Soviet KGB chief dies in Moscow

Kruchkov died of an illness at a Moscow hospital on Friday, the Russian media reported, quoting the Russian Federal Security Service FSB-former KGB. His funeral will take place on November 27.

Kruchkov had been appointed KGB chief by Gorbachev in 1988.

During the August 1991coup, also known as the August Putsch or August Coup, a group of CPSU hardliners briefly deposed Gorbachev and attempted to take control of the country. Kruchkov was one of the 8220;gang of eight8221; who led the State Emergency Committee. They believed that Gorbachev8217;s reform programme had gone too far and that a new Union Treaty he had negotiated gave too much of the Central Government8217;s power to the Soviet republics.

The coup collapsed in just three days and Gorbachev returned to power. After the failed coup, Kryuchkov was imprisoned.

In 1994, the State Duma or the lower house of the Russian Parliament, freed him under an amnesty. He was replaced as the KGB chief by Vadim Bakatin.

He had recently published his memoirs and had also given several interviews in which he accused the West of conspiracy against the Soviet Union and Russia.