Images From The 1991 Soviet Military Coup Attempt

Some of the so-called "Gang of Eight" coup plotters: Gennady Yanayev (center) declared himself acting Soviet president.

Tanks deployed on Kalinin Prospekt in central Moscow on August 19, 1991, at the start of the abortive putsch.

Young people sit on a barricade in front of the Russian White House in central Moscow early on August 20, 1991.

Tanks on Kalinin Prospekt in Moscow on August 19, 1991.

Crowds gather on Moscow's Manezh Square during the attempted putsch on August 20, 1991.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin stands atop a tank in Moscow on August 19, 1991, and calls for a general strike.

A tank at Borodinsky Bridge in Moscow on August 20, 1991.

People gather in front the Russian White House in Moscow on August 21, 1991.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin speaks at an extraordinary meeting of the Supreme Soviet on August 21, 1991.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin and some 100,000 supporters celebrate the collapse of the coup on August 22, 1991.

Famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich celebrates the defeat of the putsch with a crowd of Muscovites on Lubyanka Square.

Thousands of jubilant Muscovites march to Red Square in Moscow on August 22, 1991, carrying a giant Russian flag.

People follow a funeral procession for the three victims of the coup in front of Russian White House in Moscow on August - People follow a funeral procession for the three victims of the coup in front of Russian White House in Moscow on August 24, 1991.