as. for the. we've gone to. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers. here with r t one from moscow our top stories moscow cautions against international calls for a change in syria saying the president needs time to implement promised changes. black friday on the markets the world's financial stocks are hit by a fresh label sell off from it fears the global economy is in decline and comes as x. parts of just the u.s. and europe are dangerously close to recession. and swimmers in russia's far east are gripped by fear after two people were samas by sharks in today's attacks that

have never been seen before in the country and the hunt has gone from about scientists believe could be a great white shark. plus it's twenty years to the day since an attempted coup by a group of hardline communists against bank president mikhail gorbachev are failing to topple the government and help bring about the eventual end of the soviet union and now on our team you can get the inside story about attempted coup although each step of the historic events in our special report that's next. central moscow moscow's regional k.g.b. headquarters. early morning on hold was the nineteenth one nine hundred ninety one . this is the officer and. the events of the day the could have reversed the country's history. it was an

attempt to depose president mikhail gorbachev put his reforms on hold. tanks and other hardware but then moved into moscow. the city's key points were being taken over. the. borders the nineteenth nine hundred ninety one monday only in the morning teacher tatiana yakovlev a switch the t.v. on and saw the following picture instead of the usual programme in every channels broadcasting tchaikovsky's famous ballet. the part of quick i turned the t.v. on to check the latest news and i was so surprised to see swan lake everywhere i was switching the t.v. channels for a long time thinking maybe there was something wrong with my to be set. at the

same time as the ballet broadcast more than seven hundred tanks and on the personnel carriers were being stationed in the streets the plotters were in the kremlin. meanwhile moscow's so-called white house was at the center of civil resistance at the time it housed the russian parliament where the people's deputies met in session from the old world. it was past seven in the morning when the security chief came to my place. one. i opened the door it's old me i had better go to the white house right away. as far as i could tell there was a coup going on in the country that's how i learned about it where you would decide to take a roundabout route instead of going straight to this building for. the coup was led by top brass and high ranking communist officials they had expected to

get support from the population who were dissatisfied with the long drawn process of perestroika. they decided to make short work of gorbachev's reforms. the situation was quite old the country wasn't turmoil. there was a revolt of the hungry grable standing in line for sausages stoop to fist fights but there were pervasive sort of jism a consumer market. but the country's president with good bye to everybody and headed down south to the career to relax in. the crimean peninsula southern sure soviet president mikhail gorbachev's private residence near the village of force both it and scores of surrounding hector's became a prison for the head of state. here he spent several days in what amounted to confinement. but there brought this site can be seen from all sides you get an

almost bird's eye view of it from that mountain the rood leading from the residence can easily be blocked with stones after those events the joke you're on was that gorbachev's residence must have been deliberately built in this place so that he could be easily cut off from the outside world is going to work their way out of the. k.g.b. colonel left tolstoy was directly involved in the events of those days he's a direct descendant a namesake of the celebrated russian novelist leo tolstoy. before he rose to the rank of colonel he served as a bodyguard on august the eighteenth one nine hundred ninety one top k.g.b. officials ordered him to block all exits from the gorbachev residence is not i have no idea what would have happened if gorbachev and others had tried to escape from the residence for what i do think he would have faced a very unpleasant consequences. this is exclusive footage of the

residence of the first savior president a splendid park was laid out almost on their rocks as had special significance because gorbachev was known to be very fond of strolling by the seaside. what of release arizona cedars these pines and these shrubs were all planted just before the territory was to be commissioned in one nine hundred eighty eight with that nickel it was a short while before mikhail gorbachev's first visit here. the crimean residence was code named terra trees idea in k.g.b. documentation the interior design of the main building reflected the wishes of race ago but over the president's wife she was with mikhail gorbachev throughout before us or deal. with us or you we built what i would describe

as internal defenses there the men carrying guns with live ammunition were posted all over the place they were under strict orders not to allow provocations. the soviet presence study was on the second floor close to the hole it was here that mikhail gorbachev learned about his complete isolation from the outside world . gorbachev study looks just like it was back then for this is his desk we were aboard and that telephone was meant for communicating with government officials. for the lying was shut down at or pm on august eighteenth. from maine at his residence moreover measures to isolate him were reinforced still further valarie shah was the one who cut at the gates to the residence during two k.g.b.

officers from moscow kept a close eye on him along with other local agents. special measures were taken with a truck was stationed on the helo pad to prevent helicopters from touching down but more tractor with a trailer outside the gates was meant to prevent a motor vehicles breaking through into the compound. reinforce security precautions were introduced throughout. to be yes but army general valentyn very nick of was one of the key figures in the coup attempt. on august eighteenth one thousand nine hundred one he was it'd go bitch off at his residence in the crimea for a nickel asked the soviet president to recognize the legality of the a clue. we knew what we were going to do that org and united told him all that good a somehow befitting to state of emergency and gorbachev retorted by exclaiming that

a state of emergency was bonsa green machine guns and blood in its wake at the core if when i realized that other people as well as my family would suffer no doubt blood would be spilled certainly in such a vast country as ours this country takes time to get worked up when it does you can hardly stop it i would my belief is the country's modernization without blood. august nineteenth one thousand nine hundred one must go to eleven am i cried halt armored personnel carriers heading for the city center demonstrators climb one of them chanting no to fascism. hundreds of people gather on manish square in central moscow they are ready to oppose the so-called state committee on the state of emergency people who met each other back then joined to still keep in touch and remember those events.

hello hello hello brothers and c n n hundred years when my parents woke me up in the morning they told me that a coup was underway i was actively involved in a youth democratic movement so i said if no one i know was arrested right away besides no could all yes there were tanks but people were blocking them off what kind of coup is it if tanks can be stopped short in their tracks. a small radio set is one of the most treasured mementos from those days people used it to listen to the few independent stations but was still on that. one report said the air force refused to side with the coup or quarter. another a military garrison in st petersburg also refused to back it it was great to hear that people in many towns were supporting us. a minor radio

station called echo of moscow was the main source of news in those days the k.g.b. shut it down in the first few hours of the coup but whether by fair means or foul it staff managed to regain access to the airwaves. at one point we even used telephone lines to reach out to our audience there was no language through in the studio and the transmitter so our engineers used an analog telephone line by all accounts those were third bill and science. students who assumes it's meanwhile the coup organizers called a press conference in moscow many took note of canada you know it's troubling hands in named himself the country's head of state clinton with gorbachev put forward. the press conference reached a turning point after a question from touchy an american or the then twenty four year old journalist he

may do you realize that what you have down to do is a clue do you see parallels with your actions in soviet history nineteen seventeen or nineteen sixty four. as for your clear him better coup took place during the night. yes i would disagree with you because all legal and constitutional norms were complied with so he would just say that they looked hesitant would be an understatement and they looked as if life was dying out of them and there was no way tell if he left in their faces and she was the eyes they look like people who had lost a battle before they had a chance to start it. all this nineteen nineteen ninety one zero eight a spontaneous rally began in a mosque. it was my nation as square the crowd swelled as more and more people arrived events in moscow are described as an si constitutional coup there are calls

for an open ended general strike. for an hour in this studio and we are protesting on to a large a man's formats that. no to fascism no to fascism. five really never i know. a little.

odd. angle of approach. say mom future flights mom art seems to say to the max air show. on august the nineteenth one nine hundred ninety one top k.g.b. officials in moscow ordered reinforced security precautions but gorbachev's residence in the crimea on the same day mikhail gorbachev videotaped has since become a famous address. a coup has taken place the

am this anti constitutional action. is based on a tremendous lie. and there was little chance of the tape being taken out of the compound on the same day coast guards protecting the residence attempted to establish contact with the president as another line of defense entire was serving in one of the k.g.b.'s naval units i was not allowed to communicate with the president therefore i asked my wife to write a note in her own handwriting the note said that the sailors were ready to take the president to a place of his choice one of my subordinates took the note to the security guards asking them to hand it over to gorbachev. when he came back they told him that nobody will be allowed to approach the residents and intruders will be shot.

gorbachev's residence was secured from the sea even better than from the land. and was one of the security guards there during those days nobody could approach the shore within less than four nautical miles without being spotted by the guards if they saw the intruder as a possible threat they were under orders to open fire but they are led down three groups on permanent duty scour the woodlands. snipers were in position on the mountain. there was a soldier with a machine gun on top of the cliff near the date remains if it can still be theme of their. revenue they for all us had a celebration. health resort for communist functionaries and their families was near the residence of the soviet president oldest is high season that the resort was crammed with holiday makers to capacity cuttlefish soft of the

forest result was in charge of discos and other entertainment programs. go on aug nineteenth i said to student had physician look the country's president rico gorbachev is under arrest near here shall we counsel the dances you know she said the guests should not suffer let them dance this iteration with gorbachev doesn't concern us. moscow august nineteenth one thousand nine hundred one there it seems wednesday water cannons attempt to break through to the downtown area demonstrators damage some of them and force them to turn back. meanwhile the coup organizers ordered the arrest of the president of russia boris yeltsin at the time he was at his residence near moscow and chief of his security guards alexander korsakoff was with him they drove

a service counter moscow and reached the city unhindered. and. yeltsin was seated between two guards he flatly turned down the idea of wearing a bulletproof vest so we simply put it over him just in case the. heavy vest weighing nine kilos was of the kind worn in the army. a driver was told to go as fast as he could without stopping no matter what. yeltsin managed to get to the white house where he reunited with his team later he climbed a tank to read out a message to a large crowd that had gathered outside the white house we were claiming all the decisions and orders by that committee illegal. by then white house defenders had set up a makeshift barricade near the building in a bid to block the access of military vehicles. everybody was dragging whatever they could lay their hands on

a trolley bus stop there the driver got out and lowered the trolleys the trolley bus was left standing across the road the derogated was here that's how we began blocking all approaches to the building. the crimea the city of sevastopol a soviet black sea fleet based fifty kilometers from gorbachev summer residence throughout the coup first rank captain simeone of waited for an order to rescue gorbachev but with the defense ministry part of the coup the rescue plan was ignored or with a but they'd by first the pockets of resistance were to be suppressed will second the president was to be found and taken under our protection third the remaining pockets of resistance were to be eliminated and we were to help evacuate the. president i see. the upshot of it was that naval commanders only sent a telegram to cool but off urging him to hold on that telegram was received by

lubov zero there an employee of the forest post office hundreds of telegrams addressed a global trough were arriving from all over the soviet union k.g.b. men immediately seized all such mail. those three days oldest eighteenth nineteenth and twentieth within this disturbing case in my life we had no idea whether we would be allowed to go home and be arrested things were simply left around the course. was bracing for the worst case scenario people inside the white house expected an assault on the building with that possibility in mind they inspected all of the basement secret passages leading out into nearby courtyards. some of the regular reports coming in here claimed that an assault on the building of the supreme soviet would begin in an hour's time but why would they need an assault or the building is like an aquarium all you need to do is just answer it and that's all there is still it got

pretty ugly go. this old soldier was in fact given to the k.g.b. so-called alpha unit the men were already on high alert but for the first time in the unit's history they demanded an open debate and a vote on the order before launching operation but it's over with. the commander asked everybody to voice their opinion on the operation and whether an assault was necessary at all. yes yes. most of the men with a service record of more than five years said no to the operation. the operation was told of but casualties were still unavoidable in the early hours of august the twenty first nine hundred ninety one the crews of several armored vehicles ordered to move to another location city white house defenders attentive to stop them because they thought the vehicles were heading towards the parliament building to

attack it three young men died as a result. you both come over spent the night waiting for the sun shortly before the oldest events he had served as a soldier in afghanistan he went to the white house after hearing an appeal from vice president alexander old schoolboy and called on people to go and defend democracy our government for if and when my son had to risk always appeal he went to the barricades because that's was a cold from someone who served in afghanistan to a good buddy before. i ask him if he was going to the barricades and he said no that he has his spiel of fighting in afghanistan. he had no business small making it around to the barricades but in tuesday it was a different story. on wednesday alleged that he was no more. after that tragedy it became obvious a coup had failed thanks began leaving moscow on august twenty first

a card carrying russia's vice president would score it over took into convoys it was rushing to the airport to bring mikhail gorbachev back to moscow it was a total mess of homeland and yet. with work when the pulled up and none of the ground controllers guided our flight not even during the landing regardless it was a trouble free flight when we touchdown the airdrome superintendent drove up to the plane i introduced myself and said i needed the car and the boss to take us to gorbachev the problem. is said go right ahead for all your. good scores planes called the chalk on board touchstone moscow on august twenty second one thousand nine hundred one a coup had failed of the soviet president and in effect returned to a different country change during those three days in august i defended the southern union to the last bullet that's what i did but failed. the finale of the

standoff central nostra ammonium. felix regions keep the founder of soviet secret police standing in front of k.g.b. headquarters in libya and to square is pulled down it was a symbol of the beginning of the people. the bright future which the communists had been talking about for seventy years finally became a possibility we could build it with our own hands we were used to the fact that the state was on neverland that it could break and destroy anyone but this time nothing happened people had risen like a wall we said no enough. at approximately the same time a prosecutor general's office launches an investigation into the role of the coup organizers the plotters try to pass the blame on to crimean frontier guards. initially the team of investigators of the prosecutor general's office displayed tolerance then they began dropping hints or urging us to repent and take the whole

blame for gorbachev's isolation otherwise we would face charges of high treason and . as military men we became very better when we heard the word treason. because however the frontier guards were later acquitted only those who gave the orders were arrested the driving forces of the coup led by general to unite have a year later they were released from prison under an honesty you know i have died in two thousand and ten this is an excerpt from one of his last interviews. nor. of any misguided decisions were made during those three days in august one thousand nine hundred one we will not tanks should not have been brought in and demonstrate of or should not have been used and where we all that could have been done and different way. when people today are asked whether they want a revival of the soviet union only nine percent say yes there is no chance of the

state being revived in the form of the soviet union. mikhail gorbachev has never returned to summer residence since august one thousand nine hundred one now it's the property of the ukrainian state however top officials rarely vacation and. the former k.g.b. colonel tolstoy makes no secret of the fact that even now he has no right to talk about some aspects of what happened then. crimean residents still harbors many secrets relating to those three days in one nine hundred ninety one only when new information has been declassified live be able to shed light on. a figure of to be frank this place is not considered to be a very lucky at all that would actually why you got back. from this is the officer on duty august twenty second nine hundred ninety one five

am boris yeltsin declares that there reactionary coup has failed and thanks to defenders of the white house twelve pm for the first saw him the three colored flag is raised over the supreme council of russia. held said held for. only five months or left before the collapse of the soviet union.

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