☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

Revisiting An Attempted Coup

August 17, 2018
Willis Sparks

Finally, tomorrow marks the anniversary of the 1991 coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev in the dying days of the Soviet Union. A small group within the Soviet leadership tried to seize power while the Soviet leader was on vacation, but Boris Yeltsin, president of the Russian Republic within the USSR faced down the military, the plot collapsed, and Gorbachev returned to Moscow.

For a closer look, check out this video that Alex Kliment and I made two years ago.

The story is in the news again this week following a new poll on Russian attitudes toward that event. According to the Levada survey, just 6 percent of Russians say the defeat of the coup was a victory for democracy. Some 53 percent say “both sides” (coup-plotters and Yeltsin and pro-democracy activists) share blame for the violence. Among Russians aged 18-24, more than 40 percent said they couldn’t answer the question.

Interesting fact: On the first day of the 1991 coup, Vladimir Putin resigned his position as a KGB intelligence officer to join the fight against the attempted state takeover.

More from GZERO Media

Tools and Weapons – In Conversation with Satya Nadella

Microsoft

In this new episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Satya Nadella — Microsoft’s third CEO — to talk about his journey from his early days playing cricket to leading Microsoft, the link between poetry and programming, and how the company is leading the next wave of technological transformation, redefining how we build and interact with technology. Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Walmart is supporting America’s small businesses through 2025 Open Call

Walmart

Open Call is the heart of Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing, supporting products made, grown or assembled in America. The pitch event represents a unique opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face with Walmart merchants and earn a chance to get their products on store shelves nationwide. Last year, finalists from across the country represented 48 states, with entrepreneurs from over half these states receiving deals. It’s all a part of Walmart’s investment in American jobs and communities. Learn more about Walmart’s annual Open Call.

The real reason South Africa’s president is coming to Washington

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gestures during the opening of the U.S.-sub-Saharan Africa trade forum to discuss the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), at the NASREC conference center in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 3, 2023.

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

If recent headlines are anything to go by, you’d think that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Washington, D.C. this week is an effort to rebut US President Donald Trump’s belief that white South Africans are suffering a genocide. In reality, it’s all about trade.

Hard Numbers: SCOTUS removes protections for Venezuelans, France to build overseas prison, Rice prices soak Japan’s PM, US borrowing costs rise

Detainees stand behind a fence at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility, where Venezuelans at the center of a Supreme Court ruling on deportation are held, in Anson, Texas, U.S. April 22, 2025.
REUTERS/Daniel Cole

350,000: The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Trump administration can end temporary deportation protections for nearly 350,000 Venezuelans, making them vulnerable to mass deportation.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.