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| Putin decorates '91 coup plotter with Order of Merit |
| 2004-11-18 |
| Edited for brevity. The president of Russia Vladimir Putin has awarded Army Marshal Dmitry Yazov with the Order of Merit. He conferred the award on the marshal on the occasion of the latter's 80th birthday, after taking part in a gathering of Russia's military brass, RIA Novosti news agency reported. Of course, the president's gesture is symbolic. By making it he has proved that, if nothing else, he does not back any of the sides involved in the 1991 confrontation between the hard-line Soviet-era generals and the reformist Gorbachev whom they took captive during an abortive attempt to overthrow him. He has also proved that the merits of the Soviet marshal, for him, are of undisputable value, regardless of any political upheavals. All in all, Putin has made it clear that he feels deep sympathy and respect for Marshal Yazov and his colleagues and their efforts aimed at preserving the unity of the country. On Aug. 19, 1991 Marshal Dmitry Yazov joined a group of top Soviet officials who said that in light of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's inability to fulfill his duties and in conditions where the country was on the verge of disintegration they assumed full control of the government and declared a state of emergency. |
| Posted by:Dar |