Vladimir Putin resignation from the KGB

[VanillaNuns]

Vladimir Putin resigned from the KGB with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 20 August 1991, on the second day of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt against the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Putin said: "As soon as the coup began, I immediately decided which side I was on", although he also noted that the choice was hard because he had spent the best part of his life with "the organs".

R. Sakwa Putin: Russia's Choice, p. 11

For me, this is ambiguous. I am slightly autistic which doesn't help either!

Did Putin support the coup and resign because he knew the USSR was finished, or did he do so, not wanting to be part of the new regime?

Did he support Yeltsin, Gorbachev or the hardliners who instigated the coup?

My knowledge of Putin's early career and his motives are murky so any help would be much appreciated.

[Tamari]

Hi, I read some biographies about Putin and saw some documentaries about him but I wasn't really aware of this timeline in Putin's life or I had forgot this aspect.

I haven't read that Putin personally was in favor of the coup d'etat. He was only a mid-level KGB officer at that time who for sure was aware of the major problems of the USSR. From my point of view he had not supported anyone but he was - like so many others - disillusioned with old men/ drunkiards like Dmitri Jasow, Boris Pugo who led the "armed organs" and were not able to conduct a successful coup d'etat. It is obvious that the putschists
had not the backing of their comrades in the KGB and within the armed forces. A lot of high-ranking officers in the KGB and par example the Western Group of forces (GDR) were not in favor of the developments which led to the secession of the USSR but they were realists enough who saw the
clear path downwards.

Putin's conclusion was that it would be better to leave the sinking ship and side with the upcoming (local) power-brokers, people like Sobchak.

Best regards

Robert

[Carl Schwamberger]

A cynic might claim Putin was positioning himself for joining either side. A deeper look into events does not support that, but on the surface his decision there has the look & smell.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi VN,

It is interesting that you write, "Vladimir Putin resigned from the KGB.....on the second day of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état". There is a hint of a bit of initial fence sitting, if he did not resign on the first day of the coup attempt.

Cheers,

Sid.

[VanillaNuns]

I wrote this 6 months ago before recent events. I stumbled across this article earlier today which gives valuable insight into the mind of the young Vladimir Putin.

It explores why he made the choices he did when he first joined the KGB in the 1980s, the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and his early political career.

https://news.sky.com/story/vladimir-put ... e-12620455

It's the best article yet on how his personality was crafted in the early days and what makes him tick now...