THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. WE MUST RESTORE THE SOVIET UNION! A former Soviet Union official expressed his opinion about the coup of August 1991
PRAVDA.Ru correspondent Ilya Tarasov interviewed Oleg Shenin, a former member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Currently, Oleg Shenin is one of the leaders of the Council of the Union of Communist parties. This interview is timed to cooincide with the anniversary of the coup d'etat that took place in the Soviet Union on August 19-21 of 1991.
What was your role in the events of August of 1991? Is it true that the members of the State Committee for Emergencies designated you to fulfill Mikhail Gorbachevís position?
I thought so before, and I think so now: the institution of the State Committee for Emergencies was the only chance to save the achievements of socialism. It was the only way to fulfil the holy will of the people that voted for the preservation of the Soviet Union on March 17 1991. I was actually not a member of the State Committee for Emergencies. However, of course, I was aware of everything that was going on. I will not estimate my own role. Like I said, the institution of the committee was an absolutely correct thing to do. In regard to the other part of your question, I do not know the answer. It was all about the salvation of the country back in those days, not about our official positions.
People are still thinking about the following question: was the collapse of the Soviet Union appropriate or not? What was Mr.Gorbachevís role in this respect?
My position is clear. It has never been changed. Thatís why I will not give a long answer to this question. In short, I will cite George Bush and his aide Crawford, who wrote in their memoirs: "If Gorbachevís authority and political determination were like those of Stalin, we would have the Soviet Union now. It would be a renewed and strong Soviet Union."
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Oleg Shenin was interviewed by Ilya Tarasov
Translated by Dmitry Sudakov