EXPLOSIVE ACCUSATIONS

Yuri Zarakhovich

Most Russians will likely never see "Assassination of Russia" - a French documentary film created with the assistance of Boris Berezovsky, who is in self-imposed exile in London. This film claims that Russian special services were involved in organizing the bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk in the fall of 1999.

At that time, the terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 247 people and served as one of the pretexts for starting a new military campaign in Chechnya, which helped Vladimir Putin take the post of president.

The Kremlin denies the accusations made in the film, making it clear that this film will not be shown on Russian television. Human rights organizations tried to organize a screening of the film, but only a very small number of viewers managed to see it.

Despite all this, the version voiced by the film's authors was and remains on everyone's lips. Recently, VTsIOM released the results of a public opinion poll dedicated to the assessment of these events. According to its results,
* 38% of Russians are absolutely sure of the non-involvement of the special services in the explosions.
* 6%, on the contrary, are sure of their involvement.
* 37% believe that the involvement of the special services cannot be ruled out.
* 19% do not have a definite opinion.

Such poll results bode little good for Putin.

Four centuries ago, Boris Godunov came to power in Russia, who, it is believed, in order to seize the throne, killed the young Tsarevich Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible. At first, there was no consensus among the people regarding Godunov's involvement in the murder of the heir to the throne, and only gradually, as life became worse and worse, did rumor declare him guilty.

Thus, the death of an innocent child plunged Russia into the "Time of Troubles," despite the fact that overall Godunov turned out to be one of the best rulers in Russian history, even though his career began in the ranks of the Oprichnina, a kind of medieval Russian SS.

Godunov's ascent to the heights of power began with his marriage to the daughter of Malyuta Skuratov, the head of Ivan the Terrible's secret police. Then he managed to marry off his sister to the sickly Fyodor, the son and heir of Ivan the Terrible, and for all 14 years of his reign, Godunov, in modern terms, performed the functions of the head of government. And when Fyodor died, Boris agreed to ascend the throne in response to the pleas and persuasions of the people (true, the crowds of people were "organized" by Boris himself). Godunov reigned for seven years.

Tsar Boris returned Russia to a peaceful life, unusual after the long years of Ivan the Terrible's rule, put an end to bloody wars with neighbors, and led Russia onto a "European" path of development. For example, for the first time in history, he sent a group of young nobles to study abroad (all those who left had the sense not to return).