The Beslan Dead
The capture of the school at Beslan by Chechan extremists was also marked by a bus explosion in Moscow and the downing of two Russian Aircraft. Each plane was carrying about 80 people that resulted in all dying from the crash. The crashes of the Russian aircraft were caused by two women who padded their bras with explosives committing suicide. It was later discovered in a manifest list that the women were Chechen rebels.
The bus bombing in Moscow resulted in dead and was caused by Chechen rebels committing suicide in trying to achieve a goal.
The goal of the kidnappers at Beslan were Chechan rebels who held everyone, women, teachers and children at gun point while they bobby-trapped the gymnasium where the rebels would not only hold the hostages but begin to kill them one by one. The explosives the rebels were using proved to be more than they could handle and spontaeously ignited the gymnasium on fire sending all those that could to run for their lives. The result was the death of every rebel and over 300 innocent people including many schoolchildren who were attending their first day of school. The Russian military was at the school at the time and were helpless to save all the victims.
It was later realized the Chechen rebels had levels of drugs in their systems and a majority were not Chechens but Uzbeks. At the time of this tragedy an Uzbeck warlord in Afghanistan was enjoying wealth through the drug trade, hence, giving a rise to a great deal of valid suspicion regarding the source of the funding for these terrorists as well as the source of the drugs to be found in their bodies at the time of death. Along with that suspicion rises the reality that the USA has done grossly little in over three years to stop the drug economy enjoyed in Afghanistan. This raising questions of 'intent' for the lack of action by the USA in Afghanistan which the International Community overwhelming supported as well as the invasion of Iraq which was never supported by the International Community. What lies in the geography of the region and questionable purpose of a false agenda by Bush/Cheney is the Caspian Sea which appeared in The Cheney Energy Report.
President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, was faced with a situtation of safety for Russia as well as Chechnya and began to close the 'openness' of Russia to secure it's sovereignty. Included in that was a trend in Russia that was giving overwhelming power to Oligarchs who were able to purchase their own mlitary equipment including combat jets, included in this was a the tycoon of Yukos who violated Russian tax laws while running for president. To attempt to appear to place President Putin in a wrong posture, the Western Media resenting the 'closing' of Russia for reasons of political sovereignty and wanting to promote Western capitalism has created scenariios whereby Russia is being cast in the role of 'Evil Empire.' Nothing could be further from the truth.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has approved a measure to join Kyoto Protocol that was then voted in favor by the Dumas. One of the precepts of Kyoto is to reduce deadly Greenhouse Gases including Carbon Dioxide, CO2. An understanding of reducing CO2 is preventing the causes of war. With that in mind, President Putin took a very visible role in the Ukraine elections wanting to stem any chance of a civil war between two segments of Ukraine society that don't even speak the same language.
The result of all these issues as of late is a society in Russia a bit, but, only a bit disgruntled with their president, Vladimir Putin.
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Gateway to Russia
06 January 2005 15:48
Italian companies to bid for YUKOS assets
Italian companies will bid for YUKOS assets if they are allowed, Italian Industry Minister Antonio Marzano told journalists in Abu Dhabi, Reuters reported.
Biopharmaceuticals: Morozov versus Alzheimer
One Russian company hopes to win a victory over incurable illness by starting with distribution, proceeding to production and, finally, by learning how to make new medications
Gazeta
Putin asserts control after school siege
Текст: Reuters Фото: Reuters
President Vladimir Putin ordered sweeping changes to Russia's political system on Monday to help combat terrorism, but immediately drew accusations of exploiting this month's bloody school siege to boost his power.
The Kremlin leader, speaking in the wake of the hostage crisis in Beslan, told top officials he wanted a new election law to limit the number of political parties and to have full control over nominating regional leaders.
Kommersant
Denying the Mileage
In 2004, the presidential elections were to become the main event in the sphere of home politics. However, the September tragedy in Beslan not only overshadowed all other events but actually made Vladimir Putin admit that the majority of the reforms implemented by him during the first four years in power were a failure.
The 2004 presidential elections promised to be epochal not just because of Putin's victory (even his opponents had no doubts about it) but also as an important landmark in the country's development. If in the course of his first term in office Putin had to keep in mind that he would have to be re-elected for the second term, after March 14, 2004 he could launch radical reforms and did not have to worry about the rating as many experts thought. Those reforms would have made possible the long-awaited leap in Russia.
YUKOS head Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested, and on December 19, 2004, YUKOS's main production unit, Yuganskneftegaz, was sold to a Gapzrom subsidiary.
YUKOS affair. And all the business records achieved have for the most part been dismal.
It's hard to go wrong by saying that nothing that happened in Russia in the last quarter of 2004 was more important than the development of the YUKOS affair. The YUKOS affair in itself expanded to scales that were hard to even imagine previously. At the time the merger of the oil assets of Gazprom and Rosneft into one Gazprom subsidiary (the St. Petersburg company OOO Gazpromneft) was announced at a meeting of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov in September 2004, it formally had no relation whatsoever to the YUKOS affair. The president, the prime minister, and many liberal and conservative politicians in the cabinet of ministers in the fall of 2004 spouted a lot of reassuring claims to the public that there was no connection between the formation of Gazpromneft and the problems of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his company. And only someone who had finally stopped believing in the bureaucrats' honesty could have said at the time: “They're lying”.
Today, however reluctantly, the number of people who believe that for the sake of certain objectives (whether political, economic, state, private, or mystical is unimportant), the president of Russia is capable of deliberately lying in public is increasing. You can explain this however you like, but at the present time Gazpromneft is ready to absorb not only Rosneft, but also Yuganskneftegas. The new oil company will be Russia's largest: by early 2005, it will be producing nearly 30 percent of Russia's oil.
Hard Times in High Places
Everyone was expecting political and economic stabilization to continue in 2004. It worked out with politics – the regime has become even more centralized. But things went less smoothly with the economy. While the liberals are searching for the elixir of growth, the enforcers are forming supermonopolies. The crisis at the top is plain to see.
Tempted by Revolution
Created: 07.12.2004 18:28 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 18:28 MSK
The colossal assets and funds set to fall under the control of Kremlin-appointed managers will soon stir up as much popular hatred as that felt towards influential tycoons, known as ’oligarchs’.
Only Two Russians Missing in Tsunami-Hit Thailand
Moscow News
Among the Russian citizens who were in Thailand during the tsunami, only two people remain missing.
The list of the Russian citizens missing in Thailand provided by the Russian Foreign Ministry includes two people, Nina Martynova and Alexander Martynov. All others who were earlier considered missing have already connected the ministry headquarters and said they were fine, Interfax reported.
Two people are confirmed dead in the tsunami, Oksana Lipuntsova and her six-year-old son Artyom.
Two planes of the Russian Emergency Ministry are planning to take off to Thailand and India with humanitarian aid.
Relatives Protest Arrests of Leftist Radicals
Created: 27.12.2004 18:05 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 18:29 MSK
Relatives and friends of members of the National Bolshevik party held a rally near the office of the Prosecutor General’s Office on Monday. 39 members of the party were detained after an invasion of the presidential administration’s office on Dec. 14. They are charged with vandalism and forced seizure of power, and could face up to 20 years in prison.
Hundreds Protest U.S. Double Standards for Terrorists at Moscow Embassy
Created: 10.09.2004 18:28 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 18:28 MSK
At least 700 people gathered Thursday across from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to protest what has been called “double standards” regarding Chechen separatists that Moscow calls terrorists, and to demand the extradition of Chechen separatist emissary Ilyas Akhmadov, who has been granted refugee status in the United States.
THERE IS A STARK difference between the results by the Chechans and that of the Orange Party in the Ukraine. The Ukraine elections were supported by their judiciary as well as their legislature and there were no deaths. I will not address the espionage to undermine President Elect Viktor Yashencko as that is another matter and not one that includes Russia or President Putin. The Chechens sought to overthrow the Russian influence by violence. There was no saying that type of regime would continue in such a manner either.
The Bush administration's actions in both circumstances was the same: They pointed a finger at Putin seeking decention by the International Community to justify a war with Russia regardless the reason. Why? Because as in Iraq the agenda of this administration is not to defeat al Qaeda but to find oil and control it regardless the sovereignty of the country.
On the other hand, President Vladimir Putin seeks to exert control over sovereignty to insure peaceful elections as well as secured borders for Russia to prevent more tragedy in the way of terrorist infiltration and influence.
I don't know about anyone else or about all the complaining over economics but below is a picture of the new President Elect of the Ukraine, his family and a pier. It is all looking pretty good to me.
