<p>"Gorbachev himself had planned and executed all the further steps," alleged Vasiliy Starodubtsov, a member of the State Committee for Emergency Situation (GKChP) in an interview published today.<br /><br />Starodubtsov alleged that Gorbachev had orchestrated the so called hardliners 'coup' which sealed the fate of the USSR.</p>.<p>Calling Gorbachev a 'coward, traitor', Starodubtsov claimed that the then Soviet President knew that he was unable to stop the disintegration of the country, so he told the putsch leaders to go ahead.</p>.<p>Russia today marks two decades since Soviet hardliners precipitated the demise of the USSR with a botched coup August 19, 1991.</p>.<p>80-year-old Gorbachev is a marginal figure in Russian politics today and has often expressed his unhappiness with the current situation in Russia.</p>.<p>Starodubtsov said that on the eve of the coup, KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov had talked to Gorbachev over phone, who was holidaying in Crimea's Foros resort.</p>.<p>"In principle they talked about the need to declare emergency in the country," Starodubtsov, now a Communist Party lawmaker, was quoted as saying by 'Moskovskaya Pravda'.<br /><br />He said that feeling not quiet well and we should declare a state of emergency without him. That's how GKChP appeared without Gorbachev.<br /><br />"In substance, he said: Ok boys, take the steering, meanwhile, I will take sunbath at the sea sand," claimed Starodubtsov, who after clemency, pursued a successful political carrier.</p>.<p>He was Governor of key Tula region for eight years since 1997 and later became the member of the Federation Council - the Upper House of Parliament.<br /><br />Starodubtsov categorically denied that the 'Gang of Eight' formally led by the then Vice President Gennady Yanayev wanted to grab state power in the USSR to avert its disintegration.</p>.<p>"Why we need to grab power, we already had it. All the leaders of the great country were the members of the GKChP: Vice President, Prime Minister, all the Siloviks (Defence and Interior ministers and KGB Chief)</p>.<p>On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the failed hard-line Communist coup, Gorbachev conceded that the putsch leaders had flown to his seaside Foros residence and asked him to declare emergency.<br /><br />When he refused, he was virtually taken a prisoner, without any link with the outside world, till the resistance posed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin led to the failure of coup three days later on August 21, 1991.</p>.<p>Gorbachev claimed that any active attempt on his part would have led to a civil war in USSR along the lines of bloody fragmentation of Yugoslavia.</p>.<p>Starodubtsov said they declared imposition of the state of the emergency and took on themselves the whole responsibility for the order in the country.</p>.<p>Although the hardliners wanted to preserve the USSR, they unwittingly speeded up its disintegration in less then four months later.</p>.<p>The coup leaders moved more than 4,000 troops, 360 tanks and 420 armored personnel carriers into Moscow for the siege of the Russian White House - then seat of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation (Parliament).</p>.<p>However, some of the troops crossed over to Yeltsin, and none saw any direct military action.</p>.<p>An attack on the White House was planned, but never carried out - largely because Generals Pavel Grachyov and Alexander Lebed, who commanded airborne troops ordered into Moscow, did not support the operation.</p>.<p>Grachyov later became defense minister, and Lebed ran for president in 1996 and later served as Krasnoyarsk governor. </p>
<p>"Gorbachev himself had planned and executed all the further steps," alleged Vasiliy Starodubtsov, a member of the State Committee for Emergency Situation (GKChP) in an interview published today.<br /><br />Starodubtsov alleged that Gorbachev had orchestrated the so called hardliners 'coup' which sealed the fate of the USSR.</p>.<p>Calling Gorbachev a 'coward, traitor', Starodubtsov claimed that the then Soviet President knew that he was unable to stop the disintegration of the country, so he told the putsch leaders to go ahead.</p>.<p>Russia today marks two decades since Soviet hardliners precipitated the demise of the USSR with a botched coup August 19, 1991.</p>.<p>80-year-old Gorbachev is a marginal figure in Russian politics today and has often expressed his unhappiness with the current situation in Russia.</p>.<p>Starodubtsov said that on the eve of the coup, KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov had talked to Gorbachev over phone, who was holidaying in Crimea's Foros resort.</p>.<p>"In principle they talked about the need to declare emergency in the country," Starodubtsov, now a Communist Party lawmaker, was quoted as saying by 'Moskovskaya Pravda'.<br /><br />He said that feeling not quiet well and we should declare a state of emergency without him. That's how GKChP appeared without Gorbachev.<br /><br />"In substance, he said: Ok boys, take the steering, meanwhile, I will take sunbath at the sea sand," claimed Starodubtsov, who after clemency, pursued a successful political carrier.</p>.<p>He was Governor of key Tula region for eight years since 1997 and later became the member of the Federation Council - the Upper House of Parliament.<br /><br />Starodubtsov categorically denied that the 'Gang of Eight' formally led by the then Vice President Gennady Yanayev wanted to grab state power in the USSR to avert its disintegration.</p>.<p>"Why we need to grab power, we already had it. All the leaders of the great country were the members of the GKChP: Vice President, Prime Minister, all the Siloviks (Defence and Interior ministers and KGB Chief)</p>.<p>On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the failed hard-line Communist coup, Gorbachev conceded that the putsch leaders had flown to his seaside Foros residence and asked him to declare emergency.<br /><br />When he refused, he was virtually taken a prisoner, without any link with the outside world, till the resistance posed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin led to the failure of coup three days later on August 21, 1991.</p>.<p>Gorbachev claimed that any active attempt on his part would have led to a civil war in USSR along the lines of bloody fragmentation of Yugoslavia.</p>.<p>Starodubtsov said they declared imposition of the state of the emergency and took on themselves the whole responsibility for the order in the country.</p>.<p>Although the hardliners wanted to preserve the USSR, they unwittingly speeded up its disintegration in less then four months later.</p>.<p>The coup leaders moved more than 4,000 troops, 360 tanks and 420 armored personnel carriers into Moscow for the siege of the Russian White House - then seat of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation (Parliament).</p>.<p>However, some of the troops crossed over to Yeltsin, and none saw any direct military action.</p>.<p>An attack on the White House was planned, but never carried out - largely because Generals Pavel Grachyov and Alexander Lebed, who commanded airborne troops ordered into Moscow, did not support the operation.</p>.<p>Grachyov later became defense minister, and Lebed ran for president in 1996 and later served as Krasnoyarsk governor. </p>