Word: putin
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...only in Israel and the West Bank that bodies lie in the rubbled streets. At the current rate of killing, an additional 30 or so Russian soldiers will have died in Chechnya by the time George W. Bush meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow at the end of May. Don't ask how many civilian Chechens die in the fighting each week. Nobody knows, though the number surely mounts as Moscow's long campaign to bludgeon Chechnya into submission proceeds unchecked...
...would be interesting to know what Bush plans to say about Chechnya at the summit. A reasonable guess would be: not much. Washington has pressing business to conduct with Putin, ranging from the latest round of NATO expansion to the conclusion of some sort of agreement on missile testing and the reduction of nuclear arsenals. Since Putin suffers perpetual criticism from the Russian security establishment for allowing the U.S. to do whatever it wants, Washington is unlikely to undercut him by making much of a fuss about atrocities in Chechnya...
...strange incident in Ryazan has never been fully explained. But Berezovsky's interest in the subject is as belated as it is unconvincing. He did not explain why it took him so long to conclude that Putin was aware of the bombings. As a prime mover in the inner circle around Yeltsin, Berezovsky prided himself on knowing exactly who was doing what in the highest reaches of power. He, like other businessmen-powerbrokers, collected information on rivals, friends and the Kremlin. He also had access to information provided by a security organization that was described in press accounts...
...time of the bombings Berezovsky voiced no suspicions about FSB involvement. He was, in fact using all the levers at his disposal to ensure the advancement of Putin's career. The stakes for Berezovsky were very high: the main alternative to Putin, former Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov, had sworn to put Berezovsky behind bars or into exile. Government claims that Berezovsky had nefarious links to Chechen guerrillas are also late in coming. Berezovsky often had dealings with Chechens, and had a hand in hostage releases, a very murky aspect of Yeltsin's Russia, where top police officials were often rumored...
...compromising material at its disposal. Why Berezovsky has chosen this particular moment to launch his attack is still a mystery: he may have felt the need to remind Moscow of his presence, or he may be responding to some perceived but as yet unpublished threat from the Putin administration. In any case, his message is clear to those in the know: Keep up the pressure, and my memory will become less selective...