After he refused to endorse the state of emergency, the coup plotters cut off the Soviet leader's communications and left him isolated at his residence. He said that helped discourage the coup plotters from using force. Protesters, fearing a convoy of armored vehicles was heading to storm the Russian building, blocked the street with buses. 1 political actor on the Soviet scene.”Less than four months later, Yeltsin and leaders of other Soviet republics declared the Soviet Union defunct, and Gorbachev stepped down on Dec. 25, 1991. The arrested coup plotters faced trial but received amnesty in 1994.

Source: ABC News August 18, 2021 07:07 UTC