RUTSKOY, ALEKSANDR VLADIMIROVICH

(1947– )

A veteran of theSoviet-Afghan War, Aleksandr Rutskoy’s war record included being shot down and interrogated by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence and being offered the chance to defect by theUnited StatesCentral Intelligence Agency. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his bravery, and was subsequently chosen byBoris Yeltsinas a running mate for the 1991 Russian presidential election. A strong supporter ofethnic Russians, he backed the independence ofTransnistriaandCrimea.He also railed againstYegorGaydar’s economic reforms and Russian weakness in the wake of thedissolution of the Soviet Union.

In part due to his unpredictable and populist methods, a rift soon developed between Rutskoy and Yeltsin. Following theCongress of People’sDeputies’ attempted “soft coup” against Yeltsin in March 1993, the relationship worsened, and in September, the president suspended Rutskoy from his duties as vice president over allegations ofcorruption. Defending Rutskoy, theSupreme Soviet of the Russian Federationdeclared the move unconstitutional, thus precipitating theconstitutional crisis of 1993. Rutskoy, now a conspirator, assumed the role of acting president of the Russian Federation, and allied himself withRuslan Khasbulatov.

In the wake of the crisis, Rutskoy was arrested and imprisoned in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison until 26 February 1994 when he was granted amnesty by the newly formedState Duma. He subsequently founded theDerzhava(Great Power)political party. In 1996, he was elected governor of his home province,Kursk Oblast. He was banned from running for reelection in 2000 on a technicality, reportedly on the orders ofVladimir Putin.

See alsoPolitics.