Wife of Coup Plotter Pugo Dies After Suicide Attempt

The wife of Soviet coup plotter Boris K. Pugo died after initially failing in an attempt to copy his suicide, the Interior Ministry announced Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry said Mrs. Pugo died at a hospital but gave no further details. Her first name was not given.

Mrs. Pugo tried to kill herself with her husband’s Walther pistol after Pugo, then Soviet interior minister, shot himself last month following the failure of the attempted coup.

KGB security officials who came to arrest Pugo found her alive, covered in blood and slumped near his body, according to a newspaper account.

The newspaper Literaturnaya Gazeta said Pugo left a suicide note apologizing for his role in the attempted putsch and accepting responsibility for it.

His wife scribbled a note saying: “My dears, forgive us, we are leaving. Don’t take offense.”