ATTACK OF THE RF SPECIAL SERVICES ON RUSGLOBUS, PROVOCATIONS BY OLEG SULTANOV REGARDING THE MYTHICAL INFILTRATION INTO THE "BEREZOVSKY GROUP"

Statement by the Administration of RUSGLOBUS – MR

Dear visitors of the RUSGLOBUS – MIR RUSLYAN server! Ruslyane, numerous friends of RG-MR!

For about a month now, a full-scale provocation has been ongoing against the Association and the RUSGLOBUS – MIR RUSLYAN (RG-MR) server and personally against Evgeny Limanov – the head of the RG-MR Administration. Here are its main stages.

• At the end of summer, in the person of Oleg Sultanov in France, an action was carried out to infiltrate the internal structure of RUSGLOBUS and an unsuccessful attempt was made to blackmail E. Limanov.
• This was followed by a virus attack on the network and the server www.rusglobus.net (which continues to this day).
• About a week ago, false statements against us appeared on the forum of the "Moskovskie Novosti" website, referring to which some "well-wishers" with special-service habits tried to enter into direct contact with us for provocative purposes.
• On December 4, 2002, a contract article was published in "Moskovsky Komsomolets" signed by the notorious A. Khinshtein titled "Mole under the baoBAB" in the "Sensation" column.
  (We emphasize that no one from MK contacted us either before or after the publication and did not request a reaction / comments.)
• On the same day, both colleagues – O. Sultanov and A. Khinshtein – continued their exercises against RG and E. Limanov in Mr. A. Khinshtein's "author's program" on the TVS television channel (and presumably on TNT).
• Simultaneously, for several days now, a powerful hacker attack has been ongoing (it is already reliably known that it is from Russia) not only on the RG server and email addresses, but also on all computers of the internal network of the RG office, including Evgeny Limanov's (which greatly complicates the proper updating of the RG server and the implementation of our external contacts).
• On December 5, 2002, a press conference was held in Moscow by the same gentlemen on the same topic.
• Late yesterday evening, unknown (for now) people broke into E. Limanov's house, as a result of which some documents, electronic media, and valuables disappeared (Mr. O. Sultanov and his wife were the only ones (besides the closest family members of E. Limanov) who had access to the keys to the entire house).

It is obvious that this entire complex of special measures cannot be carried out by one person or a small group of "enthusiasts."

There are many reasons to believe that Messrs. O. Sultanov and A. Khinshtein, as well as the clans of the RF special services and their "business partners" standing behind them and known to us, will not stop there, as the main goal at which this entire contract stream of lies is directed has already been publicly stated: to demonstrate the "successful infiltration" of Messrs. Sultanov and Khinshtein into B. Berezovsky's organization. It is obvious that this is being done not only to create a bloated sensation for the general public, but also to justify their existence to their clients. In reality, the organizers of this widely advertised "operation" simply missed the mark and wasted the client's resources for nothing. So A. Khinshtein's claims that Sultanov deserves an "award" have no basis.

It should be noted that the start date of the public provocation (instantly picked up by all known "kompromat" media in the Runet) coincided with the release of A. Zakaev in Denmark. After all, it is known that the Foundation for Civil Liberties (FCL), USA, headed by A. Goldfarb, announced the provision of legal aid to A. Zakaev, and on the day of his release in Denmark, no other attacks on the "Berezovsky group," except for the aforementioned article, had yet been carried out. Apparently, the operation against RUSGLOBUS is a clumsy attempt at some kind of "asymmetric response" to the "Berezovsky group."

Thus, to our great regret, RUSGLOBUS and personally Mr. Evgeny Limanov found themselves dragged into a political campaign by the Russian authorities against the "Berezovsky group." In the publications carried out against us, grains of facts are heavily mixed with malicious and blatant lies. Now we are forced to tell about the circumstances of the relationship with Mr. O. Sultanov.

The facts are as follows.

1. Boris Berezovsky and his structures are in no way owners or co-owners of RUSGLOBUS, therefore they cannot in any way influence the position and publications of RUSGLOBUS or its authors. The connection of RUSGLOBUS with Boris Berezovsky and his socio-political activities...

Document Excerpt

• Stretched by the ears in the worst KGB traditions to give significance to this whole provocation.

Organization and Political Stance

• The RUSGLOBUS Association is an absolutely independent non-profit organization, engaged in social issues of Russian-speaking compatriots worldwide, but categorically does not engage in politics and has no consolidated political position.
• The publications and statements of RG Association members indeed generally have a critical, often oppositional orientation towards the regimes of CIS countries, which, naturally, may not please their authorities and special services.
• The provocation currently being carried out against us by the RF special services is another example of "tightening the screws" and the strengthening of totalitarian tendencies in Russia—primarily regarding any opposition to the Putin regime, as well as generally all those who critically perceive many actions of the current rulers of the RF.

Activities of O. Sultanov

• All known activity of Mr. O. Sultanov is of a convulsive and, as is now finally becoming clear, provocative nature.
• In particular, at first he tried to stay in the West, motivating this by the fact that he was being persecuted by the Russian special services because of his allegedly critical sentiments towards the Russian authorities, as well as because of his secret work as a "mole" for the PGU (now SVR) on the territory of Azerbaijan and Russia.
• He also allegedly possesses compromising information about the activities of many RF oil companies, media editorial offices, politicians, and their security services.
• O. Sultanov claimed that he was tormented by pangs of conscience because of his snitching past, from which, in his own words, "many good people suffered."
• He asked us to anonymously publish—within the framework of one of RUSGLOBUS's author projects, "P"GB—chapters of his future story "On Mom's Birthday," and turned to us with a request to assist in writing his autobiographical book of repentance and finding a publisher.

Attempts to Publish

• In August 2002, E. Limanov organized a meeting for O. Sultanov with Alex Goldfarb, head of the Foundation for Civil Liberties (USA) (as well as with other people who have no relation to the so-called "Berezovsky group"), during which O. Sultanov outlined his request for help in publishing his book.
• Alex Goldfarb replied that he was ready to read a "synopsis" of such a book and show it to commercial publishers in the USA.
• No funding was offered to O. Sultanov by A. Goldfarb, and none was provided thereafter.
• O. Sultanov begged E. Limanov to organize his temporary stay in France to write such a "synopsis" and the book itself, explaining that he had no means of subsistence and was afraid to do this in Moscow, where he was constantly persecuted, etc.
• He was provided with assistance—an apartment, a computer, the necessary furnishings, and several thousand euros were lent to him.

Deterioration and Conclusion of Cooperation

• In the period from August to October 2002, O. Sultanov did not fulfill anything of what he had voluntarily promised, explaining everything by his constant sickly and depressed state.
• He drank often and heavily, flew back and forth to Moscow, brought his wife and son with him, and tried to arrange his other affairs (all at E. Limanov's expense).
• Gradually, his behavior became less and less adequate, and the other proposed projects increasingly resembled the delirium of a sick person.
• At the end of October 2002, O. Sultanov provided E. Limanov with a "synopsis" of the future book, which turned out to be completely idiotic and represented no value whatsoever.
• Several publishers who reviewed this "work," as well as the FGS in New York, where the material was sent by email, came to the same conclusion.
• Moreover, since none of the other "projects" declared to RUSGLOBUS by O. Sultanov brought any visible results, E. Limanov suggested that he return everything provided for temporary use and the borrowed money.

Aftermath

• O. Sultanov was forced to vacate the apartment provided to him; together with his son (also a staff member of a special unit of the MVD RF, a specialist in the field of technical communication means), he took everything that could be hauled away to Moscow (down to cheap kitchen plates, knives and forks, even toilet paper, etc.).
• He refused to return the stolen items and the borrowed money.
• Subsequently, O. Sultanov tried in every way to blackmail E. Limanov, demanding more money and secret cooperation with him and his "colleagues."
• As a result, E. Limanov had to—in a harsh and blunt manner—send him and his "colleagues" to the well-known address [i.e., tell them to go to hell] forever.
• After the article by A. Khinshtein was published, the RG Administration and E. Limanov in particular conducted an internal audit and discovered that O. Sultanov had also stolen (including from E. Limanov's house) many other items, in particular photographs, documents, valuable personal belongings (on

Statement Regarding Unlawful Actions

In connection with all of the above, we have officially filed a statement regarding the unlawful actions of O. Sultanov and the forces behind him with the law enforcement agencies of the relevant countries.
(At the same time, we draw the attention of the Russian media to the fact that in France (and other states governed by the rule of law), the publication of photos and video recordings of private individuals, their places of residence, internal settings, and exact addresses without the permission of these private individuals is a serious and punishable offense.)

Even today, having only superficially analyzed everything that has been happening recently around RG and E. Limanov, we have come to the absolute conviction that we have become the target of an operation and a failed crude "special operation," which its organizers are now trying to pass off as a grand success. As for Oleg Azizovich Sultanov, who prefers to call himself a "mole," we warn everyone who has anything to do with him: be careful, he is a provocateur!

Demands

We also demand:

• From the editorial board of "Moskovsky Komsomolets" - to publish this statement as a rebuttal to the article by its author A. Khinshtein;
• From Mr. O. Sultanov - if he has pocketed everything stolen from RUSGLOBUS and E. Limanov - to return it;
• From the special services of the RF - to stop provocations against us! Also, if the documents and material values of RUSGLOBUS and E. Limanov stolen by O. Sultanov were handed over by him as evidence of a successful operation - return the stolen items (we are ready to provide a detailed list).

We express our gratitude and appreciation to all those many people who have provided and continue to provide us with support during this difficult period.

06.12.2002
Administration of RUSGLOBUS

(Published on 06.12.2002 on the RUSGLOBUS server, distributed to the media)