" . . . a multicoloured rainbow, its arch thrown across all of Moscow, stood in the sky, drinking water from the Moscow River. High up, on a hill between two copses, three dark silhouettes could be seen. Woland, Koroviev and Behemoth sat in the saddle on three black horses, looking at the city spread out beyond the river . . ." Mikhail Bulgakov *
Red Square*
Thursday, March 28, 1991 - The USSR established in 1922, was now fracturing into its' constituent Republics. Lacking the will to use the violence necessary and short of national suicide the capacity, the Soviet leadership allowed for the nation's first free elections. During 1990, the fifteen Republics each held competitive elections. The Communist Party lost in Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania and Moldova. In May 1990, Boris Yeltsin was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Russia and he soon resigned from the Communist Party. In June the Russian Congress of People's Deputies declared the Russian Republic's desire to secede from the USSR. Meanwhile Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the USSR was desperately trying to prevent total political and economic collapse. In addition to Republics declaring their independence the Soviet Union's "command economy" was in a death spiral. On March 10th, 1991 an estimated 500,000 people demonstrated in Red Square demanding that President Gorbachev and the Communist Party resign power. Soon to be President of Russia (June 12, 1991) Boris Yeltsin called for another demonstration to occur on March 28th. President Gorbachev announced that such a gathering would be illegal and was forbidden. The stage was set for another clash between the USSR and Russia.
At 8:00 AM on March 28th, a middle aged van pulled up in front of the Frigate Hotel in Pereslavl-Zalessky. I opened the slide door and climbed in. My boss Ludmilla was in the front passenger seat and pleasantly chatting with the driver Yuri. We bounced through our first series of potholes and began the two hour drive southwest on the Yaroslavl highway toward Moscow. The purpose of the trip she had announced was to find me a small souvenir for my recent work - and by the way to see if we could buy some good meat and oranges. Curiosity about the impending demonstration was also casually evident.
As we approached Moscow the Yaroslavl highway had been transformed by German construction from two to four lanes. The traffic intensified. After slowing to a crawl to pass a police checkpoint Yuri started to accelerate - suddenly he changed his mind. The Soviet Army lorry roared past on our left belching exhaust and doing twice our speed. A second six wheeler followed hard on as if short chained to the first. The third followed at a safer distance but the same speed. We also had a chance to examine the contents of this latter truck - soldiers with young faces under fur hats, brown great coats and shiny boots - they were busy conversing - no signs of stress. We were passed by many Soviet military vehicles that sunny morning. President Gorbachev reportedly moved fifty thousand soldiers into Moscow to prevent/control this demonstration. I remember having felt excitement at the prospect of being in Moscow during a great democratic demonstration (riot?). The sight of load after load of Red Army troops being rushed to the scene of the confrontation I found quite sobering - I could feel my macho, revolutionary impulses, my desire to be near the core of the action - draining away like so much gas from a balloon.
Moscow Ring now - the drive continued amid dense, slow traffic. Yuri pointed out his window. To the left in the distance a large building had dense smoke pouring out its' top floors. The building of ten stories was the United States Embassy. Several extension ladders were stretching up trying to reach those floors with two or three firefighters on each ladder. Two hundred individuals had fled the burning structure and remarkably no one was injured. Later reports claimed that KGB officers posing as Moscow firefighters had used this fire as an opportunity to ingress the building in pursuit of American state secrets. Absolutely no one on earth was surprised.
We drove on approaching but not entering Red Square. Crowds of people seemed to gather here and there and then simply move about - a fine spring day. There were militia everywhere and militia cars, all seemingly Mercedes Benz - but no soldiers. Yuri stayed with the van while Ludmilla and I explored a vast outdoor marketplace. The Soviet economy was crumbling - goods were moving from the state stores out into the farmers markets and private kiosks and sold at inflated prices. Ludmilla found some meats but no oranges. We visited a couple of other markets, had some ice cream and began the drive back to P-Z.
The March 28th demonstration occurred as Yeltsin had urged but with only 200,000 or so participants - far fewer than on March 10th. Legend has it that Izvestia had great trouble deciding whether President Gorbachev or President Yeltsin had won this confrontation. At stake was Izvestia's front page. Fist fights among Gorbachev and Yeltsin supporters reportedly broke out in the news and press rooms. The dispute was settled by publishing two front pages - the first with Gorbachev's picture and claim of success. On the reverse side of the same page was Yeltsin's image and his claim of victory.
On December 25th, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as President of the Soviet Union declaring the office extinct and the USSR dissolved.
Sources: * Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita Trans by Pevear and Volokhonsky p 376; 1997.
Photo - Red Square by Raul P - Wikimedia.
