Ruslan Khasbulatov, the last chairman of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR (1991-1993), died in the Moscow region on January 3 at the age of 81, Kommersant reported, citing his relatives. The death of a former supporter of the first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, who later became his opponent, was also reported on social networks by human rights activist Alexander Cherkasov.
Khasbulatov was born on November 22, 1942 in Grozny. In 1965, he graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University, in 1970 – postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Economics of the university, defended his Ph.D. thesis, and in 1980 – a doctoral thesis.
In March 1990 he was elected a People’s Deputy of the RSFSR. On June 5, 1990, he was appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. Having already headed the parliament, together with the President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin, he opposed the putschists in 1991.
On August 19, 1991, Khasbulatov wrote the text of the appeal “To the Citizens of Russia”, in which the creation of the GKChP was called a “reactionary anti-constitutional coup”, it was said about the need for a “general indefinite strike”. Together with Khasbulatov and Yeltsin, the Prime Minister of the RSFSR Ivan Silaev signed the appeal. On October 19, 1991, Khasbulatov became chairman of the Supreme Council.
His path and the path of Yeltsin diverged by 1993. Disagreements between the deputies and the executive branch led to a constitutional crisis (the head of state signed decree No. 1400 on the dissolution of parliament, and he, on the contrary, decided to resign Yeltsin and transfer his power to Vice President Alexander Rutskoi) and forceful suppression of opponents of the president.
Khasbulatov himself and a number of his supporters were detained, he was kept in Lefortovo, and released under an amnesty in 1994. negotiator during the Chechen conflict.
The funeral of Khasbulatov can take place in his homeland, in Chechnya, and according to Islamic traditions, already on January 4, his acquaintance told Vedomosti. State Duma deputy from Chechnya Shamsail Saraliev also told Vedomosti that Khasbulatov had died. The Minister of Information and Press of the Republic, Akhmed Dudayev, confirmed to Vedomosti that the politician had died and would be buried in his homeland on January 4.