Aleksandr Vladimirovich Rutskoy

The real issue, however, was that Rutskoy sided with the parliament in its power struggle with the president. When Yeltsin tried to dissolve the parliament on September 21, the parliament responded by declaring Yeltsin's presidency unconstitutional and appointing Rutskoy acting president.

Rutskoy's presidency was never acknowledged outside Russia. Yeltsin saw the appointement as an attempted coup d'état, and after violent rioting on October 2-3, Yeltsin's troops stormed the parliament and arrested Rutskoy and the leaders of the parliament on October 4.

A few months later, February 26, 1994, all leaders of the anti-Yeltsin campaign received a pardon and were released from jail.