Topic 46 ISSUE 5: SOVIET COUP geonet geo2.interdoc 1:14 pm Oct 12, 1991 Subject: ISSUE 5: SOVIET COUP From: GEO2:INTERDOC-EUROPE Date: 15-10-91, 17:07:17 To: INTERDOC-BBS SOVIET COUP ON-LINE FROM THE FRONT-LINE Earlier this year, the international network for computer conferencing and e-mail brought a positive surprise to its members, the users. Thanks to the combined efforts of salaried staff (of the computer networks themselves, and of some of the participating organizations) and of voluntary groups and active private citizens (of various countries) the Middle East conferences of the PeaceNet succeeded in providing a veritable day-to-day 'coverage' of the events of the Gulf War, and of the movement against the war that developed in the USA and in Europe. In the crucial months before, during and after the war the computer system became a true alternative (i.e. uncensored and critical) information service. Hence it was that, during the hectic days of Yanaev's junta last August, many APC or PopTel users eagerly searched the networked conferences and bulletin boards for relevant information about the fate of the Soviet Union. This time the results were frustrating. Undoubtedly, the information provided by the Western mass media during the Soviet coup was often 'better' (i.e. uncensored and critical) than in the days of the Gulf War. Gorbachev himself noted afterwards that, while imprisoned in his dacha at the Crimea, he kept himself informed about the events in Russia by listening to the BBC. So perhaps the need for alternative information was not as great in the case of the Soviet Coup as it was during the Gulf War. Nevertheless, we did login to the networks, once again, hoping that we would find pieces of additional information, especially about developments at the grass roots, because we do think that the above mentioned computer networks are means for direct international communication between people and groups rather than mass media. As already mentioned, this time we were a little disappointed. So much of the USSR/Russia-related material of the computer conferences/bulletin boards was simply worthless. It is certainly better to have no unread topics at all than to scan indexes with outdated TASS telegrams, for instance. Fortunately, we do have at least some positive things to tell about the performance of GreenNet, PeaceNet, PopTel etc. during the Soviet August Revolution. Firstly, we continued to receive e-mail from members of the Golubka peace team, who use the new GlasNet node in Moscow. Thus, we were able to follow the day-to-day actions and feelings of the 'golubkis' even in this situation of emergency. Secondly, PeaceNet-Sweden (the Stockholm node within the APC system) brought the news stories from 'Severo- Zapad' (NorthWest) , an independent news agency on environmental, economical and political developments in the Northern and Western regions of Russia (and the Baltic Republics) working in Saint Petersburg/Leningrad in close co-operation with green and environmental movements. The conference northwest.news on PeaceNet-Sweden is now updated daily via the DIX-computer in Tallinn (see Interdoc Newsletter 3, April 1991 for background details). A leading 'serious' British newspaper (The Independent) actually ran a large article a few days after the end of the coup saying what an important role the private computer networks had played in spreading news of the coup. The article implied that the journalists at the Independent had made good use of material available on bulletin boards in the USSR at the time of the coup. The article implies that the author had also read the items written by North West News. So maybe some of the mass media was actually using the same sources that we were looking at. Below, we print an account about the functioning of NorthWest during the first days of the coup, written by its own editors. We have replaced the original English translation (provided by Northwest) with the re-typed version made by William Bowles, who re- released this piece in a selection named 'The Best of PeaceNet' on the BBS "New York On-Line". Mika Book
Update, March 1995: The Severo-Zapad News agency is reached by email at szia@glas.apc.org
Topic 47 ISSUE 5: NORTH WEST REPORT geonet geo2.interdoc 1:14 pm Oct 12, 1991 Subject: ISSUE 5: NORTH WEST REPORT From: GEO2:INTERDOC-EUROPE Date: 15-10-91, 17:10:42 To: INTERDOC-BBS NORTH WEST AGENCY REPORT SAINT PETERSBURG, August 21 This Day (August 19) we just went to our job. Editors, who were on duty not yet believing it had happened, began to call our outside correspondents and connect with the mass media. Those of us who had been at home began to appear in publishing houses and to get together. Our mood was of alarm. One of our colleagues came warmly dressed as if it was October outside. It turned out that he had thought he would have to spend the night in jail. By 1.00 p.m. that day it was clear that the Russian government and municipal authorities of Saint Petersburg intended to resist the junta. We didn't know at that time that we were the only information agency still operating in the city with international and trunk communications. In the early morning local putschers destroyed the telephone network, faxes and computers in the city by broadcasting a strong electromagnetic impulse. Our equipment remained working only because we have had a lot of experience of working in the independent press. We had already switched off and removed all working equipment. We picked up and distributed all the city newspapers without permission. All the editors refused to publish their papers under the conditions imposed on them. 'Vecherny Leningrad' (Evening Leningrad) was issued with blank spots on the front page. On TV net stooges of junta were reading for the hundredth time the junta's 'decree'. Leningrad radio was silent. On August 20 two independent radio stations 'Radio Baltica' and 'Otkrytyi gorod' (Open city) started to broadcast on the medium wave from one transmitter located outside the city. For two days and nights the radio journalists didn't leave, having become the resistance's voice. Our agency was in fact the only source of information for them. 'North-West' agency journalists were literally shouting across defective lines hot information from the Leningrad and Moscow city councils, the 'White House' (the building of Russian Supreme Council), and from the square in front of the Mariinsky Palace (the city council building) which was surrounded by 3-4 rows of a living barricade. At 0.05 a.m. The Russian Information Agency announced the storming of the 'White House'. The city didn't know yet. While we had been phoning the radio station, fax-machines were releasing a hastily written sheet of paper: "According to Supreme Soviet of the Russian Republic the erection of barricades has begun near 'White house'. The first line of barricades has been overcome there, and we can hear the first shots and bursts of machine-gun fire. The storming of the White House's begins." We could imagine what was happening at that moment to many Leningrader's families and we were extremely upset both for them and for ourselves. It was at that time that the thunderstorm of tank fire started on Nevsky prospect. At 2.00 a.m. city vice- mayor Vyacheslav Shcherbakov and fleet commander counter admiral Chernavin declared on the radio that Baltic fleet sailors and military servicemen of Leningrad and its district supported the legal government. Our old fax-apparatus was hot, our fax-paper supply was running out. We feared most of all that our only computer would break down because of the tension! There was another threat: in Tallinn, Estonia strategically important objects were being stormed. At any moment troops loyal to the junta could seize the telephone station with which we were communicating to the world with the aid of our computer. Our correspondents having been near the Mariinsky palace and at the city council informed us that the barricades around the palace were growing and a great deal of people were moving toward Isaac square. All approaches to the palace were guarded by Afghan veterans and OMON (Interior troops) employees. At the entrance to our building were six Afghan veterans on duty from a local 'Decembrist' club. All the workers gathered at the agency, journalists, programmers and messengers, gathering and sharing news. Inhabitants of nearby houses visited us and brought food and coffee. At 2.00 a.m. we got and transmitted to the whole city, council chairman Alexander Belyaev's hand written appeal. At that time tanks were about 70 kilometres from the city, and in Moscow it appeared that people had been killed and wounded. This was a terrible fact for everybody to hear. But we overcame and for the first time in 74 years it was clear we had won. By the morning of August 21 we were collecting all the sheets of paper, documents, and summaries that would go into historical archives and museums. Contact details about NorthWest: 'Severo-Zapad' (North-West) Information Agency, Editor-in-Chief, Elena Zelinskaya, Computers & Communications' Dept. Director,Roman Ignatiev, Tel. (+7-812) 310-0596, Fax: (+7-812) 310-7329, E-Mail: INTERNET: NortWest@p2013.f20.n490.z2.Fidonet.org UUCP: FUUG!CASINO!490!20.2013!NORTHWEST APC: dix:northwest