October 3, 2001

This Date's Issues:   5473 • 5474

Johnson's Russia List
#5473
3 October 2001
davidjohnson@erols.com

[Note from David Johnson:
DJ: A moment of silence to remember what happened in Moscow in October 1993.
1. UPI: 32 Russians missing in WTC.
2. AP: Putin Convinced of bin Laden Link.
3. The Independent (UK): Ken Sengupta, Russian special forces believed to have crossed Afghan border.
4. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, At crossroads, Putin looks West. Russia's president meets today with European leaders to discuss common enemy, new cooperation.
5. Interfax: Russian economic reforms yielding good results - president.
6. Appeal of the Russian human rights organizations: About the consequences of terrorist acts in USA.
7. San Jose Mercury News: Michael McFaul, This is Russia's chance to become a full partner.
8. Freedomformum.org: Russian newspapers facing heavy tax bite next year.
9. Moscow Times: Yulia Latynina. Short History of the Russian Coal Industry.
10. Itar-Tass: Russia ranked second in world murder statistics, police say.
11. strana.ru: US strikes on Afghanistan might provoke upheavals in Central Asian states. Interview with senior researcher at the Institute of World Economics and International Relations, Dina Malysheva.
12. BBC Monitoring: Russian politicians against Baltic states' membership of NATO.
13. BBC Monitoring: Russia will lose Central Asia if it gets involved in Afghanistan - politician. (Zhirinovsky)
14. BBC Monitoring: Communist leader Zyuganov attacks Putin for lack of dialogue with opposition.]

*******

#1
32 Russians missing in WTC

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Russia has narrowed a list of citizens or
immigrants who may have died in last month's terrorist attacks in New York
to 32, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington said.

The 32 are among those still officially considered missing and presumed
dead by New York City authorities. No Russian nationals are among the 344
people confirmed dead in the Sept. 11 attacks in which two hijacked
commercial airliners demolished both of the World Trade Center's 110-story
towers, embassy spokesman Yuri Zubarev said.

It was not known how many Russians might have been injured in the attack.

All of the Russians listed as missing are believed to have been employees
of companies at the World Trade Center. No Russians were reported missing
from either of the two other suicide hijackings on Sept. 11, in which one
jet slammed into the Pentagon near Washington and another crashed in a field
in Pennsylvania.

About six hours after the attacks, the Russian Embassy set up a telephone
hotline and posted a notice on its Web site for family and friends inquiring
about the status of a loved one who may have been a victim, Zubarev said.

The hotline received more than 500 calls from Russia and the United
States. Staff from the embassy and the Russian consulate in New York
compared those messages against reports from authorities at "ground zero" --
the site of the skyscraper's ruins -- and managed to winnow the list to
about 200 names.

Those names fell into one of three categories, the embassy said -- Russian
citizens who had recently left for the United States, other citizens who
were believed visiting New York at the time of the attack, or those who had
immigrated to the United States and thought to be living in New York.

The Russian Embassy is continuing to update the list including from people
inquiring about long-lost acquaintances they feared might have been victims
of the attacks.

The embassy's hotline numbers are (202) 298-5700 and (202) 298-5752. Its
Web site is at russianembassy.org.

*******

#2
Putin Convinced of bin Laden Link
October 2, 2001
By PAUL AMES

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he was
convinced Osama bin Laden had a role in the attacks on the United States and
suggested Russia's cooperation in fighting terrorism should usher in a new
era in its relations with the West.

Putin said Russian intelligence agencies had all the evidence they needed to
show that bin Laden was involved in the attacks, but that they could not
pinpoint the exact degree of that involvement.

In Brussels for meetings with Belgian, European Union and NATO leaders, he
called international terrorists ``bacteria that adapt by living off their
host body'' and said a global alliance is needed to fight them.

``The effort will never work unless we unite the whole international
community in a common front against terrorism,'' Putin said after talks with
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.

Putin said Russia would support U.S. military action against those
responsible for the attacks. He criticized Saudi Arabia's defense minister,
who has said no troops would be allowed to use bases in his nation to launch
attacks on Arabs or Muslims.

``We're not talking about strikes against Muslims, but strikes against
terrorism,'' Putin told reporters, echoing what the United States has been
assuring nations in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Putin has ruled out Russian military involvement in a U.S. strike in
Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime shelters terrorist suspect Osama bin
Laden.

But he said Russia would work with the West to help tackle terrorist
financing and support networks for extremists, as well as tackling causes of
terrorism, including poverty and instability.

``I think military force is not enough to fight terrorism ... we have to
eliminate the base upon which terrorism is founded, eliminate the causes,''
he said. ``We are ready to strengthen our cooperation with NATO and European
military structures, to give a new quality to our relationship.''

Putin spoke after NATO announced that the United States had provided ``clear
and compelling'' evidence that bin Laden was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks
and activated an article of the alliance treaty that says an attack on one
NATO member is an attack on all.

Russian and NATO officials met in Brussels to discuss ways to enhance
cooperation, and Putin was to meet with NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson
and EU leaders Wednesday. EU officials praised Putin for throwing his support
behind the American-led anti-terrorist coalition.

``Russia has impressed many by her willingness to set history aside and to
align herself solidly with the international coalition against terrorism,''
EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said in a speech to European
business leaders.

A top Russian security official reiterated Tuesday that Russia would not take
part in a U.S.-led attack in Afghanistan and said its neighbors in a loose
grouping of former Soviet republics share that stance.

``The Commonwealth of Independent States should not take part in the land
operation in Afghanistan. This is our common stand,'' said Nikolai Patrushev,
the head of Russia's Federal Security Service.

Patrushev spoke in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, after a two-day meeting with chiefs
of the security services of other nations in the commonwealth, which includes
Central Asian states that border Afghanistan.

He said the United States should proceed with an operation targeting bin
Laden if it has detailed information connecting him to the attacks, but that
any military operation should be precise and swift.

``We shouldn't allow long-term actions of retribution, as a result of which
the peaceful population of Afghanistan would suffer,'' Patrushev said.

*******

#3
The Independent (UK)
3 October 2001
Russian special forces believed to have crossed Afghan border
By Kim Sengupta

"The Russian factor" has become increasingly important as the US and
Britain begin their final preparations for war.

Russian special forces are believed to have crossed into Afghanistan from
Tajikistan bases in "limited excursions".

Taliban and al-Qa'ida positions being pinpointed by US and British special
forces are likely to be attacked using joint direct attack munition bombs,
which are satellite-guided and able to differentiate between earth,
concrete and rock. The bombs, many of which were moved from Britain to the
Indian Ocean base of Diego Garcia at the weekend, can penetrate up to 25
feet of rock. One of the main targets could be a command centre at the
Herati Heights, which the Taliban claim is impregnable.

The Taliban continued their defence preparations yesterday, with senior
officials trying to recruit more soldiers from rural areas. US and British
defence officials maintain that the pool is drying up. There are also
reports of Taliban fighters defecting or deserting, and intelligence
appears to show that the Taliban have abandoned whole tracts in the west,
around the city of Herat near the Iranian border.

An aircraft carrying humanitarian aid, chartered by Britain's Department
for International Development, was prevented from flying into Iran on
Monday night. However, the load of 400 tents was expected to be able to
depart yesterday.

*******

#4
Christian Science Monitor
3 October 2001
At crossroads, Putin looks West
Russia's president meets today with European leaders to discuss common
enemy, new cooperation.
By Fred Weir
Special to The Christian Science Monitor

MOSCOW - In the geopolitical aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks,
Russian President Vladimir Putin faces a defining choice: keep to the
isolationist instincts of his KGB past, or follow the dream of his hero,
the Westward-gazing Peter the Great.
Mr. Putin is in Brussels today at Russia's annual summit with heads of the
15-member European Union. Their relationship has been deadlocked by
seemingly intractable disputes over the Western military alliance NATO's
expansion into East Europe, the Kremlin's brutal war against the
secessionist region of Chechnya, and other issues.

But Western solidarity in the gathering campaign against international
terrorism has presented Russia with a fundamental strategic choice - one
that experts say Putin has decisively made in favor of siding with the US
and its allies.

Although it may have been unthinkable barely a month ago, the door now
seems open to broad military and security cooperation between Moscow and
Washington, rapid Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, and
perhaps, down the road, Russian membership in the EU and NATO.

"A new epoch burst upon the world when the terrorists attacked the World
Trade Center on Sept. 11, and Putin was one of the first leaders to
understand what it means," says Sergei Chugrov, an expert with the
Institute of International Relations and World Economy, which trains
Russian diplomats. "Russia will either drift into the margins of the global
system, or it must drop its differences and move into the mainstream of
Western life."

A great deal is at stake. By integrating Russia with the West, Putin, an
ex-KGB agent, could achieve the vision of a czar he has professed to
greatly admiring, Peter the Great, and foster Russia's development as a
stable, modern, prosperous pillar of European civilization.

But Putin is also courting the ire of Russian nationalists and military
hawks, who resent being roped into the ranks of the West and fear the
penetration of US power into the heart of the former Soviet Union.

Another worry here is how Russia's 20 million Muslims - and far greater
numbers in neighboring ex-Soviet republics - might react if looming
American-led military operations in Afghanistan start to look like an
anti-Islamic crusade.

"There is no doubt that Putin has made up his mind," says Mr. Chugrov. "But
this policy will have to stand a long and tough testing period. There are
no guarantees that it will survive."

Moscow-based defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer cautions: "All that is
holding us [Moscow and Washington] together is a common enemy. We have a
consensus only because it regards questions where it is hard to disagree."

Today, Putin will meet with EU officials and hold one-to-one talks with
NATO Secretary General George Robertson. Topping the agenda is Russia's
involvement in the US-led antiterror coalition and ways to cement
cooperation in what is shaping up to be a long-term, globe-girdling
campaign. But the Kremlin has signaled that it is looking to extend these
beginnings into an entire new relationship between Russia and the West.
That could include Russia's joining NATO, if the alliance evolved into a
more broadly-based security system for Europe, Putin hinted last week.
"There is no longer any reason for the West not to conduct talks" on
Russian membership in NATO, he said.

The Kremlin is seeking more immediate dividends as well. Russia's admission
into the WTO, formerly viewed as a distant possibility, seems fixed for as
early as next year after talks between Russian officials and U.S. Trade
Representive Robert Zoellick in Moscow last week.

Relief from the burden of Soviet-era debt is also high on Moscow's wish
list. Debt-servicing charges by 2003 are calculated to be $19 billion, the
size of the country's entire budget for that year.

But there are plenty of pitfalls along the road to a changed relationship.
One concern among Russian experts is that the West will deem the Kremlin's
cautious commitment to the war on terrorism inadequate. Putin has pledged
to share intelligence with Western special services, open Russian air
corridors for "humanitarian supplies" to the site of the antiterrorist
operation in Central Asia, and take part in non-combat "search and rescue"
missions inside Afghanistan. But he has categorically ruled out any use of
Russian military forces in the fighting.

"The West should understand that Putin has gone the maximum distance that
he is able at this time," says Boris Makarenko of the independent Fund For
Political Technologies in Moscow.

Analysts cite a survey by the independent VTsIOM public opinion research
center last week that showed 58 percent of Russians, their memories of the
USSR's disastrous 1980s war in Afghanistan still fresh, believe their
country should remain neutral in the war on terrorism. The poll showed that
72 percent fear that retaliatory strikes in Afghanistan could ignite world
war.

Another possible thorn is the ongoing war in Chechnya. Last week, Putin
offered for the first time to negotiate with representatives of rebel
president-in-hiding Aslan Maskhadov - although Putin said such talks would
only concern time and place of rebel surrender.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the New York-based
Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division, warns: "President
Putin has tried to use the events of September 11 to get carte blanche for
the conduct of Russian federal forces in Chechnya. "The EU can't allow this
to happen."

Russian experts insist that Putin has made a choice that will benefit the
world. Says Alexander Solovyov, a political scientist at Moscow State
University: "He believes that Russia's moral and political support in this
crisis will open an era of trust, and that we can go on from there to build
new institutions and a new system of security to bind Russia and the West
together for the first time in history."

Material from Agence France-Presse was used in this report.

*******

#5
Russian economic reforms yielding good results - president
Interfax

Brussels, 2 October: Russia's economic progress is stimulating foreign
investment in the Russian economy to grow, Russian President Vladimir Putin
told Belgian business figures on Tuesday.

He said that foreign investment in Russia totalled 33.84bn dollars as of 1
July 2001, including over 17.5bn dollars- worth of direct investment.

"At a first glance this is not much. But if one follows the process, progress
will become evident. In the first half of the year foreign investment
increased by 40 per cent against the same period last year, said Putin
[quotation marks as given].

Among the reasons for the growth in investment Putin named "the strict
implementation of the federal budget". He said that a budget surplus formed
last year. "This tendency will be preserved this year, and has allowed us to
envision a budget surplus in the draft budget for 2002," Putin said.

"Russia is strictly repaying foreign and domestic debts. We are honouring our
international financial obligations fully and on time, without any foreign
borrowings," the Russian president said.

He said that in implementing the tax reform, Russia will do away with various
privileges and "non-transparent schemes, which is likely to make the economy
more transparent and allow companies to compete under equal conditions".

Putin said that Russia has adopted a package of laws reducing the number of
businesses that need be licensed, and simplifying the procedure of
registering legal entities.

"The main goal of these steps is to liberalize entrepreneurship and to remove
all factors causing corruption," the Russian president said.

Russia currently "has all the laws that allow a market economy to breathe
freely". Unlike other countries, Russia recognizes the supremacy of
international law.

"The citizens are beginning to trust the state and its institutions. Foreign
investors are also beginning to feel this trust," Putin said.

*******

#6
From: "Mike Mcfaul" <mmcfaul@ceip.org>
Subject: letter
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001

David, I thought this open letter sent to me might be of interest to your
readers.
Mike

About the consequences of terrorist acts in USA
Appeal of the Russian human rights organizations

We, the representatives of
Russian human rights organizations, consider the terrorist acts committed on
September 11 in New York and Washington, to be an unprecedented crime. The
civilian population was consciously and deliberately selected as the victim
of this monstrous action by its perpetrators. All the world can now see the
consequences of the application of "corporate liability" principle in its
worst form. We are in solidarity with the people of the United States of
America. We mourn the perished victims and feel compassion for all of the
injured.

We believe that in the current difficult situation the people and government
of the United States will find an adequate response for these terrorists. We
believe that they will not yield to blind revenge, to the actions of
"collective punishment".

We welcome the intention to join efforts by democratic nations in the fight
against terrorism, voiced by the leaders of several states.

However, at the same time we can't help expressing our concern about
statements in the mass media by some analysts and political figures in our
country as well as abroad. We reject seemingly simple solutions of complex
and knotty problems. We reject the notion that there is a "global Islamic
plot", being imposed on our society today. We protest against mixing
together such different issues as international terrorism, Islamic
fundamentalism, barbaric governance of Talibs in Afganistan, dictatorial
regimes in Iraq and Libya, war in Chechnya, Balkan conflicts, Arab-Israel
conflict and so on. We protest against attempts to use Monday's tragedy in
the United States to incite religious and inter-ethnic animosity, especially
to advocate hatred towards Moslem peoples. Such attempts will not make our
world more safe.

We, human rights activists in Russia, feel a special concern about the
clearly predictable intention to use the new world situation to justify the
resolution of the Chechen problem exclusively by force. We still adhere to
the opinion that the only way out of the dead-end situation in Chechnya is a
peaceful settlement via a process of negotiations. Resolutions of complex
problems by force is exactly what leads to the escalation of terrorism.

This terrorist attack was aimed not only against American cities. A war has
been declared against the foundations of contemporary civilization: against
principles of freedom, democracy and human rights. If peoples and
governments of democratic countries will listen to irresponsible claims and
retreat from their principles - then we can say, that terrorists have won
this war.

Moscow, 12-14 September 2001
Signed by:
Sergey Kovalev, Arseny Roginsky, Alexander Daniel, Elena Zhemkova, Oleg
Orlov - on behalf of the Russian Memorial Society;
Elena Bonner, Jury Samodurov - on behalf of the Public Center and Museum in
name of A.D.Sakharov;
Lev Ponomarev - on behalf of the Russia-wide movement For Human Rights;
Svetlana Gannushkina - on behalf of the Organization for help to refugees
and IDPs Civic Assistance;
Larisa Bogoraz
Ludmilla Alexeeva, Victoria Malikova - on behalf of the Moscow Helsinki
Group;
Juliy Rybakov, deputy (MP) of the State Duma of the Russian Federation;
Sergey Jushenkov, deputy (MP) of the State Duma of the Russian Federation;
July Goryacheva, Ida Kyklina, Valentina Melnikova - on behalf of the Union
of Russian Committees of the Soldier's Mothers;
Mara Polyakova, Sergey Pashin - on behalf of the Independent Expert-Legal
Council;
Father Gleb Yakunin - on behalf of the Public Committee for Defense of
Freedom of Conscience;
Mikhail Arutjunov - on behalf of the International Assembly;
Alexander Ljuboslavsky - on behalf of the journal "Protection of Human
Rights and Freedoms";
The collection of signatures continues.

*******

#7
San Jose Mercury News
October 2, 2001
This is Russia's chance to become a full partner
BY MICHAEL MCFAUL

ON Sept. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to
speak with President Bush. He offered his unwavering support to combat our
common enemy, terrorism.

That same day, I received dozens of calls and e-mails from friends in Russia
expressing support for my country. This outpouring of support from Russia has
convinced me that Russians and Americans share common values and have the
potential to be part of one international community.

What unites us is much more important than what divides us. Polls that I
conducted with Harvard professor Timothy Colton last year provide hard data
to support my emotional, unscientific reading of Russian attitudes toward the
dreadful September day. Our surveys show that two-thirds of the Russian
people embrace democratic ideals and practices.

Since that first phone call to Bush, however, Putin has allowed some of his
advisers to add qualifications to Russia's support. His senior military and
intelligence officers are pushing him to retreat to old ways of thinking
regarding international politics, to worry more about NATO troops in Central
Asia and old Soviet allies, Iraq and Iran. Putin has not committed
unequivocally to the new U.S. military and diplomatic campaign against
radical Islamic fundamentalism.

Ironically, the recent attack against the United States offers Russia an
opportunity to join the West. The disputes that divided Russia and the United
States throughout the latter half of the 1990s seem trivial compared to our
new common interests. If Putin were to cooperate with the United States and
its allies in this campaign against terrorism, the lingering legacies of the
Cold War might be overcome. If Putin continues to listen to those espousing
Soviet geostrategic thinking, Russia may miss its chance for Western
integration.

President Bush can help Putin make the right decision by reminding Putin of a
bitter fact -- Russia cannot become a full member of the Western community of
states unless Russia consolidates democracy at home. As the Bush team embarks
on a protracted conflict with a worldwide foe, it will be tempted to sidestep
hard questions of those who go along.

This would be a mistake. Russia will never be an all-around partner of the
United States and the West unless democratization proceeds. Backsliding could
pit this strategically vital country against the United States once again.

To encourage democratization in Russia and cooperation in our battle against
terrorism, Bush has to offer a positive agenda. In affirming the importance
of democratic consolidation as a prerequisite for integration, Bush can lead
other countries into making integration an attainable goal by pushing for
Russian membership in the World Trade Organization, lowering trade barriers
to Russian imports, and relaxing travel restrictions.

More boldly, Bush could outline the concrete stages for future Russian
membership in NATO.

The attack on American soil has focused our mind on the threats to our
security--Russia need not be one of them. On the contrary, these events
underscore just how close our countries have become. The Russian people
already have made this realization. They, like us, are waiting for the
Russian government to do the same.

Michael McFaul is a fellow at the Hoover Institution, an assistant professor
of political science at Stanford University and a senior associate at the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Moscow. He has written
extensively on political and economic reform in the former Soviet Union.

********

#8
Freedomformum.org
October 2, 2001
Russian newspapers facing heavy tax bite next year
By freedomforum.org staff

Russian newspaper publishers are fighting what they say is a life-or-death
battle for print media as they lobby over tax bills before the
parliamentary budget committee, according to a story in today's St.
Petersburg Times.

Meanwhile, in another media development, The Russia Journal reported that
the top 20 Internet news sites reached a record 1.8 million hits a day in
Russia immediately after the U.S. terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

Russian media have enjoyed an assortment of tax exemptions since 1995 under
the law on mass media state support, including an exemption from paying the
20% value-added tax. The exemptions were due to expire in 1998 but were
extended after that year's financial crisis.

With the law extending the media's tax breaks now due to expire Dec. 31,
the parliamentary committee is considering two bills — one that would
extend the tax breaks for two more years, and one that would strip media of
their tax-exempt status and impose a reduced value-added tax of 10%.

A variety of media associations and publishers are lobbying to extend the
tax breaks, but they face opposition from some media groups and lawmakers
who favor a reduced tax instead, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Budget committee head Alexander Zhukov said he favored the 10% VAT
proposal, calling it a temporary measure to help the industry slowly adjust
to the practice of paying taxes.

Vladimir Mamontov, editor of the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, was cautious
about the proposed new system, saying, "The transition to a civilized
market must be carried out gradually to make sure the industry does not
accidentally get killed during this transition."

Opponents of the proposed new system, including the Journalists Union and
the National Association of Publishers, said that for many regional
publishers, it would mean dramatically reducing circulation and boosting
prices in a bid to fight bankruptcy.

The head of the Journalists Union said the new system could mean the end of
independent print media.

Alexei Voinov, a legal expert with the National Association of Publishers,
said the industry was still recovering after the 1998 financial crisis, and
extending the tax exemptions was the only way for most print media to
survive.

"We have analyzed both proposals and have come to the conclusion that print
media are not prepared for the 10 percent tax now," Voinov said.

As to the increased use of Internet sites on and after the Sept. 11 events,
The Russia Journal cited a report from the Internet monitoring agency
SpyLog that estimated the number of visitors to Russia's top 20 news sites
soared threefold immediately after the disaster, reaching a record 1.8
million hits a day.

One of the sites, RosBusinessConsulting's www.rbc.ru news agency, reported
350,000 hits on the day following the attacks on the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon.

The increase in traffic did not catch the agency's technical services by
surprise, said Alexei Kuzovkin, RBC's vice president in charge of IT.

"From the start, RBC's site was designed to cope with high traffic
volumes," said Kuzovkin, adding that the news agency relies on its
partnerships with other providers.

As the U.S. dollar dropped against major currencies following the attacks,
many Russians flocked to their computers to monitor the situation.
According to SpyLog, the homepage of the Central Bank and other financial
institutions became the second-most visited domains, behind online news
outlets.

International news sources also had record traffic, with CNN.com serving 9
million page-views per hour following the attacks, compared with 11 million
per day on average.

Having caught an enormous wave of human interest, Russian news sites remain
the most frequently visited segment of the Ru.net, a web of
Russian-language resources of the Internet. The top news sites continue to
attract more than 1 million visitors a day, or more than double their
average traffic.

"Despite the increased activity, some experts say low computerization level
and a relative apathy toward international events leave Russia on the
sidelines of the world's information highway," according to the newspaper
report.

"Conventional media outlets like radio and TV remain the major information
source for the majority of Russians," said Alexander Bichkov of Netcity
Internet Café in Moscow. "Due to economic and cultural reasons, the
Internet as an information source in Russia still has not reached the scale
and reliability it has in the West."

SpyLog specialist Yevgeny Morozov said the activity on the Russian news
sites Sept. 11-12 did not necessarily indicate an increase in the number of
Internet users, contending that "It was the usual ring of Internet users
who logged on for the news; they simply spent more time online, jumping
from one site to another."

*******

#9
Moscow Times
October 3, 2001
Short History of the Russian Coal Industry
By Yulia Latynina

Last week there was a special auction to sell a stake in the last major
state-owned coal company, Kuzbassugol. A 39.73 percent stake of Kuzbassugol
was sold for $90 million, the main victors being Magnitogorsk and
Severstal. The State Property Fund will certainly make at least that on the
sale of the next 40 percent packet. To put some perspective on this, it
means that not the most desirable of coal enterprises will go under the
hammer for more than Norilsk Nickel went for in 1995.

The history of coal company sales is proof that hatred between oligarchs is
a far more reliable market foundation than the honesty of bureaucrats.

Coal in the Kuzbass region was for years a state affair. In post-Soviet
Russia this meant that bandits would storm into a director's office, place
a piece of paper on his desk, put a gun to his head and say: "Sign off on
such-and-such a consignment of coal to such-and-such a firm." Soon there
were more bandits than consignments of coal and that is when the shooting
started.

They killed everybody from mine directors to the governor's aides. There
was even an incident when a bus carrying foreign specialists was stopped
and bandits brandishing axes got on. The foreign specialists' impressions
-- those that were still in one piece -- were pretty special.

There were also the World Bank loans, which you may recall, were for
closing the mines. And they were indeed closed. For example, a mine would
be closed and the next day a new mine would be opened with the same
employees, only now the mine would be debt-free and the World Bank money
taken.

For some reason the World Bank did not go to check where its money was
going -- probably because it heard about the incident on the bus with the
axes. They made complaints from a safe distance.

And God knows how long this saga would have dragged on if the most
progressive players had not come to realize that coal is the height from
which metals enterprises can be stormed. Among the first to grasp this were
the Zhivilo brothers and, of course, Iskander Makhmudov's Urals Mining and
Metals Co., or UGMK, allied with Yevrazholding.

To start with there was not much of a crush. The players came to an
arrangement with the authorities and with one another. The money saved went
toward investment and workers' wages. They made sure that the bandits were
taken care of by the prosecutor's office.

Then it transpired that the coal sector had been carved up and that major
metals enterprises, such as Lipetsk, Magnitogorsk and Severstal, were
without coal and faced the real prospect of being swallowed up by the
far-sighted and highly aggressive UGMK.

This is when the fight began. The director of Kuzbassugol, who had been
loyal to UGMK, was fired and in his place the deputy chairman of the
property fund was appointed. Yevrazholding tried to bankrupt the best parts
of Kuzbassugol but got its wrists slapped and slapped pretty hard.

Severstal's general director, Alexei Mordashov, started stalking Kremlin
corridors and complaining about Makhmudov. It was at this moment that
Mordashov's abandoned wife came into the public view and Santa Barbara ˆ la
Cherepovets was launched.

The result is that Magnitogorsk and Severstal were triumphant at the
auction. However, the victory may well prove to be a Pyrrhic one. First,
Magnitogorsk and Severstal had to pay over the odds for a pretty average
company, while two years ago they could have bought much better companies
at knock-down prices. Second, Yevrazholding and UGMK did not bother to buy
expensive Kuzbassugol shares because they already hold company debts. And I
doubt they will deny themselves the pleasure of devaluing the purchase of
another by bankrupting the company's juiciest parts.

One other thing is clear. Kuzbassugol is the first battlefield on which
Magnitogorsk has fought. The battle lines have already been drawn and the
really interesting part will begin only after the auction.

Yulia Latynina is a journalist with ORT.

******

#10
Russia ranked second in world murder statistics, police say
Itar-Tass
Oct 2, 2001

Russia is ranked second in the world after South Africa in terms of murders
per 100,000 of the population, Russian police said on Tuesday, according to
the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS.

The deputy head of the criminal police Vladimir Gordiyenko said on Tuesday at
a press briefing that more than 22,500 murders were committed in Russia over
the first eight months of the year, the agency said.

He said that this figure included "domestic-related killings" and that "up to
10 per cent of murders were committed in public places", the news agency
reported.

Gordiyenko identified contract killings as a major problem, but said that the
detection rate for such murders was improving.

In the first six months of 2001, arrests were made in 75 cases involving
contract killings, he said.

In a separate report, Interfax news agency said on Friday 28 September that
24,800 murders were committed in Russia in the first seven months of the
year. This put the annual murder rate at 29.6 per 100,000 people, the agency
reported.

******

#11
strana.ru
October 2, 2001
US strikes on Afghanistan might provoke upheavals in Central Asian states
Interview with senior researcher at the Institute of World Economics and
International Relations, Dina Malysheva
By Viktor Sokolov

Q: What do you think of the situation with the refugees in regions of the CIS
bordering Afghanistan?

A: There will inevitably be refugees. In fact they are already there. That
problem has not yet been solved since the time of the Soviet Union's big war
in Afghanistan. That problem has been standing there all these years since
then.

Instability exists in the Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan even
now. First of all, this concerns Tajikistan. Even though a peace agreement
was signed and some of the representatives of the opposition were included in
the government, there still are quite a number of armed groups that have ties
with the Taliban and are not controlled by the government. They pose a
constant threat to the peace process in Tajikistan and complicate that
country's relations with neighboring states.

It is no secret that tense relations exist between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
that mutually accuse each other of supporting opposition forces. However, all
the roots of that instability lie in precisely the Afghan events stemming
from that big war and the period that followed the pullout of the Soviet
forces from Afghanistan.

Q: Did these refugees live in the north of Afghanistan in the territories
controlled by the Northern Alliance?

A: Exactly. Besides that, there is the notorious Uzbek, Djuma Namangani who
is held responsible for organizing terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan. However,
I would not say there is some single center coordinating the actions of all
these illegal armed gangs. I do not think that there is such a single center
and that all these actions are connected with the Taliban. Although, of
course, many of the armed extremists got their training at special camps in
territories controlled by the Taliban.

Besides that, if we are talking about the Central Asian states then it's
difficult to imagine that the flow of refugees or the instability can be
localized within the framework of a single state or one region. The states
are much too dependent on each other and are subject to the domino effect.

Q: Do you think that the situation in Central Asia is no less explosive than
in Pakistan?

A: In fact the situation in the former Soviet Central Asian republics is, in
general, instable, and everything there is being held together by
authoritarian regimes. In any case, the regime in Uzbekistan is
authoritarian. But on the other hand, if there were not such a regime there,
it would be impossible to attain stability. And if to this we add a civil war
within the framework of each Central Asian state that would be a catastrophe
for the region.

Q: Can the refugees also come to Russia?

A: From the point of view of our own interests, that is quite a serious
threat. Of course, as experience shows, refugees are filtrated and they do
not manage to reach Moscow, but they will settle in the southern regions, in
Astrakhan, for instance.

Q: Is Moscow ready for that?

A: Experience indicates that we react to events that have already taken
place. Perhaps at top level this has been discussed but I don't think any
real practical steps have been taken to avert such a negative development of
events.

Q: As far as I know, Russia is not expecting refugees since it is believed
that they will go to Iran and Pakistan. Is that really the case?

A: Of course, they can head for Iran and Pakistan. But first of all, Pakistan
does not want to accept them and is taking measures to contain them.
Moreover, Pakistan solves this problem in a very simple way: it puts up some
military barriers and that's all. For Pakistan too this is a very volatile
situation, bearing in mind the large number of Pathans in their territory.

In Soviet times, when the USSR was a "closed" state, the fear of spreading
Islamic ideas and averting the influence of Islamic extremism in the Central
Asian republics was also one of the reasons for sending Soviet troops into
Afghanistan. That threat has not disappeared to this day, but already there
is no Soviet Union - there is no monolithic force that could check that
threat.

Q: Do you think that Russia and the USA could not work together to mould such
a force?

A: I think that America and Russia pursue different interests. Moreover,
America lies over the Atlantic - and where are we? We must also bear in mind
that Russia, according to various estimates, has almost 20 million Muslims
that could take to the streets to protest against American air strikes.
That's a hypothetical variant that will most likely not materialize. But
nonetheless, Russia must take that factor into consideration as well.

What is important here (concerning a joint force by Russia and America) is to
come to terms. So far, I do not see on what terms Russia could closely
cooperate with the USA. Moscow has already spoken out in favor of a
retribution act, but again with reservations.

We ourselves will have to cope with the problems on our southern borders. I
do not think that the USA could offer efficient help.

In the given situation there is something that I do not like about the
reassessment of international relations that were formed with such
difficulty. In general, the United Nations is being shoved to the side and
NATO is taking the initiative into its own hands.

Terrorism today is interpreted or defined in very different ways and this
offers a very convenient way for making short work of unwelcome opponents,
adversaries.

******

#12
BBC Monitoring
Russian politicians against Baltic states' membership of NATO
Source: Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian 1900 gmt 2 Oct 01

[Presenter] "Details" is on the air...

During its future contacts with NATO officials Russia will act as a strategic
ally which is fighting against a common enemy. This means that we should
change our attitude towards partnership with NATO and, for example, towards
the Baltic states' intention to join the North Atlantic alliance.

[Oleg Morozov, leader of Russia's Regions group in the State Duma] When we
express our concerns to NATO countries, moreover, when we are doing this
while maintaining partnership relations in solving such a painful problem as
terrorism, we have the right to expect a reciprocal move. In my opinion,
there is no military or political sense for the Baltic states to join NATO.
Russia has enough arguments to explain that. If a partner disregards its
potential ally, ignores its opinion, and actually reaches its border without
prior agreement, this is a bad way to maintain partnership.

[Grigoriy Yavlinskiy, Yabloko faction leader] True, the situation is
changing. The movement of a military alliance, to which Russian does not
belong, towards our borders is far from being a goodwill gesture. Therefore,
the issue should be discussed additionally, taking into account the new
situation.

[Lyubov Sliska, State Duma first deputy speaker] When we visited the Pentagon
in July, one of its employees remarked, as if casually, that the Department
of State had not yet given proper consideration to the issue of admitting one
of the Baltic states to NATO in 2002. I asked the interpreter to double-check
the translation. I said: Did I hear it correctly that the Department of
State, rather than the alliance, is to take a decision? The answer was: The
Department of State. This means that Putin and Bush will decide on the
membership issue, rather than [NATO Secretary-General George] Robertson.

[Presenter] Quite an unexpected idea. True, the decision will be up to the
leaders of superpowers, rather than the alliance's officials, with all our
respect for them. In the current situation Russia acts and looks as a
superpower. In this case, as a superpower which is going to establish close
cooperation with the European Union. Why is this important? Why is this even
more important than the romantic talk about accession to NATO?

[Boris Nemtsov, Union of Right Forces faction leader] Because social,
economic and democratic standards in Russia will be the same as in Europe,
and Russian people's long-standing dream to live like in Europe but to think,
speak and love like in Russia will come true.

[Sliska] Especially as relations with Germany show stability. Meanwhile,
Germany plays a leading role in the European Union...

*******

#13
BBC Monitoring
Russia will lose Central Asia if it gets involved in Afghanistan - politician
Source: NTV International, Moscow, in Russian 1525 gmt 2 Oct 01

Russian nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovskiy has spoken against
Russia's involvement in Afghanistan. In an interview for Russian NTV's "Hero
of the Day" programme Vladimir Zhirinovskiy, who leads the Liberal Democratic
Party of Russia, did not mince words expressing his opposition to any Russian
involvement in Afghanistan. He presented such an involvement as being to the
USA's advantage and to Russia's disadvantage.

"They [the Americans] will delay it [an operation in Afghanistan] for as long
as they can. It is in their interests not to take part in this game at all
but to push us so that we will continue supporting the Northern Alliance."

Zhirinovskiy dismissed the idea of putting the former Afghan king back on the
throne as "just a trick on the part of the West". He said: "It has been 30
years. Everybody has forgotten him. Nobody needs him. He will not be able to
do anything."

He stressed repeatedly that the Northern Alliance is a weak and inefficient
force which would never be able to take Kabul or keep it: "The Northern
Alliance has been artificially sustained by us. They will never be able to
take Kabul by themselves. Kabul will be taken once more by our tanks, our
soldiers, our officers and our advisers."

The Liberal Democrat leader predicted doom for Russia if it lets itself being
pushed into fighting in Afghanistan. He said that, although in the short
term, the overthrow of the Taleban may help ease the situation in Chechnya,
in the long run, it may lead to Russia losing its influence in Central Asia.
"Suppose the Northern Alliance does take Kabul," he said. "The Taleban will
still return there after some time. The Americans will not send their troops
there. The Afghan people, the Afghan government, any government, under any
flag - a future Afghan government will have a legal pretext to finish off the
Northern Alliance in Central Asia... By retreating from there once more we
will bring the Taleban to Central Asia... We will end up being hated by the
Afghans and having Central Asia occupied... In this sense, we will lose both
Afghanistan and Central Asia."

Zhirinovskiy believes that it is not in America's interests to arrest
Bin-Ladin quickly: "They will not arrest him. They will search for him for a
long time. For many, many years. They [the USA] need a long-playing record so
that the whole world will live in fear, will see Bin-Ladins all over the
world preparing terrorist acts while the Americans, through a broad
antiterrorist coalition, look for them."

When discussing the prospect of Russia's accelerated entry into the World
Trade Organization following its pledge to cooperate in the West's fight
against the Taleban, Zhirinovskiy said: "Having got involved in Afghanistan,
we will have a very bad result - an explosion all over Central Asia.
Anti-Russian and pro-Islamic moods are quite strong there. On the point of
their swords, the Taleban will bring to Central Asia those who will make it
Islamic and no WTO will help us then: we will have nobody to trade with: all
the factories will be producing puttees and tinned food for our soldiers.
They [the Americans] plan that 100,000 Russian soldiers will die in the
Central Asian cauldron."

At the end of the interview, the programme's presenter, Savik Shuster, tried
to disassociate himself from Zhirinovskiy's comments during the interview.
"Everything said by Vladimir Zhirinovskiy here is on his conscience," he
said, adding that his studio guest had made many daring and controversial
statements in the interview.

*******

#14
BBC Monitoring
Communist leader Zyuganov attacks Putin for lack of dialogue with opposition
Source: NTV, Moscow, in Russian 1535 gmt 1 Oct 01

Leader of the Russian Communist Party Gennadiy Zyuganov has complained that
the Kremlin and the Russian government are intent on ignoring the views of
opposition parties. He told Russian NTV's "Hero of the Day" programme that,
despite the best efforts of his own party to contribute constructively to
political debate, President Vladimir Putin is simply not interested in
engaging in dialogue. He also explained his criticism of Putin's decision to
address the German parliament in German, arguing that it contravened
established protocol and tradition. The following is the text of an interview
broadcast live on Russian NTV broadcast on 1 October:

[Presenter Savik Shuster] This is "Hero of the Day" going out live on NTV,
with Savik Shuster in the studio. Our guest is the leader of the Communist
Party of the Russian Federation, Gennadiy Zyuganov. Good evening, Gennadiy
Andreyevich.

[Zyuganov] Hello.

[Shuster] First, let me ask a private question. You criticized President
Vladimir Putin very sharply for speaking in German to the German parliament.
You described it as an insult to the entire Russian people, the people of
Russia. Why?

[Zyuganov] There is such a thing as protocol which governs all international
events of this nature. This is the first time I have seen a leader of the
country addressing a parliament, not in his own language, but in German. I
thought he might have greeted them with a few sentences in German, then
continued in Russian in the generally accepted way. A fine translation of his
speech would have been distributed and everybody would have been able to
understand the speech by following the text in front of them. That's what
happened when [Chinese President] Jiang Zemin spoke here. Incidentally, he
speaks Russian very well. He spoke in Chinese, but we had a very interesting
text in front of us. Afterwards, we were not only able to familiarize
ourselves with it, but it was also published by some of our newspapers.

[Shuster] But a parliament is, as it were, a representative authority. In
principle, it represents society. Don't you think it is possible to break
with tradition and, in principle, address parliament in the language of the
people? If you know the language, that is.

[Zyuganov] In fact, very many people can do that. But there are accepted ways
of doing things. It seems to me we should adhere to them, especially at such
a crucial and troubled time. The country has been humiliated very often of
late. I remember a similar speech made to the US parliament by Yeltsin. On
that occasion too, the speech was greeted with a standing ovation. But the
upshot of that was a complete rout for our country, with billions of dollars
being smuggled out, and humiliation at all international forums. Nobody heeds
the views of Russia. A decision is announced, but we are the last to be told.

[Shuster] Gennadiy Andreyevich, isn't there something symbolic about the fact
that you should be making this criticism just when Vladimir Putin has made a
choice, that Russia will go with the West? How would any other choice, any
ambiguity, be understood? Wasn't this the right thing to do?

[Zyuganov] Excuse me, Savik. It is the Russian people who should make the
choice. We are a Eurasian country. It is not only the West we have links
with. We have a huge frontier. We have a 4,500 km frontier with China. We
have a frontier with the Islamic world along the entire southern perimeter of
our state. In the East we also border on Japan, a powerful country.

We cannot conduct a one-sided policy targeted exclusively at the West. For
Russia such a policy would offer absolutely no promise. Yes, we must have
good relations with the West. I believe in maintaining good relations with
the USA. I believe that Germany is a strategic partner, with whom we must
develop relations. But we must remember that, unless we have very good
relations with China and with many of the Arab countries, we simply won't be
able to develop effectively in the 21st century.

Moreover, the most important region, the region which will determine the fate
of the planet, is the Pacific Rim. They have the best technology, they have
the largest populations, they are powerful producers, they control the main
flows of finance. Over the last ten years our country has lost a million of
its citizens in the Far East, and is doing nothing to consolidate its
position in this exceptionally important region. So I believe in intelligent
policy.

[Presenter] But Gennadiy Andreyevich, up till now you and your party have
been saying that we need to size things up, we need to make contacts and have
a look at the powers-that-be. And then came a moment of destiny for Russia
and for the Communist Party. And here you made your choice - no, this time we
will be in opposition. Right at that very moment.

[Zyuganov] Opposition is a perfectly natural phenomenon.

[Presenter] No, up till now you remained calm -

[Zyuganov, interrupting] I want to make this clear. We were conducting a
dialogue and will continue to do so. The alternative to dialogue is fighting
and war. We are categorically opposed to this. But we wanted it to be a
normal dialogue. Yesterday we had the first Congress of Patriotic Forces. A
thousand people gathered at the Academy of Sciences. From Kamchatka to
Kaliningrad, leading academics, specialists, politicians. It was staged by a
patriotic union which brings together 15 of the most organized political
structures. The whole evening the state channels showed [faction leader
Gennadiy] Raykov's little meeting, which won't lead to much. They didn't show
a single shot from our major event, despite having filmed it. What did our
congress come up with? A strategy for Russia's development over the course of
the century, our own alternative ideas for the budget, 67 essential laws
which need to be adopted. And the debate was utterly constructive, no abuse
was hurled, we just suggested different ways of solving problems. State
television, which is currently under the control of [Head of the Presidential
Administration Aleksandr] Voloshin, refused point blank even to carry any
reports on the event. You might not like the event, but you are still duty
bound to inform society. Across various regions between 40 and 50 million
people in total vote for us. Why does this happen? Vladimir Vladimirovich
[Putin] keeps quiet.

A second story. Elections are taking place in Rostov [-na-Donu]. Everything
was violated there. [Governor Vladimir] Chub and one of his officials are
competing with each other. Everyone else, including our man Ivanchenko and
the entrepreneur, was barred [from the campaign] on a false pretext. We took
the matter to Putin - didn't even get an answer. There was no reply.

We called for hi-tech industry and the aviation industry to get more support.
He doesn't even want to meet us. In my view, he is surrounded on various
sides by aides who are absolutely unscrupulous. First, they keep him poorly
informed. Second, as head of state, he is obliged to maintain a proper and
constructive dialogue with the opposition. But we simply don't see this
happening of late.

[Shuster] Gennadiy Andreyevich, when you use the words "cynical heirs of
Yeltsin", what kind of dialogue can this be?

[Zyuganov] No, excuse me please. You saw -

[Shuster, interrupting] I am merely quoting you.

[Zyuganov] No, I was absolutely right to say this. You saw how the law on
land and the budget have just been debated. As regards the law on land, 40
constituent parts of the federation have been asking for, demanding the
creation of a conciliation commission. Putin knew about this. It was
discussed with him. He should have put an immediate stop to this orgy.
Everybody from Maritime territory and Altay to Krasnodar was demanding this.
But, instead of that, it was forced through at all costs, through coercion
and pressure. After only two days of work in the Duma, the third reading was
tabled. The committee which is supposed to examine the draft did not even
take a look. The motion was tabled as always by [Viktor] Pleskachevskiy
[chairman of the Duma's committee on property, who played a key part in the
Land Code debate]. A vote was taken, then the document was sent off [to the
Federation Council] minus three articles and chapters. This is not simply
cynicism. In any other state people would be sacked and punished for such a
thing.

[Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aleksey] Kudrin brings us a
budget. Last year they told us there would not be no need for additional
revenue. But the additional revenue comes to R320bn. They could have helped
the elderly, children, women and everybody else. But the debate turned into a
formality. The only person who was listened to attentively was our [Sergey]
Glazyev, because he proposed an alternative version.

[Shuster] But not only Glazyev, there were many alternative versions.

[Zyuganov] This is what happens when they are guided by just one point of
view, when the Duma is turned into a big rubber-stamp, simply to force things
through. This is what happens when the Federation Council is turned, under
the pretext of strengthening the vertical hierarchy of power, into a place of
honourable exile. Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] said that government would
be strong. What kind of strong government is this that simply does not
respond to the challenges of the times and the aspirations of citizens? You
can take any question.

[Shuster] But, Gennadiy Andreyevich, why should you run out of patience now?

[Zyuganov] It's obvious, isn't it? People have not just lost patience. Last
spring, thousands of people took to the streets. In Krasnodar territory alone
almost 100,000 people took part in protest demonstrations.

[Shuster] But you -

[Zyuganov] Why don't they listen?

[Shuster] Gennadiy Zyuganov, at the plenum you proposed a more active protest
movement. On the other hand, your deputy, Ivan Melnikov, said in his report
that this mass protest movement has had no impact on the authorities. Why do
you think it will have an impact now?

[Zyuganov] You know, the adoption of a law under which all our mineral
resources, all our ports, all our airfields can be sold, under which all
future mineral deposits can be sold, is a provocative challenge to society.
The very cynicism with which this was done in the Duma is unprecedented.
Appeals for them to think again have been made, but they have not worked.

I think it will be entirely normal when citizens come out on the 4th and the
5th and say: "We would like to live in a respected country. We would like to
have the basic level of subsistence. We would like the average salary to be
R4-5,000 [per month]. We want our children to study, rather than causing
trouble. We would like to see basic social rights restored." I think this is
absolutely right. We don't want to see a repetition of October '43 [as heard
- probably intended to refer to events of October 1993], with all the
shooting and big guns, then Chechnya, where 100,000 lost their lives. We want
to ensure that those of us who are finding things tough, hard and painful are
heard.

The last time I went to watch football I was sitting next to a businessman.

[Presenter] Which match?

[Zyuganov] The most recent match, the one with the Germans. Played pretty
poorly, but anyway, I was sitting next to a businessman, who was saying:
"Gennadiy Andreyevich, Something needs to be done. It's just impossible to do
business honestly." I go and see the special troops, who are saying:
"Something needs to be done." [Prime Minister] Kasyanov and [Finance
Minister] Kudrin made me a promise. And yet they haven't sent a single new
helicopter to Chechnya, although they say they are defending the place. I go
and see the designers who used to produce the aviation and space technology.
A hundred ideas, and all the technology was Soviet. The directors and the
chief constructor come up to me and say: "The technology is falling apart. In
five years we've had orders for one plane, two tanks, ten armoured personnel
carriers, and civil aviation is just dying out."

[Presenter] Gennadiy Andreyevich, we haven't got much time left -

[Zyuganov, interrupting] My apologies. Should we be objecting to this or not?
I think it needs to be done systematically, harmoniously and amicably,
especially given that we are proposing an undoubtedly constructive programme.

[Presenter, interrupting] All right, propose it, absolutely. But even if you
didn't receive a lot of television coverage, the faces were all the same. You
can't say that you enjoy a fantastic level of trust throughout society. There
too confidence has fallen. Why is it the same faces every time?

[Zyuganov] What do you mean, the same faces? Actually we invited you -

[Presenter, interrupting] I would definitely have been a new face.

[Zyuganov, chuckling] You should have joined us a long time ago.

[Shuster] No, but isn't it the same old faces?

[Zyuganov] We've got a lot of new, competent, sensible, interesting people.
Have a read of our programme. Just take the material -

[Presenter, interrupting] And what was I doing before this programme?

[Zyuganov] I think that would be a very useful theme. But I'm amazed - they
just don't want to engage in dialogue. When I was running for president, I
placed an article in Sovetskaya Rossiya [a daily newspaper]. They refused to
discuss it. Now we are putting forward an even more detailed programme, and
they don't want that either.

[Presenter] I would have liked to continue and it's certainly very
interesting. But time is pressing upon us. We are forced to say goodbye. Live
with us on "Hero of the Day" was the leader of the Communist Party of the
Russian Federation, Gennadiy Zyuganov. Goodbye, and till tomorrow.

[Zyuganov] Goodbye.

*******

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