06.12.99 CHECHNYA Russia's dangerous [or malicious] path (Gonzalo Aragonés)

[refugees, the new "dauphin" V. Putin, Yeltsin's stunt at the OSCE]
Attacks, one excuse [or one pretext]

It is clear now. The Army and the Government used the terrorist attacks in Moscow to attribute them to Muslim Wahhabi partisans who entered the Republic of Dagestan, and an order was given to invade Chechnya because they believe that Aslan Maskhadov's government provided refuge to these "terrorist" commandos.

[Dudaev in 91: "Chechnya is [?] Kuwait"; Yeltsin, unlike Milosevic, is consistent, being a key piece of world geopolitics; victims of bombings; recently released Gantamirov refuses to negotiate with the legitimate president Maskhadov]

"La Croix" ("The Cross", Catholic newspaper), Paris

15.09.99 Moscow fears new attacks.

Fear takes hold of the Russian capital since Monday's attack caused 116 deaths. Three suspects have been arrested by investigators who are developing the Chechen trail (our corr. Maksim Yusin)

["the government cannot protect us", say ordinary citizens]

Since Monday morning, Konstantin and three friends created an "action group" responsible for the security of the house. ["we ask to be understood"...]

After the basements, Konstantin and his friends paid "visits" to two apartments in their building, recently rented by businessmen who arrived from Azerbaijan.

Moscow police announced that they searched several thousand basements and "suspicious" apartments in 24 hours. Many caches of explosives were discovered, one of which contained about 4 tons, but there is no certainty that these explosive materials were intended for the same kind of attacks. Three persons were arrested on suspicion of potentially helping terrorists. But the police will not be able to control the entire city with a population of 9 million. That is why the authorities welcome volunteer patrols. [police measures and hysteria of residents].

16.09.99. Unknown group claims responsibility for attacks in Moscow

In a phone call to the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, a man with a Caucasian accent yesterday admitted on behalf of the "Dagestan Liberation Army" to carrying out the attacks that caused 274 deaths in recent days in Russia. The head of the Islamist rebels, Shamil Basayev, accused of them, denied on Monday (16th - Thursday) any involvement in the explosions. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made a statement yesterday that the authors of the attacks are hiding in Chechnya. The day before, he proposed applying sanctions against the independentist Republic.

17.09.99. Russia: A new bomb caused 17 deaths and 25 seriously injured yesterday morning in Volgodonsk, in southwestern Russia.

Moscow, which accuses the Islamist rebels of Dagestan of being behind the wave of terrorist attacks, threatens reprisals against independentist Chechnya, the rebels' holy of holies.

The hypothesis of manipulation by ruling circles has not been discarded: Boris Berezovsky, a person close to the Kremlin, may have regular contacts with Islamists.

The Kremlin consistently favors the Islamic trail.

In Moscow, observers do not rule out meanwhile that some forces in Russia wish to sow panic in order to postpone elections and prolong Yeltsin's reign (our corr. Maksim Yusin)