Press Release, 21.08.2024

Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Yabloko Party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Yabloko Kirill Goncharov, Chair of the Yabloko Gender Faction Galina Mikhaleva, and other party members laid flowers at the monument to “Defenders of Democracy in Russia” at the intersection of Novy Arbat and the Garden Ring in Moscow. Here, 33 years ago, during the August coup d’etat, three young people – defenders of democracy – died: Dmitry Komar, Vladimir Usov and Ilya Krichevsky.

Nikolai Rybakov, Chairman of the Yabloko Party:

– We come here so that the hopes of those people who took to the streets of Russian cities in August with faith in a better future for our country will come true someday, I hope in the near future. The hopes in a free future, in good relationships with the world, that a person, his interests, rights and freedoms will be the most important thing. This is what all people hope for, those who want a better future for their country, for themselves, for their children, for their loved ones. For the sake of this we continue to work, live, create, protect people, protect those who are now having harder times than us. We will continue to do this in our country.

Galina Mikhaleva, Chair of the Yabloko Gender Faction:

– I just want to remind you that those [killed in 1991] were very young guys, and that they had their whole life ahead of them. They had mothers, perhaps brothers, sisters, grandmothers and grandfathers. Their lives ended, and the lives of their subsequent generations ended too. But they were real heroes, they did not fight in someone else’s war, they defended peace, freedom and democracy, first and foremost. We need to follow their example.

Kirill Goncharov, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow branch of Yabloko:

– Every year we come here to honour the memory of the young guys who sacrificed their lives for our free future. We are eternally indebted to them, but most importantly, we must do everything possible to ensure that their sacrifices were not in vain.

It should be noted that 33 years ago, the self-proclaimed State Emergency Committee attempted a coup d’etat in Russia. On 19 August, 1991, a state of emergency was declared in the country, and tanks and other military machinery were brought out onto the streets of Moscow. Residents of Moscow came out to protest against the State Emergency Committee, which was overthrown on 22 August. Three young people died during the August coup: Dmitry Komar, Vladimir Usov, and Ilya Krichevsky.