Independence Days

Exactly ten years ago, on September 6, 1991, militants from the National Guard of the Congress of the Chechen People stormed the House of Political Education in Grozny, where the Supreme Council of Checheno-Ingushetia met. During the seizure of the building, several people were wounded and the first secretary of the Grozny city committee of the CPSU, Viktor Kutsenko, was killed. It was on that day that the Chairman of the Supreme Council, Doku Zavgaev, actually transferred power to the temporary “coalition” government of Yaragi Mamodaev, an associate of General Dzhokhar Dudayev. Few people in the country paid attention to the Grozny events at that time - everyone was worried about the changes in Moscow that began after the failure of the August putsch. Even now, the anniversary of the State Emergency Committee has completely eclipsed the decade of change of power in Chechnya. Although, since then, this North Caucasian republic has remained the hottest spot in which the laws of the rest of Russia are dead, and only the right of a man with a gun is in effect.

Transition period

June 8-9, 1991. The National Congress of the Chechen People (NCCHN), led by Dzhokhar Dudayev, proclaims the Chechen Republic of Nokhchi-Cho and declares the overthrow of the Supreme Council of Checheno-Ingushetia and its chairman Doku Zavgaev.

August 25. Opening of an emergency session of the Supreme Council of the Chechen Republic. Deputies recognize the latest actions of the radicals as unconstitutional.

August 26. Zavgaev’s consultations with member of the Presidium of the RSFSR Supreme Council Aslambek Aslakhanov and Deputy Chairman of the RSFSR Council of Ministers Inga Grebesheva: Zavgaev is not recommended to use force to disperse radical protesters.

September 3. Zavgaev introduces a state of emergency in Grozny.

September 6. Storming of the House of Political Education by the National Guard OKCHN. Zavgaev leaves Grozny, having signed a statement on the formation of a temporary “transitional” government.

September 11th. Consultations between Secretary of State of the RSFSR Gennady Burbulis and Minister of Press and Information of the RSFSR Mikhail Poltoranin with Dzhokhar Dudayev and members of the Supreme Council, including on the latter’s self-dissolution.

September 15. Opening of the last session of the Supreme Council of the Chechen Republic with the participation of acting. Chairman of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR Ruslan Khasbulatov. The Lenin Palace of Culture, in whose building the session is taking place, is surrounded by Dudayev's guards. At the session, decisions were made on the resignation of Doku Zavgaev, on the self-dissolution of the Supreme Council of the Chechen Republic and on the transfer of power to the Provisional Supreme Council - before the elections scheduled for November 17, 1991.

These elections never took place: during September and October, all power passed to the OKCHN, which held its own elections on October 27 , which was won by Dzhokhar Dudayev.

See the materials “Gennady Burbulis: “I didn’t know everything”,

“Shamil Beno: “There was half a step left before anarchy. Walked a kilometer"

Prepared by Ivan SUKHOV