From:	POLYAKOV@HDSVX7@PSI%HDSRTR@MRGATE@SNMRTR

   Date: Mon 26 Aug 91 23:24:52-PDT
   From: Laurence I. Press <LPRESS@ISI.EDU>
   Subject: The net during the coup

   I am sending this to people who posted messages during the coup
   in order to get a better picture of how the net was used.

   As a start, I compiled the following selection of postings and 
   email messages (mostly from Polina Antonova at Demos).  I write 
   a column in the Communications of the ACM, and plan to write about 
   Demos and the coup.  

   Can you add any important or moving email or noteworthy postings?  
   Have you any anecdotes or observations that would enrichen the 
   story? 

   Send them to me and I will summarize and distribute.

   Thanks,
   Larry Press
   lpress@venera.isi.edu

   -----

   (Times are Moscow unless GMT is indicated)

   Aug 19, 6:49, Northwest Information Agency (Leningrad)

      NIA posted miscelaneous reports from Leningrad and Moscow including 
      the news that all fax machines and computers at the publishing 
      houses of the democratic newspapers "Smena" and "Nevskoye Vremya" 
      had been destroyed.

   19, 12:30, Leonid Belopilsky, Interfax

      Belopilskyy posted eight short news bulletins covering Yeltsin's 
      letter to the citizens, and other topics.  The bulletins of the 
      independent Interfax News Agency continued to be posted throughout 
      the crisis.

   19, 12:50, Baltfax

      Posted short releases on events in Estonia and Lithuania, 
      including Vytautas Landsbergis' declaration that "The people 
      of Lithuania will not collaborate with the puppet authorities 
      should such be installed in their republic."

   19, 13:20 gmt, Vadim Antonov, Demos

      Oh, do not say.  I've seen the tanks with my own eyes.  I hope 
      we'll be able to communicate during the next few days.  Communists 
      cannot rape the Mother Russia once again!

   19, 17:56 gmt, Judith Grass

      Grass posted a translation of Yeltsin's letter to the citizens of 
      Russia.  At 18:40 Eli Lauris posted a second translation.

      (Is this the message he read from the top of a tank in front 
      of the parliament building)?

      (the original was posted by Ury Segal -- what time??)

   19, 22:28 gmt, Vadim Antonov, Demos

      Please stop flooding the only narrow channel with bogus messages 
      with silly questions.  Note that it's neither a toy nor a means to 
      reach your relatives or friends.  We need the bandwidth to help 
      organize the resistance.  Please, do not (even unintentionally) 
      help these fascists!

   19, 22:54, Polina Antonova to Mike Naimark

      ... Thanks Heaven, these cretins don't consider us mass media!

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Tue, 20 Aug 91 00:17:31 +0300 (MSD)

      Hi!

      Don't worry, we're OK, though frightened and angry.  Moscow is full 
      of tanks and military machines, I hate them.  They try to close all 
      mass media, they shutted up CNN an hour ago, Soviet TV transmits 
      opera and old movies.  But, thanks Heaven, they don't consider 
      RELCOM mass media or they simply forgot about it.  Now we transmit 
      information enough to put us in prison for the rest of our life :-).  
      Hope all will turn out well at long last...

      Polina

   20, 0:25 gmt, Ove Ruben Olsen, University of Bergen, Norway

      Transcription of Radio Moscow World Service broadcast 
      outlining the junta's proclamation declaring as state of 
      emergency, announcing restrictions, and promising, among other 
      things, that food production and distribution would be 
      improved.

   20, 1:57, anonymous (sounds like Vadim at Demos)

      If these dogs win, for certain they'll throw us in prison - we 
      distributed the proclamation from Yeltsin and the Moscow and 
      Leningrad Soviets throughout the entire Soviet Union, together with 
      the forbidden communiques from Interfax ... Greetings from the 
      underground.

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Tue, 20 Aug 91 02:33:17 +0300 (MSD)

      Thanx, I'm afraid you can do nothing to help us,
      but may be you'd write me what do they say on your TV
      about the situation, as we can't watch CNN now.
      You can use e-mail, at least until they'll cut it off
      because we distribute prohibited information.
      I'd better go to bed now, it's 3 am in Moscow.
      Cheers,
		      Polina

   20, 3:04 gmt, Eugene Nesterenko

      Sent a long news release including positive news such as a 
      summary of Yeltsin's decree and negative news such as the 
      pride and joy of the Latvian Communist Party First Secretary 
      after the coup.

   20, 3:54, Dmitry V. Volodin, Demos

      Posted a copy of Yeltsin's decree with a plea to redistribute 
      it as widely as possible.  "It will be fine if this reaches 
      world information agencies."

      (was this the first posting of Yeltsin's decree?)

   20, 6:00 gmt, Kari Kankaala

      100 tanks are 100 km from Tallinn; tanks passed through Vilna; 
      one person was killed in Riga; the Finnish-Soviet border is 
      open; car, train, truck and air traffic to the Soviet Union is 
      normal; phone calls to Estonia are still possible.

   20, 6:05 gmt, Kari Kankaala

      The phonecenters of Latvia and Lithuania have been occupied, 
      and miners in Russia, the Ukraine, and Belorussia have started 
      striking in accordance with the wishes of Yeltsin.

   20, 9:23, gmt, Jorma Mantyla, u. of Tampere, Finland

      Gave the status of various Soviet radio stations.  Independent 
      radio from Moscow had stopped, Estonain radio was being heard 
      normally, and Latvian radio was still on the air, although 
      troops had reportedly occupied the bulding the previous night.  
      People in the Soviet Union were still able to watch Finnish TV 
      and hear Western radio stations with no jamming.

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Tue, 20 Aug 91 11:12:39 +0300 (MSD)

      Thanx for information and for words of support!
      Now we can watch CNN again (for unknown reason :-)
      Now I'll go to the White House and see all this myself.
      Please write me to my work address polina@hq.demos.su,
      because we're going to bring our home machine to
      the White House for communications. Excuse me, I'm
      in a hurry... Thanx again
			      Polina

   20, 11:29 edt, Enn Tyugu (to Peter Wolcott)

      Estonia has survived until this hour.  The troops are near 
      Tallinn and more are coming, but they have not yet got to the 
      TV and radio centers.  Latvian and Lithuanian mass media are 
      already in in the hands of the troops.  Many people are around 
      our vulnerable buildings protecting them and building 
      barricades.  Mostly heavy trucks are being used as barricades.  
      Thanks for your support.

   20, 13:43 gmt, Oleg Moroz

      Moscow mayor Gavril Popov claimed that the events of yesterday 
      are anti-constitutional and anti-democratic, and all the 
      people who made (the coup) are outlaws.

   20, 15:36 gmt, Vadim Antonov, Demos

      Posted short eyewitness reports from Moscow, Leningrad and the 
      Baltics, and concluded with the request that "Everyone who has 
      information about militarymovements is asked to call the 
      headquarters of lensoviet 310-00-00, 319-98-57."

   20, 18:19 gmt, Dimitri I. Rakitin

      The mass media is working out of the Parliament Building... 
      The AM  transmitter is operating at the frequencies 14175, 
      13640, and 7040 hHz.  The frequencies are floating because of 
      jamming.

   20, 21:14 gmt, Karen Segar, Oberlin College

      Segar posted a transcription of many miscellaneous items from 
      a Vremya (is this in Moscow?) broadcast.  Included were the 
      statement that Pavlov was having cardiac problems and the 
      people of Moldavia had rallied to defend the radio and TV 
      stations, and that a Council of National Security had been 
      founded.

   20, 23:00, anon email to Vadim Levin

      The following are quotes from two email messges to Levin:

      To all people of good will!  We want you to know that the 
      democaracy of the USSR is in great danger...  Right now the 
      center of Moscow is surrounded by tanks and soldiers...We need 
      your moral support!... Down with the Communist tyranny!

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 01:06:17 +0300 (MSD)

      Very useful information, I'll translate it and send
      to local newsgroup, as we have no information sources
      at all. Thanx! Our machine is overloaded, please,
      write briefly. If you'll hear anything about the
      attack to our white house, please, inform me, our people
      couldn't get there.
      Polina

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 01:39:46 +0300 (MSD)

      Don't worry, the only danger for us is if they
      catch and arrest us, as we're sitting at home
      (Valera in Demos) and distributing all inf. we have.
      I can only hear these tanks, and, it seems, aircraft.
      But I have to know, what's happening near White house!
      inform me, if you can.
			      Polina

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 02:42:50 +0300 (MSD)

      We listened to Echo, but now they jam all radio stations.
      Now we are the only source of information for many people.

   21, 6:43, gmt, Jorma Mantyla, u. of Tampere, Finnland

      Mantyla continued his earlier report on Soviet radio stations.  
      Estonian radio was the only Baltic radio station not under 
      control of the Junta, but the radio and TV station in Tallin 
      was partially occupied by troops, but they were still 
      broadcasting from a different part of the building!

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 10:40:47 +0300 (MSD)

      People from the place and our inf. agencies report
      that 2 men were killed when the tanks were leaving Moscow.
      Though they can return at any moment. We try to post
      all this to t.p.s (in Russian, hope there is someone to
      translate it) but we have no time to read it. 

      CNN works again, but I think they'll stop it if
      something starts. All radio is jammed.

      It seems, now junta feels not so confident, as 2 days ago.

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 15:07:01 +0300 (MSD)

      Really good news.
      Right now we're listening to the Radio Russia (without
      any jamming!), they told that the Eight left Moscow, noone knows,
      where... Hard to beleive... May be, they really run away?
      Radio asks for information about their location.

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 17:34:56 +0300 (MSD)

      As reported from Moscow Soviet the junta left Moscow
      in civil aircraft towards Kirgisia(?) or Crimea(?).
      Yeltsin ordered to stop them, a troop is sent.
      We're waiting...
      Polina

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 21:12:26 +0300 (MSD)

      Thank you, Larry!

      Now all information media are on, CNN transmites our
      "Time" TV program, and I can watch them both!
      I'v heard (may be it was CNN) that they withdraw
      armed forces from Baltics cities. I'm not near the
      parliament, I'm still at the computer, but the situation
      on the net became lighter now and I hope to sleep a little, it was
      my dream during last two days :-)

      You can't even imagine, how grateful we are for your
      help and support in this terrible time! The best thing
      is to know, that we aren't alone.

      Cheers,
			      Polina

   22, 11:33 gmt, George Tereshko, JV Dialog

      When the dark night fell upon Moscow, Relcom was one source of 
      light for us.  Thanks to these brave people we could get 
      information and hope.  I would also like to thank the people 
      running Soviet BBSs (and personally Pete Kvitek at JV Dialog) who 
      provided another net for information flow.

   From: polina@moria.demos.su (Polina Antonova)
   Date: Thu, 22 Aug 91 13:31:40 +0300 (MSD)

      Dear Larry,

      Now Vadim and I have to do our usual work (that's so nice! :-)
      and Valera and Mike Korotaev went to sleep, they were on
      duty the whole night. When they'll wake up, we'll collect
      some information, how the net works in the state of emergency
      and send it to you.

      Now there is celebration in Moscow.
      We just watched president Gorbachev on TV.

      Greetings from Natasha.
      Cheers,
			      Polina.

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