Russian Government Admits It Lied About Scale of Hostage Crisis

[seemslikeadream]

By Susan B. Glasser and Peter Finn
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, September 5, 2004; 6:40 PM

MOSCOW, Sept. 5 -- The Russian government admitted Sunday that it lied to its people about the scale of the hostage crisis that ended with more than 300 children, parents and teachers dead in southern Russia, making an extraordinary admission through state television after days of withering criticism from citizens.

As the bereaved families of Beslan in southern Russia began to lay their loved ones to rest Sunday, the Kremlin-controlled Rossiya network aired gripping, gruesome footage it had withheld from the public for days and said government officials had deliberately deceived the world about the number of hostages inside School No. 1.


"At such moments," anchor Sergei Brilyov declared, "society needs the truth."

The admission of an effort to minimize the magnitude of a hostage crisis that ensnared about 1,200 people, most of them children, marked a sharp turnabout for the government of President Vladimir Putin. In previous crises with mass fatalities, such as the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk in 2000 and the 2002 siege of a Moscow theater, officials covered up key facts as well, but afterward never acknowledged doing so.

more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64187-2004Sep5.html

[makhno]

1. That doesn't make them look good

I wonder what the motivation was behind this. Minimize the pressure to actually give in to the terrorists' demands? Unless they just didn't know what the hell was going on, which wouldn't be atypical for Russia.

[ScrewyRabbit]

2. Governments in Russia have a rich tradition of not admitting

mistakes.

No wonder Bush could look into Putin's eye and see a compatible soul...

[TahitiNut]

10. So does former-KGB Colonel Putin.

:shrug: I think the Busholinis out-lie him, though.

[Matilda]

3. Putin's been lying about Chechnya since he came to power.

He's been telling the Russian people it's all under control, nothing
to worry about there, move on and forget about it. And because he
now controls the press, nobody is able to print the truth.

I guess the fact that we even know about it is a step forward from
the bad old days of total repression, but that's about all you can
say.

Maybe if the Russian people were told the truth, they would agree
that it would be better all round to grant true independence to
Chechnya. I wonder if they have any idea what this is all about.

[Ohio rules]

4. Bring it on

is what the villagers seem to be saying. They know Putin and the Russian govt is inept;


"A shaken President Vladimir Putin went on national television on Saturday to make a rare admission of Russian weakness in the face of an 'all-out war' by terrorists. He told the Russian people that they must mobilise against terrorism and promised wide-ranging reforms to toughen security forces and purge corruption.


'We showed weakness, and weak people are beaten,'

....
...
Mr Putin took a defiant tone in his speech, acknowledging Russia's weaknesses, but blaming it on the fall of the Soviet Union, foreign foes seeking to tear apart Russia and on corrupt officials. He said Russians could no longer live 'carefree' and must all confront terrorism.

'Some want to cut off a juicy morsel from us, others are helping them. They are helping, believing that Russia, as one of the world's biggest nuclear powers, is still posing a threat to them.

'Therefore, this threat must be removed. And terrorism is, of course, only a tool for achieving these goals,' Mr Putin said.


http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/latest/story/0,4390,271085,00.html?

I saw an article that the nukes in Georgia have had extra Russian soldier security added to protect them.

[Matilda]

6. Sigh. More chest-thumping.

Terrorist is such a popular label to use these days.

Looks like Putin has two choices now - wipe out Chechnya or start
serious talks. Sounds as if he's made up his mind already.

Welcome to DU!

[Gin]

5. Putin's response to the attack was on CNN..he said " We are a nuclear

power"..(or words to that effect)..and I have not seen a replay of that. I was shocked to hear the head of a nation say those words... as if he would use nukes in retaliation. I hope he doesn't.

[Matilda]

7. I can never forget that he used to be the head of the KGB.

Takes a particular mindset to do that job.

[makhno]

8. He didn't

Please inform yourself.

[Matilda]

9. You're right - he wasn't the head of the KGB, but he was an officer.

Still the same mindset.

[TheLastMohican]

11. So what? and George Senior was a CIA director

Still was head of US government if you catch my drift.
Double standards at play. How come a CIA director can be a head of state while a KGB officer can't?:eyes:
I know quite a few people who either served in KGB or are still working for either FSB or SBU (Ukrainian National Security Agency). Most of them are decent people who are professionally doing their job. What you get is a very distorted picture that all KGB officers are inhuman butchers or monsters. I don't know where this generalisation comes from but it is a faulty one.

[rocktivity]

12. It couldn't have been done to confuse the enemy

And if they'd simply miscalculated the number of hostages, that would be intelligible, and intelligible to admit. But they're admitting to a coverup. What were they covering up--Putin's future political ambitions?

:headbang:
rocknation