As the story continued to develop, the coup in Russia was being played out in the streets of Moscow. Since all Soviet news sources had been effectively shut down, it was difficult to get a true picture of what exactly was going on, apart from spotty reports and eyewitness accounts. Protests spread throughout the country, and there was a rising tide of resistance to this attempted overthrow even within the ranks of the Soviet Army.

Here is a BBC World Service report on the first 24 hours of the coup, as it was presented on the morning of August 20, 1991.