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Aug. 18, 1991: Soviet Coup

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

August 17, 1998 / 1:18 PM EDT / CBS

On Aug. 18, 1991, Soviet hard-liners launched a coup aimed at toppling President Mikhail Gorbachev, who was vacationing in the Crimea; Gorbachev's dasha was surrounded by Soviet military and KGB forces.

Tass, the official Soviet news agency, announced that Gorbachev was suffering from health problems, and that Vice President Gennady Yanayev was assuming power as president. An eight-man committee was formed to rule the country. The committee declared a state of emergency as hundreds of tanks and armored personnel carriers moved into Moscow.

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Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin called on Russians to resist the takeover and called for general strikes. Over the next three days, Yeltsin spearheaded anti-coup demonstrations and gathered support from elite Soviet tank divisions.

On Aug. 21, 1991, the coup collapsed, and Gorbachev returned to Moscow to resume power and reassert control.