GENERAL L. ROKHLIN AND THE “MILITARY OPPOSITION” PHENOMENON OF THE 1990s

Abstract

Aim. To study the political phenomenon of General L.Rokhlin (1947–1998) as the leader of the anti-Yeltsin “military opposition” in the second half of the 1990s.

Methodology. The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach, which relies on the use of problem-chronological, formal-legal, and systemic methods.

Results. The conducted analysis revealed that the political phenomenon of Rokhlin was the result of the crisis transformation of the giant military defense complex, which was inherited by Russia from the Soviet Union. At the same time, the methods, which the “rebellious general” wanted to apply to solve the army and the military-industrial complex problems, could not be called completely constitutional. Therefore, Rokhlin appears as an undoubtedly bright and charismatic leader who, at the same time, was quite isolated from the rest of the opposition spectrum, and his significance in the political history of Russia in the 1990s seems quite exaggerated.

Research implications. In the course of the study, new sources were introduced into scientific circulation: materials of the periodical press, legal acts, electronic sources, the integrated use of which enables comprehensive study of the socio-political activities of General L.Rokhlin and his supporters.