Editing Alpha Group (section)

====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>