Full transcription of the text of Andrei Nekrasov's film "Hero of Our Time"

Dreamscanner presents

HERO OF OUR TIME

CAPTION ON SCREEN
Tatyana Morozova.

CAPTION ON SCREEN
Tanya's mother, Lyubov Morozova, died in the blown-up house on Guryanova Street on September 9, 1999

CAPTION ON SCREEN
Four years later, Tanya continues to seek the truth about the crime

M.I. TREPASHKIN: I graduated from the Higher School of the KGB of the USSR, the investigative faculty, then worked for almost ten years in Lefortovo. I started working there as a junior investigator in the investigative department of the KGB, and finished as a senior investigator for particularly important cases.
I joined the security agencies, of course, out of conviction. Not so much romanticism as the specificity of the work. I investigated, as I said, large international groups of art smugglers, as well as cases related to illegal drug trafficking. I must say, yes, they were involved in political investigation, and there were huge units; if I link my experience slightly with current events, then basically in the FSB system today, those who started specifically in political investigation work in leadership positions. The former 5th Directorate of the KGB of the USSR.
I left the state security agencies, the FSB already, for the reason that I saw that the leaders were no longer interested in fighting crime.
That is: there are terrorists, well, let them grow until a certain time, when they give the command, well, then we will fight them. And the fact that people die in the process, that there is such, roughly speaking, a mess going on, that no longer interested them. For them, first of all, stars, official positions - that was the main thing for them. There was specific information, the same directorate, now of the FSB, and once of the KGB of the USSR for the city of Moscow and the Moscow Region, that they used businessmen in every possible way to improve their material situation. Yes, they covered for them, included them in the agent apparatus - not so that they would deal with the security of the state and citizens, but so that they could commit all sorts of offenses, and they couldn't be touched because "he is a covert employee of the security agencies." To the point that there was illegal trafficking of weapons and drugs, which was also covered up in the same way. Because large sums of money were also involved there, which they shared with some officials of the KGB of the USSR and subsequently the FSK and even the FSB. It was even a bit unpleasant, because after working so long in the agencies, and believing that they are entrusted with such honest and pure tasks for the security of the state, to watch how they, on the contrary, abuse their official position.
That's how I ended up in the legal profession, with the same tasks: protecting our citizens. These are the persons who suffered during the explosion of the houses on Guryanova and on Kashirka, in particular the Morozov sisters. This is connected with some persons who suffered in Nord-Ost and others. That is, those cases where for some reason the authorities' reaction to the protection of those persons and the representation of whose interests is not entirely adequate.

M.I. TREPASHKIN: Then it's unclear from the case - the changes to the composite sketch, why such a sharp change after all? After all, the original one was drawn based on the description of not just one person, but several?

FSB REPRESENTATIVE: ...rented... for lease... premises...

M.I. TREPASHKIN: In 1995 here, in Moscow, a group of Raduyevites was detained. Why Raduyevites? At the moment of detention, this was not known. I was a participant in this operation myself - at that time I was still serving in the Federal Counterintelligence Service of the Russian Federation. A group emerged in Moscow, which included field commanders who came here to rest, came to collect financial funds. The version that the main source of terrorism comes from abroad is not entirely proven. Yes, there were sources from there too, but according to available information, a very significant part came precisely from the center of Russia, from Moscow first of all. It was in this group, which included field commanders, that Vladimir Mikhailovich Romanovich was included. He

Document Transcript

Section 1

...was involved in selecting premises for rent. Offices for cashing out [money laundering]. From Red Square to "Dynamo" — they had everything. When we tried to eradicate this group, the current director of the FSB Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev, Nikolai Dmitrievich Kovalev, and Mikhail Ivanovich Barsukov stood up in their defense. That is, it turned out that the special services at that stage were not interested in eradicating these terrorist and extremist groups in Moscow. There is only one question: for what? One can only guess... They were being raised for the future...

Section 2: M.I. TREPASHKIN

M.I. TREPASHKIN: After the explosion, those who knew Romanovich unequivocally pointed out: it's him. These are three people: a banker who worked at Soldi Bank, who was required to work for Chechnya for half a year — Alexander Shevchenko. He said: "Yes, it's Romanovich." It was Alexander Gagaev, who worked at the bank when Chechens came there and demanded money. And he recognized Romanovich in that face: "Yes, it's Romanovich."

However, a few days later, when it became known in whose name the firm on Guryanova was officially registered — in the name of Laipanov (it was clear that it was a fake passport, as they used everywhere) — and look how drastically the faces that were put on the wanted list changed. Not one of them looks like the one that the residents of the house on Guryanova Street initially described.

I called the FSB then and said that this person looks very much like Vladimir Romanovich.

When we took the first Chechen group in '95, they said not to touch Romanovich. He cooperates with the FSB, so he cannot be touched.

He died in Cyprus shortly after the explosion. He was hit by a car.

M.I. TREPASHKIN: Well, if you look as a whole at the history of not only our intelligence services, but also foreign ones — always during these actions, the organizers are never revealed during the investigation. Never. That is, the links — yes, they are revealed. It seemed like everything reaches the last moment, and everything is uncovered, and everything is known — but this person who managed everyone — he is never known. Well, and as a rule, if you take the history of our security organs, in particular Grigory Syroezhkin, known for Spain and other actions — they ended their lives by simply being killed. By their own.

When the question arose to remove all traces, to cut off the organizer from the main executor, he, this executor, was killed.

Since, as a rule, this is a high-ranking person, then this is a Secret of the Kremlin, which is revealed in a hundred or two hundred years.

However, maybe it is not revealed at all. Maybe it is destroyed later — and that's it. It remains in the head, and the person is not interested — because if this gets publicity, it means the end of his life, it's a bad opinion and attitude towards his relatives.

We do have facts where information about events was brought to the population. After the Central Committee left and perestroika began, there were many such moments: during the popular unrest in the 60s, and those decisions that were made by the top leaders; it was about Georgia — when they didn't unravel it to the end, because many individuals also remained in power. But in most cases, it is buried forever. It remains unknown. So I think regarding the apartment bombings, if over time the version is confirmed that this was created specifically to justify mass human rights violations and generally distract from other problems, then I think that this will become known not very soon. And the investigation will end with them breaking it into parts, they will prosecute one by one, two by two those who poured [explosives] into bags there, who drove, who unloaded there... Maybe they will even find the one who set it in motion, that is, pressed the button. But the organizers of the whole action, I think, they will not be prosecuted.

Section 3: TANYA

TANYA: And aren't you scared at all? The further and deeper you dig, the more it seems to me that a greater danger arises for your life as well.

Section 4: M.I. TREPASHKIN

M.I. TREPASHKIN: I consider my work clean, I consider my work right. I have communicated with many comrades from the FSB and from the FSK, they will confirm that I have never betrayed or let anyone down. Therefore, I feel calm here.

M.I. TREPASHKIN: People have a fear that if you speak out against the authorities somewhere, then repressive measures will definitely be taken against you. This fear, this dread... A person can no longer openly express their opinion.

Not to mention direct actions — like going out and, as it was in the mid-nineties: manifestations, demonstrations.... And today — where, go try it! You will immediately be declared an extremist, a terrorist, a violator of public order, then God forbid they plant something on you and they will definitely put you in jail...

Section 5: MIT

MIT: Okay, I'm going. I'll call you.

Credits

Based on materials from the documentary film "DISBELIEF"

• Director: Andrei Nekrasov
• Editing: Olga Konskaya
• Sound: Hans Schumann
• Producers: Olga Konskaya, Andrei Nekrasov

All rights reserved and belong to the film company Dreamscanner 2005

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On-Screen Text

• Mikhail Trepashkin was arrested on October 22, 2003, 5 days after recording an interview for the film "Disbelief"
• He is accused of illegal possession of weapons and disclosure of state secrets.