EXPLOSIVE ACCUSATIONS

Yuri Zarakhovich

Most Russians will likely never see "Assassination of Russia" - a French documentary film created with the assistance of Boris Berezovsky, who is in self-imposed exile in London. This film claims that Russian special services were involved in organizing the bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk in the fall of 1999.

At that time, the terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 247 people and served as one of the pretexts for starting a new military campaign in Chechnya, which helped Vladimir Putin take the post of president.

The Kremlin denies the accusations made in the film, making it clear that this film will not be shown on Russian television. Human rights organizations tried to organize a screening of the film, but only a very small number of viewers managed to see it.

Despite all this, the version voiced by the film's authors was and remains on everyone's lips. Recently, VTsIOM released the results of a public opinion poll dedicated to the assessment of these events. According to its results,
* 38% of Russians are absolutely sure of the non-involvement of the special services in the explosions.
* 6%, on the contrary, are sure of their involvement.
* 37% believe that the involvement of the special services cannot be ruled out.
* 19% do not have a definite opinion.

Such poll results bode little good for Putin.

Four centuries ago, Boris Godunov came to power in Russia, who, it is believed, in order to seize the throne, killed the young Tsarevich Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible. At first, there was no consensus among the people regarding Godunov's involvement in the murder of the heir to the throne, and only gradually, as life became worse and worse, did rumor declare him guilty.

Thus, the death of an innocent child plunged Russia into the "Time of Troubles," despite the fact that overall Godunov turned out to be one of the best rulers in Russian history, even though his career began in the ranks of the Oprichnina, a kind of medieval Russian SS.

Godunov's ascent to the heights of power began with his marriage to the daughter of Malyuta Skuratov, the head of Ivan the Terrible's secret police. Then he managed to marry off his sister to the sickly Fyodor, the son and heir of Ivan the Terrible, and for all 14 years of his reign, Godunov, in modern terms, performed the functions of the head of government. And when Fyodor died, Boris agreed to ascend the throne in response to the pleas and persuasions of the people (true, the crowds of people were "organized" by Boris himself). Godunov reigned for seven years.

Tsar Boris returned Russia to a peaceful life, unusual after the long years of Ivan the Terrible's rule, put an end to bloody wars with neighbors, and led Russia onto a "European" path of development. For example, for the first time in history, he sent a group of young nobles to study abroad (all those who left had the sense not to return).

The Reign of Boris Godunov and Modern Russia

Boris Godunov's Reign

• The murder of an innocent infant attributed to Godunov was an accusation later rejected by many historians, leaving a stain on Boris Godunov's enlightened reign.
• He maintained the Oprichnina past:
  • Subjects were duty-bound to offer daily prayers for the sovereign's health.
  • Secret services sought out anything that could lead to rebellion and forced people to inform.
• When famine struck Russia in 1601, Godunov opened food warehouses, but his good intentions raised bread prices.
• As life worsened, voices grew louder, attributing the murder of Dmitry to the Tsar.
• An impostor appeared, claiming to be the "miraculously saved" Dmitry.
• False Dmitry's army occupied Moscow, boyars defected, people fled, and Boris, who had not complained of his health, died at age 53.
• The suddenness of the Tsar's death led people to suspect pangs of conscience.
• A crisis began in Russia, leading to "times of trouble" due to the death of an innocent child.

Vladimir Putin's Rule

• Unlike Godunov, Vladimir Putin cannot boast of particular successes.
• Two and a half years of his rule have been spent bringing the media, governors, and parliament into submission.
• Special services officers compete with corrupt apparatchiks inherited from Yeltsin to snatch more money and influence.
• The people continue to grow poorer despite loud statements about economic growth.

Current Social and Political Issues

• Protests in Voronezh: Last week, about 25,000 people protested high utility service prices in Voronezh, stating they had nothing to pay with, and tariffs were growing faster than salaries. One poster read, "Exchanging a two-room apartment for a single grave."
• Regional Hardships:
  • In the Krasnoyarsk region, rural school teachers declared a "hunger strike of despair."
  • Miners in the Urals are starving, refusing to leave the mine face due to unpaid salaries.
• War and Unresolved Issues:
  • The war in Chechnya, which led to Vladimir Putin's rise to the Kremlin, forces gravediggers to dig more graves.
  • Those responsible for the explosions in Moscow and Volgodonsk remain at large.

Conclusion

• Unlike the dubious accusation of murdering one infant, the accusations regarding the deaths of 247 innocent people (in the apartment bombings) are unlikely to cause the current regime's collapse, given that in modern Russian history, the number of innocent victims is counted in millions.
• However, the more public discussion surrounding these issues becomes, the gloomier the prospects. One day, this whisper may grow into a formidable roar.