They Refused to Storm the White House

Abstract

On July 10, a month and a half before the putsch, Literaturnaia gazeta, in an article entitled "Litovskaia karta," was the first to report on the role of the KGB "Alpha" group in the tragic events in Vilnius during that terrible January. Exactly like OMON [Special Purpose Militia Detachments, also known as Black Berets—Ed.], initially formed solely to combat organized crime, the purpose of the "Alpha" group (subunit "A" of the USSR KGB Seventh Directorate) was established to combat terrorism and terrorists—and this alone! But, again like OMON, our politicians began to use "Alpha" for their own bloody actions, which they also called policy. Their policy. To preserve their power.