Mistakes—we correct them. Got carried away—who hasn't...

That is, I still had hope.

Yes, that was on Wednesday evening... Then what happened, happened. To Andrei Babitsky, though not only to him. I suddenly realized what a threshold we stood before. Almost crossed. Or are already crossing.

Just don't say: "Oh, I see! Since a journalist, a colleague, got into trouble, you'll start scaring everyone now!"

I've seen many wars. I've seen how colleagues work. More often—I was proud of their work, sometimes—I was ashamed of them. We closely followed who wrote what and what was reported. We rushed to help each other if trouble arose.

Yes, but we didn't write about each other. What about us? We are merely guests of those who, not even knowing what for, die in war, remaining only in random photographs and in the never-drying tears of mothers and friends.

We tried to show, to tell, to write the truth about what was happening and is happening in reality, and we were, honestly, proud when we succeeded. After all, the truth should not be known only in some narrow presidential-general circle: we are all in one circle, in one country, and in one time. And death is the same, whether in a landfill or at Novodevichy.

So, once again—no need. I am not defending the name of journalist Andrei Babitsky. I am defending our names, yours and mine. Who are we today? Who are they making us into? Whom do we dream of trusting today? What kind of order are they enticing us with?

I ask the reader to forgive me for deviating from the chronology of events.

Let's proceed in order.

First. The most sensational news—that Andrei Babitsky was exchanged for three Russian soldiers.

I started to compare all the facts—nothing added up. On Wednesday evening, it was officially announced: he was being transferred from the pre-trial detention center, where he was held in a cell for four, to Mozdok, from where, according to reports, he was supposed to fly on a military plane to Moscow and remain there under investigation and with a pledge not to leave. What? He left the cell, said "Goodbye" to everyone, and walked alone from Naursky district to the military airfield? No, of course not. They put him in a car, brought him to Mozdok, and housed him somewhere, naturally not allowing him to contact anyone by phone (never mind field commanders! could he at least call home?) No, not a single call!

Next. Suddenly a new message: FSB officers contacted Chechen militants requesting an exchange for the journalist. No matter how many times I listened to the news afterwards, not another word about it. Already on Friday morning, Alexander Zdanovich, an FSB representative, tried to deny his agency's involvement in this exchange (and was the FSB camera at the moment of exchange also a coincidence?).

For the third year already, "Novaya Gazeta" has been engaged in rescuing our soldiers who have fallen into Chechen captivity, and we know how long, difficult, and agonizing this negotiation process can be. Does the FSB (or if not the FSB, then some other of our special services) have a direct connection with the militants? If so, why haven't they used it before? How many more guys could have been saved!

But where did the prosecutor's warrant prohibiting Babitsky from leaving Moscow suddenly disappear to? He couldn't leave Moscow, but he could go to the militants? Because of Andrei's story, as officially reported, acting Prosecutor General Ustinov also went to Chechnya. And where did he disappear on the way?

In other words, I cannot imagine how this operation could have been carried out in real life and within real timeframes.

I have serious doubts about the video recording itself, which circulated on all TV channels for all subsequent days: this video recording lacks one thing—a line at the bottom indicating the date and time it was made. That's one. And why were those who handed over Andrei unmasked, while those who received him were masked? That's two. If he was handed over to some unknown individuals at the height of fierce fighting, then on the part of those who handed over the journalist, it was pure arbitrary action.

The letter sent to the federal authorities concerning the exchange of Andrei Babitsky bears the signature of field commander Usa Khadzhiev. I spent two days trying to find out who this was. SUCH A FIELD COMMANDER DOES NOT EXIST. Only a rank-and-file militant with that name was found, but his influence on the decision to release three Russian prisoners of war is zero.