USSR: Shots of holiday house where Soviet President Gorbachev and his family were held captive for three days

Record ID: 226965

  • Title: USSR: Shots of holiday house where Soviet President Gorbachev and his family were held captive for three days
  • Date: 24th August 1991
  • Summary: PHAROZ, CRIMEA, SOVIET UNION (AUGUST 24, 1991) (REUTERS) BAY WITH HOLIDAY VILLA ON COAST COMMUNICATIONS TOWER LIGHTHOUSE APPROACH ROAD AND SECURITY FENCING VILLA
  • Embargoed: 8th September 1991 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PHAROZ, CRIMEA, SOVIET UNION
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEILNWU24TE4XRX13HFBBRPV66
  • Story Text: The holiday house where Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his family were held captive for three days is a two-storey state villa in the Black Sea resort of Pharoz.
    Gorbachev was sitting at his desk shortly after 4 pm local time (1300 GMT) on Sunday (August 18), reportedly writing about the dangers of a right-wing coup, when the head of the KGB's government protection squad, Yuri Plekhanov, arrived unannounced.
    Gorbachev suspected something was wrong and tried to phone out. He discovered that all the villa's external communications had been cut. The junta's man then demanded his resignation in the name of the plotters in Moscow, saying the situation in the country was catastrophic. Gorbachev refused.
    For the next three days the president and his family were unable to leave the house, and had to rely on short-wave radio transmissions from outside the Soviet Union to find out what was happening in the country. Gorbachev and his family were finally freed on Wednesday evening when the coup attempt collapsed.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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