asked whether Alpha would carry out the order, there was silence...
Yeltsin went to sleep in the back room.
An appeal from famous artists who spoke on the side of President Yeltsin is broadcast on TV. Actors Liya Akhedzhakova, Mikhail Zhigalov, Sergei Zhigunov, Nikita Dzhigurda and singer Yuri Loza gathered at the table in the studio. The most emotional of them all is Akhedzhakova, who is distinguished by her high political activity in our time. “The homeland is in danger, don’t sleep! Terrible things threaten us, the communists will come again!” — the actress warns Russians.
Soldiers of the Taman Division continue to gain a foothold in the building. The fighting had already moved to the fifth floor level. Some defenders of the White House are beginning to give up. Healthy supporters of the Supreme Council leaving the building have their hands tied. Sensing the enemy's demoralization, the government military turns on the loudspeakers. “Drop your weapons, surrender. Otherwise you will be destroyed."- admonish opponents.
Report from the Main Medical Directorate: 192 victims were treated in Moscow hospitals, 158 people were hospitalized, 18 died from their wounds.
Another tragic news. Government snipers, right in front of journalists, killed a supporter of the Supreme Council with a grenade in his hand who was on the roof of the city hall (former CMEA building). Judging by appearance, the guy has not yet reached adulthood...
Communists do not give up! Left forces gather for a rally near the Lenin Museum (today the building of the State Historical Museum).
Acting Minister of Justice Yuri Kalmykov issues an order to suspend the activities of organizations that side with the Supreme Council. Among others, this is the “Union of Officers” of Stanislav Terekhov, “ Labor Russia» Viktor Anpilov and even the Communist Party of the Russian Federation! By the way, the leader of the Russian communists Gennady Zyuganov does not accept active participation in the events of October 3-4. He is neither on the barricades nor in the White House. This fact is still remembered by Zyuganov. The most ardent supporters of the Supreme Council even hint at cowardice or “betrayal”...
The Constitutional Court met in closed session. They are trying to determine how legal the actions of both opposing sides are. It is no secret that in the president’s camp, the head of the Constitutional Court, Valery Zorkin, is considered too loyal to the Supreme Council. Actually, on October 6, due to pressure from the victors, he will have to leave his post in order to triumphantly return under Vladimir Putin. In the meantime, Zorkin, in coalition with Patriarch Alexy II, is making efforts to stop the violence in the Russian capital. Both peacekeepers are holding telephone conversations with Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and the suspended vice-president (according to the Supreme Court, the president) Alexander Rutsky.
The firefight intensifies. Government troops occupied the first two floors. The battles are taking place on the third or fourth floors. Black smoke pours out of the broken windows. Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council Yuri Voronin, appointed by Rutsky as Minister of Defense, Vyacheslav Achalov and Orthodox priest Father Nikon, using a radio seized a day earlier from the police, calls on the troops to cease fire and begin negotiations. However, the cannonade does not stop. Then White House defenders ask that women and children be given the opportunity to leave the building. The military agrees to this. The fire ceased for several minutes, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers form a corridor. It was not possible to implement the plan - the operation to remove people failed due to renewed firefight.
According to the memoirs of Yegor Gaidar, given in the book “Days of Defeats and Victories,” 10 blanks and 2 incendiary shells were fired at the White House. According to official data from the Ministry of Defense, the tanks fired two armor-piercing sub-caliber and ten high-explosive fragmentation shells. The then head of the department, Pavel Grachev, argued in an interview with Forbes in 2012 that only blanks were used.
"I say, 'I propose to scare them.' “I will bring the tank to direct fire and inert fire... well, several times. They will run away on their own. At least they will go down into the basements, the snipers will also run away after these shells, and there, in the basements, we will find them.” "Good". Well, I take the tank to this stone bridge near the “Ukraine”, I go up to the tank myself, I put the captain as the gunner-operator, and the senior lieutenant as the driver, I go up to the tank, the bullets just click - click, click, click, click . At the end of the day, I don’t think they’ll get it. I say: “Guys, do you see the roofs? Count down. One, two, three, four, five, six, seventh window. This is presumably Khasbulatov's office, they are there. We need to get there, through the window. “Are there any shells?” - “Combat or something like that?” - “What kind of combat? Are you crazy? Let's have some blanks." - "Fine".
And downstairs there are already a lot of people. Our onlookers love it just like they came to the theater. I say: “Guys, look, you won’t get in, the people will die. Then everything will be torn apart." I say to the captain: “Will you get in?” “I’ll hit it! Just think, less than a kilometer.” “Did you see the American embassy there, behind you? Look, if you hit the embassy, there will be a scandal.” “Comrade Minister, everything will be fine.” Well, I say: “Fire, alone.” I saw the first one - bang, it just flew into the window. I say: “Are there any more?” "Eat". “Here are five more runaways, fire!” He is dum-dum-dum. I see everything is on fire. Beautiful. All at once the snipers from the rooftops instantly ran away, as if brushed aside by hand. Well, when the snipers were brushed off and the tanks finished firing, I gave the command to the 119th regiment to storm. They opened the doors and shot there. Well, of course, I had nine killed, there was shooting inside, but they killed a lot of them... No one simply counted them. A lot,” said Grachev.
Meanwhile, the lower floors of the White House are being shelled with heavy machine guns. Elements of room decoration are burning. Armored vehicles shoot at people. The fighters of the attacking side in short dashes approach the building, gradually capturing bridgehead after bridgehead.
Yeltsin addresses Russians via TV. He calls the current moment a “difficult moment.” The President looks very tired on screen. Apparently, he only managed to sleep for a couple of hours. In his message, Yeltsin calls the Moscow events an “armed rebellion.”
“In the capital of Russia, shots are thundering and blood is flowing,” Yeltsin has difficulty reading the text from a piece of paper. - Militants brought from all over the country, incited by the leadership of the White House, are sowing death and destruction. I know that for many of you this night was sleepless. I know that you understood everything. This disturbing and tragic night taught us a lot. We did not prepare for war. We hoped that we could come to an agreement and maintain peace in the capital. Those who went against a peaceful city and unleashed a bloodbath are criminals. This is not only the crime of individual bandits and pogromists. Everything that happened and is still happening in Moscow is a pre-planned armed rebellion.
It was organized by communist revanchists, fascist leaders, some former deputies, and representatives of the Soviets.
Under the cover of negotiations, they accumulated forces and assembled armed detachments from mercenaries accustomed to murder and arbitrariness. An insignificant handful of politicians tried to impose their will on the entire country with weapons. The means by which they wanted to control Russia were shown to the whole world - these were cynical lies, bribery, cobblestones, sharpened iron rods, machine guns and machine guns.
Those who are waving red flags have once again stained Russia with blood. They hoped for surprise. That their arrogance and cruelty will sow fear and confusion.”
TV Mig has at its disposal the latest footage filmed by Captain Ruban.
The need for decisive action was explained in the document by “mass riots and terrorist acts that resulted in human casualties, the creation by extremist forces in Moscow of a threat to the life, health, and constitutional rights of citizens.” The army of White House defenders received unexpected reinforcement in the form of 18 military personnel from a separate anti-aircraft missile training unit air defense regiment.
The topic of “bloody October 1993” is still under seven seals today. No one knows exactly how many citizens died in those troubled days. However, the figures cited by independent sources are terrifying.
Scheduled for 7:00
In the fall of 1993, the confrontation between the two branches of power - the president and the government, on the one hand, and the people's deputies and the Supreme Council, on the other - reached a dead end. The Constitution, which the opposition so zealously defended, tied Boris Yeltsin’s hands and feet. There was only one way out: to change the law, if necessary - by force.
The conflict entered a phase of extreme aggravation on September 21, after the famous decree No. 1400, in which Yeltsin temporarily terminated the powers of the Congress and the Supreme Council. Communications, water and electricity were cut off in the parliament building. However, the legislators blocked there were not going to give up. Volunteers came to their aid and defended the White House.
On the night of October 4, the president decides to storm the Supreme Council using armored vehicles, and government troops converge on the building. The operation is scheduled for 7 am. As soon as the eighth hour countdown began, the first victim appeared - a police captain, who was filming what was happening from the balcony of the Ukraina Hotel, was killed by a bullet.
White House victims
Already at 10 a.m., information about the death began to arrive. large quantity defenders of the residence of the Supreme Council as a result of tank shelling. By 11:30 a.m., 158 people required medical attention, 19 of whom later died in hospital. At 13:00, People's Deputy Vyacheslav Kotelnikov reported large casualties among those who were in the White House. At approximately 2:50 p.m., unknown snipers begin shooting at people crowded outside the parliament.
Closer to 16:00, the resistance of the defenders was suppressed. A government commission assembled in hot pursuit quickly tallies the victims of the tragedy - 124 killed, 348 wounded. Moreover, the list does not include those killed in the White House itself.
Supervisor investigation team Prosecutor General's Office Leonid Proshkin, who was involved in the seizure of the Moscow mayor's office and the television center, notes that all the victims are the result of attacks by government forces, since it was proven that “not a single person was killed by the weapons of the White House defenders.” According to the Prosecutor General's Office, cited by deputy Viktor Ilyukhin, a total of 148 people died during the storming of parliament, with 101 people killed near the building.
And then, in various comments on these events, the numbers only grew. On October 4, CNN, relying on its sources, said that about 500 people had died. The newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, citing soldiers of the internal troops, wrote that they collected the remains of almost 800 defenders, “charred and torn by tank shells.” Among them were those who drowned in the flooded basements of the White House. Former deputy of the Supreme Council from Chelyabinsk region Anatoly Baronenko announced 900 dead.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta published an article by an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who did not want to introduce himself, who said: “In total, about 1,500 corpses were discovered in the White House, among them women and children. All of them were secretly taken from there through an underground tunnel leading from the White House to the Krasnopresnenskaya metro station, and then outside the city, where they were burned.”
There is unconfirmed information that a note was seen on the desk of Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, which indicated that 1,575 corpses were taken out of the White House in just three days. But what surprised everyone the most was Literary Russia, which announced 5,000 dead.
Difficulties in counting
Representative of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Tatyana Astrakhankina, who headed the commission to investigate the events of October 1993, found that soon after the shooting of the parliament, all materials on this case were classified, “some medical histories of the wounded and dead” were rewritten, and “dates of admission to morgues and hospitals” were changed. . This, of course, creates an almost insurmountable obstacle to accurately counting the number of victims of the storming of the White House.
The number of deaths, at least in the White House itself, can only be determined indirectly. If you believe the assessment of Obshchaya Gazeta, about 2,000 besieged people left the White House without filtering. Considering that initially there were about 2.5 thousand people there, we can conclude that the number of victims definitely did not exceed 500.
We must not forget that the first victims of the confrontation between supporters of the president and parliament appeared long before the White House attack. So, on September 23, two people died on the Leningradskoye Highway, and since September 27, according to some estimates, casualties have become almost daily.
According to Rutsky and Khasbulatov, by mid-day on October 3, the death toll reached 20 people. In the afternoon of the same day, as a result of a clash between oppositionists and Ministry of Internal Affairs forces on the Crimean Bridge, 26 civilians and 2 policemen were killed.
Even if we look up the lists of all the dead, those who died in hospitals and those missing in action during those days, it will be extremely difficult to determine which of them became victims of political clashes.
Ostankino massacre
On the eve of the storming of the White House on the evening of October 3, responding to Rutskoi’s call, General Albert Makashov, at the head of an armed detachment of 20 people and several hundred volunteers, tried to seize the television center building. However, by the time the operation began, Ostankino was already guarded by 24 armored personnel carriers and about 900 military personnel loyal to the president.
After trucks belonging to supporters of the Supreme Council rammed the ASK-3 building, an explosion occurred (its source was never determined), causing the first casualties. This was the signal for heavy fire, which began to be fired by internal troops and police officers from the television complex building.
They fired in bursts and single shots, including from sniper rifles, just into the crowd, without distinguishing whether they were journalists, onlookers or those trying to pull out the wounded. Later, the indiscriminate shooting was explained by the large crowding of people and the approaching twilight.
But the worst thing began later. Most people tried to hide in the Oak Grove located next to AEK-3. One of the oppositionists recalled how the crowd was squeezed into a grove on both sides, and then they began to shoot from an armored personnel carrier and four machine gun nests from the roof of the television center.
According to official figures, the fighting for Ostankino claimed the lives of 46 people, including two inside the building. However, witnesses claim that there were many more victims.
Can't count the numbers
Writer Alexander Ostrovsky in his book “The Shooting of the White House.” Black October 1993" tried to sum up the victims of those tragic events, based on verified data: "Before October 2 - 4 people, on the afternoon of October 3 at the White House - 3, in Ostankino - 46, during the storming of the White House - at least 165, 3 and on October 4 in other places of the city - 30, on the night from October 4 to October 5 - 95, plus those who died after October 5, in total - about 350 people.”
However, many admit that official statistics are several times underestimated. To what extent, one can only guess, based on eyewitness accounts of those events.
Moscow State University teacher Sergei Surnin, who observed the events not far from the White House, recalled how after the shooting began, he and about 40 other people fell to the ground: “Armored personnel carriers passed by us and from a distance of 12-15 meters they shot the people lying down - one third of those lying nearby were killed or injured. Moreover, in the immediate vicinity of me there are three killed, two wounded: next to me, to my right, a dead man, another dead man behind me, at least one killed in front.”
The artist Anatoly Nabatov saw from the window of the White House how in the evening after the end of the assault a group of about 200 people was brought to the Krasnaya Presnya stadium. They were stripped, and then near the wall adjacent to Druzhinnikovskaya Street, they began to shoot them in batches until late at night on October 5th. Eyewitnesses said that they had previously been beaten. According to deputy Baronenko, in total at least 300 people were shot at the stadium and near it.
Famous public figure Georgy Gusev, who headed the People's Action movement in 1993, testified that in the courtyards and entrances of the detainees they were beaten by riot police and then killed by unknown persons “in a strange form.”
One of the drivers who transported corpses from the parliament building and the stadium admitted that he had to make two trips in his truck to the Moscow region. In a forested area, corpses were thrown into pits, covered with earth, and the burial site was leveled with a bulldozer.
Human rights activist Evgeniy Yurchenko, one of the founders of the Memorial society, which dealt with the issue of secret destruction of corpses in Moscow crematoria, managed to learn from the workers of the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery about the burning of 300-400 corpses. Yurchenko also drew attention to the fact that if in “regular months,” according to statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, up to 200 unclaimed corpses were burned in crematoria, then in October 1993 this figure increased several times - to 1,500.
According to Yurchenko, the list of those killed during the events of September-October 1993, where either the fact of disappearance was proven or witnesses to death were found, is 829 people. But obviously this list is incomplete.
In the first years of the existence of the Russian Federation, the confrontation President Boris Yeltsin and the Supreme Council led to an armed clash, the shooting of the White House and bloodshed. As a result, the system of government bodies that had existed since the times of the USSR was completely eliminated, and a new Constitution was adopted. AiF.ru recalls the tragic events of October 3-4, 1993.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, according to the 1978 Constitution, was empowered to resolve all issues within the jurisdiction of the RSFSR. After the USSR ceased to exist, the Supreme Council was a body of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation (the highest authority) and still had enormous power and authority, despite amendments to the Constitution on the separation of powers.
It turned out that the main law of the country, adopted under Brezhnev, limited the rights of elected president Russia of Boris Yeltsin, and he sought the speedy adoption of a new Constitution.
In 1992-1993, a constitutional crisis erupted in the country. President Boris Yeltsin and his supporters, as well as the Council of Ministers, entered into a confrontation with the Supreme Council, chaired by Ruslana Khasbulatova, most of the people's deputies of the Congress and Vice President Alexander Rutsky.
The conflict was connected with the fact that its parties had completely different ideas about the further political and socio-economic development of the country. They had especially serious disagreements over economic reforms, and no one was going to compromise.
Exacerbation of the crisis
IN active phase The crisis passed on September 21, 1993, when Boris Yeltsin announced in a televised address that he had issued a decree on a phased constitutional reform, according to which the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Council were to cease their activities. He was supported by the Council of Ministers headed by Viktor Chernomyrdin And Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov.
However, according to the current Constitution of 1978, the president did not have the authority to dissolve the Supreme Council and the Congress. His actions were regarded as unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court decided to terminate the powers of President Yeltsin. Ruslan Khasbulatov even called his actions a coup.
In the following weeks, the conflict only escalated. Members of the Supreme Council and people's deputies were actually blocked in the White House, where communications and electricity were cut off and there was no water. The building was cordoned off by police and military personnel. In turn, opposition volunteers were given weapons to guard the White House.
Storming of Ostankino and shooting of the White House
The situation of dual power could not continue for too long and ultimately led to mass unrest, an armed clash and the execution of the House of Soviets.
On October 3, supporters of the Supreme Council gathered for a rally on Oktyabrskaya Square, then moved to the White House and unblocked it. Vice President Alexander Rutskoy called on them to storm the city hall on Novy Arbat and Ostankino. Armed demonstrators seized the city hall building, but when they tried to get into the television center, tragedy broke out.
A special forces detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs “Vityaz” arrived in Ostankino to defend the television center. An explosion occurred in the ranks of the fighters, from which Private Nikolai Sitnikov died.
After this, the Knights began shooting at the crowd of supporters of the Supreme Council gathered near the television center. The broadcast of all TV channels from Ostankino was interrupted; only one channel remained on the air, broadcasting from another studio. The attempt to storm the television center was unsuccessful and led to the death of a number of demonstrators, military personnel, journalists and random people.
The next day, October 4, troops loyal to President Yeltsin began storming the House of Soviets. The White House was shelled by tanks. There was a fire in the building, due to which its façade was half blackened. Footage of the shelling then spread all over the world.
Onlookers gathered to watch the shooting of the White House, but they put themselves in danger because they came into the sight of snipers positioned on neighboring houses.
During the day, the defenders of the Supreme Council began to leave the building en masse, and by the evening they stopped resisting. Leaders of the opposition, including Khasbulatov and Rutskoy, were arrested. In 1994, the participants in these events were granted amnesty.
The tragic events of late September - early October 1993 claimed the lives of more than 150 people and injured about 400 people. Among the dead were journalists covering what was happening, and many ordinary citizens. October 7, 1993 was declared a day of mourning.
After October
The events of October 1993 led to the fact that the Supreme Council and the Congress of People's Deputies ceased to exist. The system of government bodies left over from the times of the USSR was completely eliminated.
Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Before the elections to the Federal Assembly and the adoption of the new Constitution, all power was in the hands of President Boris Yeltsin.
On December 12, 1993, a popular vote on the new Constitution and elections were held State Duma and the Federation Council.
