#2
Argumenty i Fakty
April 23, 2003
THE MURDER OF YUSHENKOV: SIX SCENARIOS
Who benefits from Yushenkov's death?
Author: not indicated
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]
THE MURDER OF DUMA MEMBER SERGEI YUSHENKOV SHOCKED THE PUBLIC IN RUSSIA. BY
THE TIME INTERIOR MINISTER BORIS GRYZLOV ANNOUNCED SOME INVESTIGATION RESULTS,
MANY THEORIES HAD BEEN PROPOSED ABOUT THE MURDER. THE KEY ONES ARE BRIEFLY
DESCRIBED HERE.
Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov has announced some results from the
investigation into the murder of Duma deputy Sergei Yushenkov. Meanwhile, many
theories have been proposed about this death.
Number one: Boris Berezovsky is responsible for everything. Curiously enough,
we learned of a rumor as far back as a year ago - whether seriously or in jest,
Berezovsky suggested to Sergei Yushenkov that an attempt on his life should be
faked: to promote Liberal Russia, a party that was little known at that time.
Now a real tragedy happened instead of an intricate publicity stunt.
Berezovsky's ill-wishers assume that the former companion might not have
forgiven Sergei Yushenkov for his expulsion from the party. However, revenge is
an emotional concept, while assassinations are based on cold counting. On the
other hand, even if Boris Berezovsky wanted to remove the offender, he was
likely to understand whom they would point their fingers at. With his
reputation, it is stupid to pin one more suspicion on him.
Number two: the liberal democrat may have been removed by ideological enemies
- one of the leftist or nationalist radical groupings. However, it is unclear
where underground extremists could get the tens of thousands of dollars to hire
a high-class hitman.
The third theory is linked with "Golovliov's legacy." Before his
death in August 2002, the latter might have passed Sergei Yushenkov certain
compromising materials concerning ranking officials involved in privatization
frauds in the Ural area. Yet people who knew the deputy assert he did not
prepare any exposures lately - he was entirely focused on party building.
The fourth theory is linked with the name of Boris Berezovsky as well. It is
well-known what pain in the neck he causes to many influential people in Russia.
His promise alone to inject hundreds of millions of dollars to make his
ambitious party projects a reality was worht a great deal. In such
circumstances, the murder of the person those dollars went through showed
everyone that no one is allowed to get involved with the money of the London
exile. Suspicion is automatically shifted on to special agencies. In this
respect, the murder is exactly to his advantage. Berezovsky's dislike for
special agencies is known to all. They ought to be "framed up."
According to the fifth theory, the murder of Sergei Yushenkov might be
planned by Chechen separatists. For he had actively come out against war in
Chechnya and voiced the opinion that it had not been Basaev's people who had
organized the explosions of apartment houses in Moscow and Volgodonsk. So it is
to the advantage of shot-firers from Chechnya to murder a deputy like him, so
that suspicion again should fall to special agencies.
Finally, the sixth scenario: the murder on Svoboda Street is an attempt by
certain forces to swing the situation in Russia before elections and spread fear
among the public and elite. The weak point in this scenario is that there are
eight months before elections, so Yushenkov's death might be forgotten by that
time. Of course, unless the requesters keep reminding people of it with further,
no less bloody, actions.
(Translated by P. Pikhnovsky)
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