THE HEXOGEN TRACE

The more terrorist attacks in the country, the less clarity there is about their organizers and perpetrators

"I WANT TO TELL ABOUT THE EXPLOSIONS OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS"

My name is Achimez Gochiyayev.

Since 1999, "Novaya Gazeta" has been monitoring the search for the perpetrators and organizers of the residential building bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk (a series of materials "FSB. Hexogen. Ryazan", "The Hexogen Trace", etc.). In 2004, the Moscow City Court sentenced Adam Dekkushev and Yusuf Krymshamkhalov, who were charged with preparing and carrying out these monstrous terrorist attacks. Besides them, Timur Batchayev (but he was killed during an operation by Russian special services in Georgia) and Achimez Gochiyayev, who is still hiding outside Russia, were supposed to be in the dock. In 2003, "Novaya Gazeta" published an open letter from Krymshamkhalov and Batchayev to the commission investigating the residential building bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk: "...Due to the statements made by us and Gochiyayev..., it seems that in the near future we will indeed face arrest or death... 1. We admit to being accomplices in the terrorist acts that took place in Moscow and Volgodonsk in September 1999... 2. We are accomplices in the attacks at our executive level, and we have nothing to do with the explosions themselves."

Later, we received a videotape with an appeal from Gochiyayev himself, in which he claims that FSB officers were involved in the preparation of the terrorist attacks. As we learned, at the time this recording was made, Gochiyayev himself was in the position of a hostage. He was ready to share the information known to him, but in his notes he demanded quite large sums of money for it — obviously, it was not he who demanded it, but those who were holding him. The first price was set at 500,000 US dollars, the last dropped to 150,000. As one might guess, Gochiyayev was indeed turned into a commodity obliged to bring in money. And those who fully control him release the information known to Gochiyayev according to the laws of kidnapping — in portions.

And now another document has reached our editorial office: Gochiyayev's handwritten (as presented to us) testimony. They were handed over to the editorial office by historian Yuri Felshtinsky, who received them from an intermediary in February 2005 in two formats: written and on an audiotape.

The newspaper is not a special service, so we cannot claim that this letter is original, nor can we confirm or deny the information set out in it. We do not know where the author of the letter is at the moment, whether he is free in his actions or still under someone's control. We can only officially state: we did not pay a single kopeck for these few sheets. In the cover letter from Yuri Felshtinsky, it was also indicated that he received the materials on a gratuitous basis.

Why are we publishing? Because we believe that the trial of Gochiyayev's accomplices, which took place behind closed doors, did not provide exhaustive answers to all the questions that arose during the independent investigation conducted by State Duma deputies and journalists. And, perhaps, this new information will allow us to get closer to the truth? This is a question for the special services. Otherwise, a strange pattern emerges: the more terrorist attacks in the country, the less clarity there is about their organizers and perpetrators.

The Russian Prosecutor's Office accuses me of organizing the residential building bombings that occurred in the fall of '99 in Moscow. I consider myself innocent and accuse the special services, specifically the FSB of Russia, of preparing and carrying out these monstrous explosions. My name is Achimez Gochiyayev. I want to tell the truth and convey to all people the bitter truth of what happened. Having analyzed all the events that took place before these explosions and subsequent events, I came to the conclusion that this was a pre-planned and well-prepared operation of the special services. When these events took place, I lived and worked in Moscow, was engaged in construction, the company was called "Kapstroy-2000" and was located near the "Barrikadnaya" metro station. On television they showed my photo, I realized that they wanted to frame me. I was on Guryanova and after everything I saw there, I did not meet with Ramazan Dyshekov, I decided to wait it out, but on September 13, when the second explosion occurred in the house on Kashirskoye Highway and when they showed my photo on television, I realized that they wanted to frame me. I...