One Man Alone

In Novaya Gazeta, the commentator Dmitry Muratov examines the role played by Ingushetia's former president, Ruslan Aushev, in the Beslan siege, following the news that Aushev is to be brought before the Beslan Parliamentary Commission:


1. Aushev flew to Beslan at the request of the FSB and Sergei Shoigu.
2. He flew in an airplane belonging to the special services.
3. He alone went into the school. He turned right, and walked in.
4. He refused to comply with the terrorists’ demand that he put on a face-mask (he wanted people to recognize him. He wanted to reassure them.)
5. He persuaded the terrorists to release the women “with infants in arms”.
6. There were 15 such women.
7. Lists of those who were rescued have been published.
8. Aushev conveyed the terrorists’ demands to the Russian operational headquarters, as well as a videocassette showing the hostages in the gymnasium.

The result: he received the gratitude of the leadership of the special ervices, the curses of Russian officials, a massive propagandistic lie, and the reproach that his life was spared.

Indeed, dozens of people responsible for keeping order in the country hought he should have been shot. My version is: why do they want to destroy the reputation of R.S. Aushev, who is a Hero of the Soviet Union? He brought out a videocassette which was supposed to be delivered to the President. On the tape one could see hundreds and hundreds of people who were still alive. And not “200-300 people”. Russian state television announced that the tape was blank.

From the school he brought out a list of demands: withdraw the troops from Chechnya, bring in international observers, let Chechnya remain part of the CIS.

The official announcement said that the bandists were demanding the release of bandits from prison.

Aushev told the operational headquarters that there were “well over 1,000 people” in the gym.

Russian state television cut the size of the tragedy by four. This infuriated the bandits to a point where they completely lost control.

And Muratov has some sobering words for the Russian officials, all the way to the very top:

… Let them summon Aushev, in this degrading, loathsome way, with public suspicions of collaboration with terrorists, before a commission which has already declared that “there are so many secrets that we shall not reveal them.” Let them summon him.

The simple fact is that there is another Commission. Higher than the highest “vertical”. Which cannot be appointed. Cannot be dissolved. Which does not even obey the Kremlin’s telephone. That Commission also summons people. At different times – but it summons everyone.

And there some also go to the right, and others – to the left.


(Hat tip: Marius)