Eltsin Voids the Acts of the Putsch

Boris Eltsin, Decree No. 61 of the President of the Russian Republic. August 19, 1991

On August 19, 1991, hours after hardliners announced they had removed Gorbachev from power, Boris Yeltsin issued Decree No. 61 from the Russian parliament building. Declaring the coup unconstitutional, he subordinated all Soviet security and military forces on Russian territory to his own authority. Within hours, a Moscow computer user emailed the decree across the internet, reaching tens of thousands of screens worldwide before television networks could respond. None of the putsch leaders seemed to know that an internet existed.

Original Source: Organization: DEMOS, Moscow, USSR.

From: dvv@hq.demos.su (Dmitry V. Volodin). Date: Mon, 19 Aug 91 21:20:13 +0300 (MSD). Subject: Yeltsin's decree. Please redistribute as wide as possible the following in stripped Russian and an approximate translation to English. It'll be good, if this reachs world information agencies. Thank you. Dima

An attempt of a coup d'etat was taken, the President of the USSR, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Army, was dismissed from his post. The Vice President of the USSR, the Prime Minister of the USSR, the Chairman of the Committee on the State Security (KGB) of the USSR, Ministers of Defense and Internal Affairs of the USSR formed an unconstitutional body, therefore committing a state crime. As a result of this action the activity of constitutional executive power of the USSR was paralyzed.

DECREE of the president of the Russian Federative Socialist Republic

In this situation I decree:

  1. Until the emergency Congress of the People's Deputies of the USSR is taken all bodies of the executive power of the USSR, including the KGB, Internal Ministry, Ministry of Defense, acting on the territory of the RSFSR, are taken under the submission of the President of the RSFSR, elected by the people.

  2. The KGB of the RSFSR, Internal Ministry of the RSFSR, State Committee of the RSFSR on Defense Problems are prescribed to temporary execute the functions of the corresponding bodies of the USSR on the territory of the RSFSR. All the territory and other bodies of the Internal Ministry, KGB and Defense Ministry on the territory of the RSFSR immediately have to obey decrees and orders of the President of the RSFSR, the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, the orders of the KGB of the RSFSR, the Internal Ministry of the RSFSR, the State Committee of the RSFSR on Defense Problems.

  3. All executive bodies, persons and citizens of the RSFSR have to take immediate actions to prevent the execution of any decrees and orders of the unconstitutional Committee on Emergency Situation. Executive persons, abiding orders of this committee, are dismissed from their posts in accordance with the Constitution of the RSFSR. Bodies of the Procurator of the USSR have to immediately take actions to enforce the criminal law onto this persons.

The President of the RSFSR, B. Eltsin
Moscow, Kremlin

Source: CNN, Cold War Experience, 1998.

1991

War in Karabakh Eltsin and Russian Sovereignty 500 Days Baltic Independence Shevardnadze Resigns Warsaw Pact Dissolves Miners’ Strike of 1991 March Referendum Nine Plus One Agreement The August Coup Ukrainian Independence The End of the Soviet Union