HEXOGEN TRACE-4

The editorial office has come into possession of a recording of an interview with Achimez Gochiyayev—the very man sought by law enforcement agencies for involvement in the preparation of terrorist attacks in Moscow, while Gochiyayev himself asserts that he is simply a businessman who acted on the orders of his old friend, an FSB officer.

Be that as it may, Gochiyayev is the person whose testimony forms the basis of the version regarding the involvement of the country's special services in the Moscow bombings, which pushed the start of the second Chechen war.

What does the interview consist of? A tape and its transcript. They were handed to us by historian Yuri Felshtinsky.

It is important to know that not a single ruble or dollar was paid for this interview. Such is the position: we need to get to the truth, but not at the cost of ransoming its possible parts. Those who offered the text and the tape also spoke of a desire to bring the truth to the public, however, they immediately turned the struggle for the light of truth into a bazaar: the first price for the interview was set at 500,000 US dollars, the last dropped to 150,000. And since, we remind you, nothing was paid for the materials, there are fundamental cuts in the text. The sellers named two surnames, one of which is that of the very FSB officer who involved Gochiyayev in organizing the terrorist attacks in Moscow.

Transcript of the interview of A. Gochiyayev, given by him on August 20, 2002. The interview was given to a "close person" and recorded on a video camera. As proof of the existing tape, the first minute of the video interview was handed to us.

The handwritten transcript was handed to us on January 18, 2003. The text from the videotape was recorded with many inaccuracies. A precise transcript of the first minute of the videotape is provided below. However, judging by the video interview, there are no significant distortions of meaning.

In the text of the handwritten transcript, at the initiative of the tape's owners, about which we were warned in advance, two surnames were omitted—K. and Kh. The people controlling Gochiyayev and owning the tape are counting on the fact that they might be paid money specifically for these surnames.

Text of the first minute of the interview, verified against the tape

— Tell us about yourself. Where were you born?
— My name is Gochiyayev Achimez Shagabanovich. I am originally from Karachay-Cherkessia. I lived in the republic until 1988. In 1988, after graduating from school, I was drafted into the army, returned, and lived in Moscow again. Until September 1999, I lived in Moscow. I lived in Moscow in the Strogino district, Marshal Katukov Street.
— [?] these explosions in Moscow. Why specifically you?
Answer: How I specifically ended up in this situation. In 1997, I opened a cottage construction company. I was involved in construction. In the summer of 1999, an old acquaintance of mine, whom I had known since school days, came to my company. His name is (K.). He suggested we go into business together. He said he had places for selling goods, i.e., food products, and asked me to help him. I supplied him with food products, he sold them and paid me. Once he ordered mineral water from me, I delivered it to him, and he paid me. Then he asked me to help him find warehouses. I found warehouses for him. I didn't know what would be there. I thought there would be food products.
...
— To spite the authorities... Do you need that?
— "To spite" is not just a coarse word, it is absolutely incorrect. I am not interested in Putin as Putin at all—I am dissatisfied with the government in Russia, where Putin is [illegible]

[Photo caption]: Suspected in the bombings of residential buildings Gochiyayev has put on weight; apparently, he lives not in mountain caves and eats quite well.