Gennady Yanayev

Gennady Yanayev (26 August 1937 – 24 September 2010) was a Soviet politician. He was vice president, and acting president of the country in 1990–1991. He led a coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, but he was pardoned in 1994; after that he worked in the Russian tourism administration.

Sourced

• I should like to stress that the party is alive, not because Gorbachev is general secretary of its central committee. If he ceases to be general secretary, another leader will come.
  • In an interview, February 1991

• My body is such that I remain sane even after drinking all my buddies under the table.
  • Denying if alcohol effects any of his decision.

• These events weigh on my heart to this day.
  • Denying to play any critical role in the coup plot, he also said that the was pressured by more hard-line leaders to sign the documents declaring his presidency.

Quotes about Gennady Yanayev

• Yanayev lived an interesting, difficult and worthy life. If they had been more decisive, they could have succeeded in preserving our country and completely turned around the difficult situation of that time.
  • Gennadi A. Zyuganov