MOSCOW - President Boris Yeltsin's decree of Sept. 21 dissolving parliament plunged Russia into a crisis that worsened dramatically with the communist-led armed uprising of Sunday.
The following is a chronology of key events over the 13 days from Yeltsin's decree to the eruption of the worst political violence in Moscow since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
Sept. 21: Yeltsin suspends parliament, announcing fresh elections for Dee. 11-12.
Vice President Alexander Rutskoi, chief opposition leader, immediately denounces the move as a "coup d'etat" and says he is taking power. Defiant deputies meet and supporters erect barricades around White House building.
Rutskoi is named acting president by parliament; parliament speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov calls on soldiers to disobey Yeltsin.
Sept. 22: Parliament votes to strip Yeltsin of his presidential powers. Constitutional Court rules Yeltsin has violated the constitution and can be impeached. Yeltsin says he will not use force to resolve crisis. Defense Minister Pavel Grachev says Yeltsin can count on full support from armed forces.
Sept. 23: Yeltsin announces early presidential elections for June 12, 1994, and indicates he will stand for a third term.
Unidentified armed men try to break into the Moscow headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States armed forces, but the attack is thwarted by guards and police. The Congress of People's Deputies convenes in parliament building.
Sept. 24: Yeltsin orders Defense and Interior Ministries to disarm parliament guards. Interior Minister Viktor Yerin says he is sending reinforcements to encircle parliament, but time for "decisive actions" has not yet come.
Several hundred Interior Ministry troops gather in a central Moscow square. Khasbulatov says White House will not be defended by force.
Congress votes to call simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections by March 1994.
Sept. 25: Yeltsin says parliament's resistance to his decree is "at its last gasp". Khasbulatov says parliament will set up new base outside Moscow if Yeltsin drives them from the capital. Moscow authorities cut off electricity to parliament, which restores partial supplies with emergency generator.
Sept. 26: About 15, 000 Yeltsin supporters rally in central Moscow, while several thousand parliament supporters stage demonstration near White House. Rutskoi says he will fight to the death if troops loyal to Yeltsin try to storm the White House.
Sept. 27: Yeltsin rules out simultaneous elections, saying they would leave dangerous power vacuum and trigger even greater chaos. Khasbulatov says there can be no compromise with Yeltsin. A group of prominent politicians offers to mediate.
Sept. 28: Interior Ministry announces it is sealing off parliament to maintain order. Building is surrounded by barricades and razor wire.
Police order defenders of blockaded parliament to surrender their weapons in 24 hours. Khasbulatov says they will fight if attacked.
Sept. 29: Police use truncheons to push back hundreds of protesters, several reported hurt.
Two senior parliamentarians confer with Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin to try to break the impasse. Arms-surrender 24-hour deadline passes without incident as defiant deputies remain in parliament. Government sets fresh deadline of Oct. 4 for opponents in parliament to disarm, and quit.
Sept. 30: Armored vehicles close in on parliament Russian Orthodox church proposes "round-table" talks. Yeltsin accepts church mediation, offers to lift blockade if weapons surrendered.
Yeltsin officials deny media coverage of crisis is subject to censorship. Hardliners outside parliament clash with police for a third successive day.
Oct. 1: Yeltsin representatives meet rebel deputies in monastery to find peaceful end to standoff. They sign pact to lift blockade partly, restoring power and phone links in return for surrender of most weapons to stockpiles in building. But parliament leaders later reject the accord, though monastery talks go ahead.
Oct. 2: Hundreds of demonstrators throw up makeshift barricades closing off central Moscow's ring road after clashes with riot police.
Government decree orders tough security measures to stop any interference with transport, energy supplies and vital services by anti-Yeltsin forces. Rutskoi calls for uprising against Yeltsin, urges people to take to the streets and "join the fight against dictatorship".
Demonstrators fight hand to hand battles with police, set fire to barricades, block traffic for hours at one of Moscow's busiest intersections.
Oct. 3: Hardliners fight their way from Oktyabrskaya Ploshchad over Krymsky Val bridge and across the Garden Ring Road to parliament. Crowd of at least 15, 000 forces its way back to the blockaded White House parliament building.
Rutskoi urges tanks to storm the Kremlin and protesters to attack the Moscow mayor's office and main television transmitter.
Yeltsin declares a state of emergency in Moscow as opposition forces try to take Ostankino television tower. Demonstrators smash a truck into the glass front of the Moscow mayor's offices, headquarters of the Interior Ministry riot police brought in to seal off the White House.
Radio Russia says Yeltsin is bringing paratroopers to Moscow from Tula, south of the city. It says a unit of Interior Ministry troops based outside Moscow has gone over to the parliamentary side.
Yeltsin says he will triumph over the revolt and pledges to restore order soon to Moscow. Russian television, broadcasting from a back-up studio, says troop reinforcements have repulsed an attack by opponents of Yeltsin on the television center.
The following is a chronology of key events over the 13 days from Yeltsin's decree to the eruption of the worst political violence in Moscow since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
Sept. 21: Yeltsin suspends parliament, announcing fresh elections for Dee. 11-12.
Vice President Alexander Rutskoi, chief opposition leader, immediately denounces the move as a "coup d'etat" and says he is taking power. Defiant deputies meet and supporters erect barricades around White House building.
Rutskoi is named acting president by parliament; parliament speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov calls on soldiers to disobey Yeltsin.
Sept. 22: Parliament votes to strip Yeltsin of his presidential powers. Constitutional Court rules Yeltsin has violated the constitution and can be impeached. Yeltsin says he will not use force to resolve crisis. Defense Minister Pavel Grachev says Yeltsin can count on full support from armed forces.
Sept. 23: Yeltsin announces early presidential elections for June 12, 1994, and indicates he will stand for a third term.
Unidentified armed men try to break into the Moscow headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States armed forces, but the attack is thwarted by guards and police. The Congress of People's Deputies convenes in parliament building.
Sept. 24: Yeltsin orders Defense and Interior Ministries to disarm parliament guards. Interior Minister Viktor Yerin says he is sending reinforcements to encircle parliament, but time for "decisive actions" has not yet come.
Several hundred Interior Ministry troops gather in a central Moscow square. Khasbulatov says White House will not be defended by force.
Congress votes to call simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections by March 1994.
Sept. 25: Yeltsin says parliament's resistance to his decree is "at its last gasp". Khasbulatov says parliament will set up new base outside Moscow if Yeltsin drives them from the capital. Moscow authorities cut off electricity to parliament, which restores partial supplies with emergency generator.
Sept. 26: About 15, 000 Yeltsin supporters rally in central Moscow, while several thousand parliament supporters stage demonstration near White House. Rutskoi says he will fight to the death if troops loyal to Yeltsin try to storm the White House.
Sept. 27: Yeltsin rules out simultaneous elections, saying they would leave dangerous power vacuum and trigger even greater chaos. Khasbulatov says there can be no compromise with Yeltsin. A group of prominent politicians offers to mediate.
Sept. 28: Interior Ministry announces it is sealing off parliament to maintain order. Building is surrounded by barricades and razor wire.
Police order defenders of blockaded parliament to surrender their weapons in 24 hours. Khasbulatov says they will fight if attacked.
Sept. 29: Police use truncheons to push back hundreds of protesters, several reported hurt.
Two senior parliamentarians confer with Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin to try to break the impasse. Arms-surrender 24-hour deadline passes without incident as defiant deputies remain in parliament. Government sets fresh deadline of Oct. 4 for opponents in parliament to disarm, and quit.
Sept. 30: Armored vehicles close in on parliament Russian Orthodox church proposes "round-table" talks. Yeltsin accepts church mediation, offers to lift blockade if weapons surrendered.
Yeltsin officials deny media coverage of crisis is subject to censorship. Hardliners outside parliament clash with police for a third successive day.
Oct. 1: Yeltsin representatives meet rebel deputies in monastery to find peaceful end to standoff. They sign pact to lift blockade partly, restoring power and phone links in return for surrender of most weapons to stockpiles in building. But parliament leaders later reject the accord, though monastery talks go ahead.
Oct. 2: Hundreds of demonstrators throw up makeshift barricades closing off central Moscow's ring road after clashes with riot police.
Government decree orders tough security measures to stop any interference with transport, energy supplies and vital services by anti-Yeltsin forces. Rutskoi calls for uprising against Yeltsin, urges people to take to the streets and "join the fight against dictatorship".
Demonstrators fight hand to hand battles with police, set fire to barricades, block traffic for hours at one of Moscow's busiest intersections.
Oct. 3: Hardliners fight their way from Oktyabrskaya Ploshchad over Krymsky Val bridge and across the Garden Ring Road to parliament. Crowd of at least 15, 000 forces its way back to the blockaded White House parliament building.
Rutskoi urges tanks to storm the Kremlin and protesters to attack the Moscow mayor's office and main television transmitter.
Yeltsin declares a state of emergency in Moscow as opposition forces try to take Ostankino television tower. Demonstrators smash a truck into the glass front of the Moscow mayor's offices, headquarters of the Interior Ministry riot police brought in to seal off the White House.
Radio Russia says Yeltsin is bringing paratroopers to Moscow from Tula, south of the city. It says a unit of Interior Ministry troops based outside Moscow has gone over to the parliamentary side.
Yeltsin says he will triumph over the revolt and pledges to restore order soon to Moscow. Russian television, broadcasting from a back-up studio, says troop reinforcements have repulsed an attack by opponents of Yeltsin on the television center.
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