The Chelovek in the Street

MOSCOW—The armored personnel carriers and the military inspectors have finished their work at Moscow’s White House. The fires are out, the stockpiled weapons rounded up, even the spent bullets mostly collected by memento scavengers.

If the aftermath of the 1991 coup attempt brought mass elation, this time it’s mass depression. Among the steady stream of pilgrims to the charred marble edifice, there is none of the smiling chatter one saw here in 1991. Now visitors stand in solemn silence, then turn away and trudge back up the street.

ER

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Elisabeth Rubinfien

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MOSCOW—The armored personnel carriers and the military inspectors have finished their work at Moscow’s White House. The fires are out, the stockpiled weapons rounded up, even the spent bullets mostly collected by memento scavengers.

If the aftermath of the 1991 coup attempt brought mass elation, this time it’s mass depression. Among the steady stream of pilgrims to the charred marble edifice, there is none of the smiling chatter one saw here in 1991. Now visitors stand in solemn silence, then turn away and trudge back up the street.