Black October 1993.

2nd Guards Motor Rifle Taman Division4th Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division106th Guards Airborne Tula Division (including the 119th Guards Parachute Regiment)27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Sevastopol BrigadeSeparate Special Purpose Motor Rifle Division named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky (OMSDON) Special Purpose Group "Alpha" of the Main Security Directorate (GUO RF) Special Purpose Group "Vympel" of the GUO RF OMON units (Moscow, Smolensk and other regions) Main Directorate of Internal Affairs (GUVD) of Moscow Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD) Main Security Directorate of the Russian Federation (GUO) Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation (MSB) Government of the Russian Federation (Cabinet of Ministers under the leadership of V. Chernomyrdin) Moscow City Hall Administration of the President of the Russian Federation

Small Arms and Automatic Weapons: Kalashnikov assault rifles (AK-74, AKS-74, AKM): The primary personal weapon of riot police, internal troops (OMSDON), and paratroopers. They used 5.45mm and 7.62mm cartridges with high penetrating power. Sniper rifles (SVD): They were actively used by riot police and special forces snipers. The attackers' firing positions were located on the roofs of nearby residential buildings, the Ukraina Hotel, and the CMEA (City Hall) building, from where dense, targeted fire was directed at the windows of the White House. Machine guns (RPK-74 and PKM): Kalashnikov light and general-purpose machine guns were used by army units and internal troops to create a high density of fire and suppress the firing points of supporters of the Supreme Soviet. Weapons of special forces (Alfa, Vympel, Vityaz) Special assault rifles and rifles (AS Val, VSS Vintorez): Silent small arms systems chambered for the heavy 9x39 mm cartridge. They were in service with the Alpha and Vympel groups of the Main Security Directorate (GSU). Submachine guns (PP-91 Kedr, OTs-02 Kiparis): Compact automatic weapons that were just beginning to be fielded by the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and OMON for close-range combat inside buildings. Special pistols (PSS, APS): Silent pistols and Stechkin automatic pistols were used by GSN officers as personal weapons. Heavy, anti-tank, and large-caliber weapons. KPVT (14.5 mm) and PKT (7.62 mm) machine guns: Large-caliber machine guns mounted on numerous BTR-70 and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers. They continuously fired at the barricades and the façade of the parliament building, literally piercing the walls. 2A42 automatic cannons (30 mm): Mounted on BMP-2 and BMD-2 infantry fighting vehicles, these cannons inflicted severe damage to the White House with high-explosive and armor-piercing shells. Grenade launchers (RPG-7, RPG-26 "Aglen"): Used by assault groups to destroy fortified firing points and rebel embrasures in the basements and on the first floors of the White House. 2A46M tank cannons (125 mm): Cannons of T-80UM tanks.

Small Arms and Heavy WeaponsKalashnikov assault rifles (AKS-74U, AK-74, AKM): The most widely used automatic weapon by the rebels. The bulk of these (several hundred barrels) were officially issued from the parliament's armory to the employees of the Security Department and volunteers. Some of the assault rifles were captured from internal troops during the breakthrough of the siege on October 3.Pistols (PM, TT, APS): These were carried by members of parliament, retired officers, Cossacks, and professional building security guards. The Makarov pistol (PM) was used as a personal self-defense weapon.Sniper rifles (SVD): These were in limited use by former military personnel and professional marksmen who took up positions on the roof and upper floors of the House of Soviets.Grenade launchers (RPG-7 and GP-25): The rebels had only a few RPGs at their disposal. It was from this type of grenade launcher that a parliament supporter fired at the ASC-3 building at Ostankino on October 3, resulting in the death of a Vityaz special forces soldier and the start of a battle. GP-25 underbarrel grenade launchers were used sparingly by experienced soldiers for close combat on October 4. Improvised weapons: Smoothbore hunting rifles brought from home by volunteers. To combat armored vehicles, civil activists mass-produced Molotov cocktails right in the basements of the White House. Rebar, knives, and entrenching tools were used at the barricades. Equipment and body armor. Standard equipment: Soviet steel helmets SSh-68 and bulletproof vests (6B3/6B5) were only available to fighters from the Department of Security of the Supreme Council, Afghanistan veterans, and members of the "Union of Officers." Trophies: Protective helmets "Sfera" and "Kolpak" and bulletproof vests of the "Kora" series were taken from OMON fighters and internal troops during clashes on October 3 near City Hall. Clothing: The vast majority of rebels (up to 90%) fought in ordinary civilian clothes, camouflage jackets without armor plates, or Cossack uniforms, providing no protection from bullets or shrapnel. In total, the defenders of the White House had between 600 and 900 pieces in their possession by the beginning of the assault on October 4.

Captured armored vehicles: BTR-80 and BRDM-2: During the assault and breakthrough of the blockade around the White House on the afternoon of October 3, parliament supporters recaptured two to three armored personnel carriers from riot police and internal troops. Utilization: Rebels (including those under the command of Albert Makashov) used these armored personnel carriers for transportation and ramming. They used them to break through the glass doors of the City Hall building (the former Comecon building) on ​​Novy Arbat, and then, as part of a convoy, set out to storm the Ostankino Television Center. One of the armored personnel carriers rammed the glass doors of the ASC-3 building in Ostankino just before the start of a bloody battle there. Auxiliary and civilian transport
Military trucks (ZIL-131, GAZ-66, Ural): On October 3, near the White House, rebels seized approximately 10-15 army trucks abandoned by the internal troops during their retreat. They were used to quickly transport hundreds of armed parliament defenders to the Ostankino television center. Buses and municipal vehicles: During street fighting in late September and early October, supporters of the Supreme Soviet seized city buses, street cleaners, and civilian dump trucks. They used them to block streets and build barricades around the Garden Ring and Krasnaya Presnya.

Armored vehicles and weapons of the assault forces. T-80UD main battle tank: The most famous vehicle of those events. Six tanks of the 12th Guards Tank Regiment of the Kantemirovskaya Division were deployed to the Kalinin (Novoarbatsky) Bridge. It was these tanks that fired 12 rounds (10 high-explosive fragmentation and 2 sub-caliber) at the upper floors of the White House between 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. on October 4, causing a massive fire and demoralizing the defenders. BTR-70 and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers: They were widely used by riot police, internal troops, and paratroopers (more than 60 units in total). They provided heavy fire from KPVT heavy machine guns (14.5 mm) at the windows of the White House, blocked barricades, and transported assault teams. Infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-2) and airborne assault vehicles (BMD-1): Used by motorized riflemen of the Taman Division and paratroopers of the 119th Airborne Regiment. With their 2A42 automatic cannons (30 mm), they suppressed the firing positions of Supreme Soviet supporters on the approaches to the parliament building. Auxiliary and special equipment. Fire trucks and water cannons: Used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the early stages of the crisis (late September and October 2-3) to disperse protesters and extinguish burning barricades on Smolenskaya Square and Rochdelskaya Street. Later, they were used to extinguish the fire in the House of Soviets itself. Mi-8 helicopters: Several military helicopters conducted 24-hour aerial reconnaissance over the White House area and the Ostankino Television Center, coordinating the movement of ground assault teams. They did not engage in aerial fire. Trucks and special vehicles: Army KamAZ trucks, ZILs, and Urals were used to quickly transport thousands of riot police and internal troops to the sites of clashes. How much equipment was involved? During the final assault on October 4, 10 tanks and more than 70 other armored vehicles (APCs, BMPs, and BMDs) were concentrated directly around Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.

Deputies and leaders: Supporters of the dissolved Supreme Soviet, led by Ruslan Khasbulatov and Vice President Alexander Rutskoy. Volunteers and organizations: Activists from opposition movements, the Union of Officers, communist parties, and national-patriotic forces. Military supporters: Some retired and active officers and generals (for example, Albert Makashov) sided with the parliament.
Population: about 3500.