Soviet Defense Minister Yazov reiterated in an interview on 1 December that Soviet troops will seize supply facilities if local authorities notably those in the Baltics cut off services to military garrisons.
The list of members includes Defense Minister Dimitri Yazov, KGB Chief Vladimir Krychkov, Interior Minister Boris Pugo, Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov, Vice President Yanayev, Foreign Minister Alexander Bessmertnykh, and Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov.
Mikhail Moiseyev, Mr. Gorbachev's first choice to replace the faithless Marshal Yazov after the August coup, few doubt that the Red Army chief would have saluted and obeyed Gorbachev orders to assert the Kremlin center's military control over the republics.