Rumeur de crise. Les introuvables snipers d’octobre 1993 à Moscou

Abstract

In October 1993, increasing tensions between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his Parliament turned into armed confrontation. Within a few days, the death toll rose to 150, while 400 were injured. Opposing parties and observers have often referred to mysterious snipers to explain these casualties but the presence of snipers responsible for these deaths has never been definitely proven. This article draws on the various sources available (testimonies, memoirs, articles, photographs, official inquiries, TV coverage) to explain the birth of this snipers rumor and its persistence throughout the years. It argues that the snipers rumor appeared to explain the shooting and the violent chaos of October 1993, and because it linked the Moscow events to a broader historical and geopolitical context. The rumor hasn’t since disappeared because it is based on a faulty logic, which precisely transforms the lack of evidence into proof, but also because it has been mobilized by conflicting parties to delegitimize their adversary since 1993.