Without the coup d’etat from 19-21 august 1991 the USSR wouldn’t fall apart - Tudor Butnaru. Info-Prim Neo news story of 21 August 2006

Ex-president of the State Security Committee of Moldova, Tudor Butnaru, claims that without the coup d’etat from 19 – 21 august 1991 the Soviet Union wouldn’t collapse. His opinion is that the 15 republics would have continued the path of the “perestroyka” and the democratic reforms as in the case of the Chinese. Tudor Botnaru declared for Info-Prim Neo that the putsch meant to save the Soviet Union has directly caused its downfall. Immediately after the 3 days of uncertainty, the republics began to leave the Union and started to declare independence, and that is what Moldova did on 27th of august. Botnaru infirmed the information according to which a column of tanks was headed to Chisinau to re-establish order. The quoted source claims that internal bodies, the so-called “red berretta”, were given orders to take actions if necessary. Moreover, on the Moldovan territory numerous army forces were set out and they were ready to handle any protest. Both the police and the army was alert, fueled not only by the declaration of suzerainty of Moldova from June, but also by the fact that the communist party authorities from Chisinau have openly declared discontent with the conspirators from Kremlin, and the local Political Bureau has seized any contact with the CP of USSR. Butnaru claims that the orders for law enforcement bodies from Moscow were known. He also claims that he had no information whatsoever of any tanks headed to Chisinau, and he was chief of security – one of the most informed person of Moldova. A few days after the putsch, at August 27, 1991 the Parliament declared that Moldova is an independent state and has officially taken control of the soviet patrimony on the territory of Moldova. In the same time, the quoted source states that Transnistria’s reaction to the coup d’etat was exactly the opposite. Igor Smirnov has declared the organizers of the putsch saviors of the soviet state and promised military support. Referring to the independence of the Republic of Moldova, obtained in 1991, Tudor Botnaru declared that a country that has no territorial integrity and no economic independence is not at all independent.