Remembering Russia's 'Black October' 25 Years Ago

© Sputnik / Strelnikov

Sputnik: 'Both Sides Were Shooting Crazily': Canadian Journo Recalls Russia’s 1993 Crisis

This October marks the 25th anniversary of the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, which began as a row between President Yeltsin and his opponents, leading to clashes and the shelling of the White House. Fred Weir, a Canadian journalist who covered the so-called “Black October” events in Moscow shared his experience with Sputnik.

The October 1993 crisis followed a political standoff between Russia’s former president Boris Yeltsin and his opponents, led by Vice President Alexander Rutskoi and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet Ruslan Khasbulatov. After Boris Yeltsin dissolved the country’s parliament in September, his opponents declared his decision illegal and proclaimed Rutskoi as acting president. The political row escalated into street fights in central Moscow, the shelling of the White House and the storming of the TV Center. At least 160 were killed.

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WNU Editor: Can't believe that it is 25 years already. And yes. For those who are new to this blog, I was in Moscow at that time, and I saw it all.

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