Editing Alpha Group (section)

===Fall of the Soviet Union===
====Intervention in the Baltics====
On 11 March 1990, the [[Supreme Council of Lithuania|Supreme Council]] of the [[Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic]] made public their intent to secede from the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania|re-establish the independent Republic of Lithuania]]. As a result of this pronouncement, on 9 January 1991, the Soviet leadership dispatched Alpha Group to quell the independence movement and maintain Lithuania's status as a [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Soviet republic]]. This attempt to re-establish Soviet dominance culminated in the violent seizure of the [[Vilnius TV Tower]] on [[January Events (Lithuania)|13 January 1991]], during which the Soviet forces killed 13 unarmed Lithuanian protesters, as well as one Alpha operative (Lt. Viktor Shatskikh, who was apparently struck in the back by [[friendly fire]]). In 2011, the former commander of Alpha Group, retired KGB Col. [[Mikhail Golovatov]], was detained at [[Vienna International Airport]] on a [[European Arrest Warrant]] due to this incident, issued by Lithuania, but Austrian authorities released him within 24 hours, claiming that the information provided by Lithuania was "too vague".<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14202371 Baltic fury over Austria's release of ex-Soviet officer], BBC News, 19 July 2011.</ref> In response, the Lithuanian parliament discussed breaking diplomatic ties with Austria in protest.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} A joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of all three [[Baltic States]] condemned Golovatov's release, and said that it should have been one of "... the occasions when suspects are detained and extradited, particularly when they are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity ..." as "... the crimes performed in 1991 in [[Vilnius]] and [[Riga]] have no limitation ..." ("Riga" referring to [[The Barricades|a similar crackdown]] in January 1991, when six Latvian policemen and civilians were killed by Soviet [[OMON]] and KGB forces, possibly including Alpha Group members).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.am.gov.lv/en/news/press-releases/2011/july/19-1/ |title=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: The Baltic states demonstrate their unity over the release of Golovatov |publisher=Am.gov.lv |date=19 July 2011 |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927145535/http://www.am.gov.lv/en/news/press-releases/2011/july/19-1/ |archive-date=27 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt====
During the events of the [[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|Soviet coup attempt]] in August 1991, Alpha Group's commanding officer, Gen. Karpukhin, was commanded by KGB chairman [[Vladimir Kryuchkov]] to forcibly enter the [[White House, Moscow|White House]], Russia's acting parliament, after paratroopers secured the entrance, to eliminate the President of the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], [[Boris Yeltsin]], and various other anti-coup leaders assembled there. In addition to Alpha Group, Gen. Karpukhin was also given authority of [[Vympel|Vega Group (Vympel)]], elements of the Soviet Airborne, [[Internal Troops]], special units of the Dzerzhinsky Division ([[Separate Operational Purpose Division|OMSDON]]), mobilised units of the Moscow OMON, three tank companies, and a squadron of helicopters. On-site analysis of the area was conducted by Airborne deputy commander [[Alexander Lebed]], and other senior officers who mingled with the crowds of anti-coup protesters nearest to the White House. There was a general consensus among the military officials who gathered that day, as evidenced by their statements months after the botched coup attempt, that had they followed through on their endeavour it would have succeeded. The stated mission objectives could have been reached in no more than half-an-hour, but it would have come at a terrible human cost.<ref>David Satter, ''Age of Delirium: The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union'', pg. 18.</ref> Shortly after their assessment was made, Gen. Karpukhin and [[Vympel]]'s Boris Beskov convinced the KGB Deputy chairman, Gennady Ageyev, that such a massive undertaking should be cancelled.<ref name=91internalkgbreport>{{cite web |url=http://www.flb.ru/material.phtml?id=3632 |title=September 1991 internal KGB report on the involvement of KGB in the coup |publisher=Flb.ru |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408051034/http://www.flb.ru/material.phtml?id=3632 |archive-date=8 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=NovayaGazeta51>{{in lang|ru}} [http://2001.novayagazeta.ru/nomer/2001/51n/n51n-s15.shtml "Novaya Gazeta" No. 51 of 23 July 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215063833/http://2001.novayagazeta.ru/nomer/2001/51n/n51n-s15.shtml |date=15 February 2012 }} (extracts from the indictment of the conspirators).</ref><ref name=Timeline>{{in lang|ru}} [http://archive.rusbg.com/viewtopic.php?p=183469&sid=ab7f23384901f822938fcbc1b4e31240 Timeline of the events], by Artem Krechnikov, Moscow BBC correspondent  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127115224/http://archive.rusbg.com/viewtopic.php?p=183469&sid=ab7f23384901f822938fcbc1b4e31240 |date=27 November 2007 }}</ref><ref name=Argumenty>[http://nd.flb.ru/?path=3&info_id=1222&text_version=19 ''Argumenty i Fakty''], 15 August 2001. {{dead link|date=February 2013}}</ref>