Classified Central Committee of the USSR Dec 7 ’76 – 55396 Subject to return to the general precinct of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Committee of State Security KGB of the Council of Ministers of the USSR December 6 1976 No 2755-A Moscow On the provocative demonstration by antisocial elements on Pushkin Square in Moscow and at the Pushkin monument in Leningrad On December 5 of this year a group of antisocial elements convened on Pushkin Square with the provocative aim of expressing “silent protest” in connection with “violations” of the rights of citizens guaranteed by the constitution of the USSR Sakharov Semenova and Yankelevich the daughter and son-in-law of Elena Bonner Andrei Sakharov’s wife Grigorenko’s spouse Bukovskaya Alexeeva Salova Shatunovskaya Gastev Genkin Starchik Landa Irina Yakir and others a total of around 50 people gathered in the square at the Pushkin monument At 18 00 some of them removed their hats and attempted to observe a so-called “minute of silence ” The following foreign correspondents were also present Ren Villis Krimsky Kent Wallace USA Ketlin Evans Blyuett Great Britain Prede Yurgen EngelBrecht Brandt West Germany and Bolenbloch France who photographed the demonstration’s participants The Moscow residents and guests of the capital who were present on the square expressed their displeasure at the gathering of the antisocial elements The same day in Leningrad a group of 10 hostile individuals carried out a similar action at the Pushkin monument on the Square of the Arts In both instances no further disturbances had been planned Additional information to follow Chairman of the Committee of State Security KGB Signature Andropov Source U S Library of Congress Manuscript Division Dmitrii A Volkogonov Papers Reel 16 Container 24 Translated by Brian Bachor For the National Security Archive