White Marble, Black Ash: 1993 Black October

«Citizens, judges of the Constitutional Court! A coup d'état has been carried out. Yeltsin has signed a decree on the dissolution of the Congress and the Supreme Soviet... I appeal to the army: do not obey the criminal orders of the usurper!" » 

— September 21, 1993, Alexander Rutskoy 

Still in the shadow of the fall of the Soviet Union, the newly created Russian Federation is internally divided. Amid sweeping economic reform, legislative power struggles, and constitutional amendments, Yeltsin's choice to dissolve the Congress of People’s Deputies and the Supreme Soviet is now met with accusations of a coup d’etat. On the brink of civil war, Russia now has two presidents, with power resting in more than only the hands that lead the charge. The streets of Moscow now run red, as factions clash for control of the Russian state with growing violence increasingly blurring the lines between civil war and unrest. The proletariat of Russia, ensnared between the sweet promises of a federation and economic reform now face the bitter consequences of the actions of the oligarchy and social elite. Yet, the individuals of Russian society are no stranger to hardship and suffering. From the blood already spilled in the Afghani mountains to the streets of Ossetia, perhaps this toil is simply just another incident among many which they will have to survive. For the Russian Federation is dying, and with it the promise of democracy. Sometimes, a bear roars the loudest in its final moments of struggle.

For any questions, please email the directors at october@markmun.ca.