1991 Collapse of the State Emergency Committee

25 years ago, on August 21, 1991, the GKChP coup failed completely. The Alpha group of the KGB of the USSR refused to storm the White House. Many soldiers, without orders to act, found themselves propagated by the demonstrators. Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Igor Chernavin, Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces Yuri Maksimov and Commander of the Airborne Forces Pavel Grachev went over to the side of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. Outside of Moscow, the GKChP also did not control the situation.

The members of the State Committee for the State of Emergency, headed by KGB Chairman Viktor Kryuchkov, who flew to Crimea, tried to meet with Gorbachev, but he did not receive them. Gennady Yanaev, who remained in Moscow, at the request of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR at 17.00 signed a decree dissolving the GKChP and invalidating all its decisions. At midnight, Gorbachev flew from Foros to Moscow, accompanied by Russian Vice President Alexander Rutskoi and Russian Prime Minister Ivan Silaev. The members of the State Committee for the State of Emergency who arrived after him were arrested.