Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin Speak out Against Putin’s Reforms

mosnews.com ^ | 9/16/2004 | Staff

[Luis Gonzalez]

Soviet Union’s last president Mikhail Gorbachev and Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin expressed criticism regarding Vladimir Putin’s proposed reforms in Russian electoral system. Statements by Yeltsin and Gorbachev were made in exclusive interviews to Moskovskie Novosti (The Moscow News) weekly, and will be published in that newspaper’s Friday issue. MosNews, which is a partner publication of Moskovskie Novosti, posted full translation of both statements on our website on Thursday.

Our common goal is to do everything possible to make sure that bills, which, in essence, mean a step back from democracy, don’t come into force as law. I hope that the politicians, voters, and the president himself keep the democratic freedoms that were so hard to obtain, — reads Mikhail Gorbachev’s statement. Soviet Union’s last president, who ruled the country from 1985 to 1992, is convinced that Russian authorities “must search for political solutions, negotiate with the middle-of-the-road militants, separating them from the unappeasable extremists”.

His successor Boris Yeltsin, whose second presidential term ended on December 31, 1999, with a surprise announcement of his voluntary resignation (Vladimir Putin was named acting president three months before actually getting elected in March 2000), calls on the Kremlin to refrain from undermining the existing constitutional framework, despite the necessity of fighting terrorist threats.

I firmly believe that the measures that the country’s leadership will undertake after Beslan will remain within the framework of democratic freedoms that have become Russia’s most valuable achievement over the past decade. We will not give up on the letter of the law, and most importantly, the spirit of the Constitution our country had voted for at the public referendum in 1993. If only because the stifling of freedom and the curtailing of democratic rights is a victory by the terrorists. Only a democratic country can successfully resist terrorism and count on standing shoulder to shoulder with all of the world’s civilized countries, — Yeltsin says in his statement.

Boris Yeltsin’s statement is viewed as a surprise move by many observers in Moscow. Unlike Mikhail Gorbachev, who is still active on Russian political scene, Yeltsin chose to refrain from public comments about Vladimir Putin’s politics ever since his retirement. Recently Boris Berezovsky, an exiled tycoon, renowned for his criticisms of Kremlin and Putin, published an open letter to Russia’s first president, urging Yeltsin to speak up and reminding him of his responsibility for the establishment of Russian constitutional democracy. Yeltsin makes no mention of Berezovsky’s call in his statement, but some observers tend to link his decision to break silence with the exiled oligarch’s request.

[mikhailovich]

Hey bud, in reference to your post #16, what you have here is the inept meddling of Rice and Powell influencing Bush's position. Since Day 1, they've been on Russia's case for Chechnya. One would think they would get it by now, but obviously, human rights of terrorists takes precedence in their minds, as it does in yours. Go ahead and die at the hands of these murderers if that's your choice.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Agreed.

Now...do we not condemn the Russian troops who have committed atrocities in Chechnya, including murder, torture, and rape?

My problem is that once we start down the dehumanization road, we tend to blur the lines separating all Muslims from Islamic terrorists, and all Chechens from Chechen terrorists.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Perfect timing.

Look at post #21...no difference between Chechen and Chechen terrorists.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Hey bud, in reference to your post #16, what you have here is the inept meddling of Rice and Powell influencing Bush's position."

Ah!

The old "Bush is too stupid to think on his own" liberal mantra.

How DU of you!

[Will_Zurmacht]

yes, he always supports them, thinks the school attack was justified.....sigh.

there's one in every crowd.

[Miss Marple]

Luis, Chechneya sided with the Nazis in WWII. While I am sure Russia is not without blame in this, Chechneya has brought in Al Quaeda to assist them.

As far as I know, Russia never held hostage an entire school full of children and shot those who fleed in the back.

I am aware of Chchneyan executions of Russian soldiers on video, usually by beheading.

Sorry, I can't agree with you on this.

[Androcles]

There is evil in the world, Hitler and Stalin are prime examples as are these monsters in Chechnya.

I agree that there is evil in the world. Beslan was an evil deed perpetuated by terrorist who should be hunted down and interrrogated for every shred of info over their higher ups then dealt to by thee local laws to the highest extent possible.

They were evil, yes. That does not mean that all who resist Russian occupation of Chechenya are evil. Obviously it is in the Russian interests to paint them all of one stripe, but there are clear distinctions. The power vacuum caused by four years of chaos means that there is no unfiied monolith of Chechen resistance but a number of indpendent groups working to similar but not identical goals.

The earliest polls all showed that the Chechens were anti-Russian not Pro-Islamic theocracy. Beslan is an attempt by the fanatics to redefine the separatist agenda from a free Chechenya to a Islamic Chechen-Ingushetia federation, to make their cause the strongest faace of Chechen nationalism.

Russia has serious reasons to fear an independent Chechenya. Chechenya has serious reasons to fear Russian stewardship. And we all have reason to guard against the likes of the Beslan killers. They're scum no matter what ideology they profess.

[OXENinFLA]

There's just so much going on in the world today............

[WoofDog123]

There are a couple of separate issues here that interest me.

I am interested in Russia having a government strong enough to control their extensive nuclear, biological, and chemical weapon stockpiles. The previous post-gorbachev government has apparently not been successful in this. I think that in terms of the interests of the United States, it is paramount that no more of the former soviet NBC stockpiles disappear. If it takes an autocratic regime to see to this, then that is what it takes.

In human terms I assume it is unfortunate for russians in general in terms of political freedom. Unlike venezuela, where I have at least experience in other S/C American countries to let me compare what is going on there and have some basis for judgement, I really have no idea how much things have changed in russia. All I know is what our media tells me, which is undoubtably fed through some very thick colored glass. If soviet weapons sold on the black market are eventually used against russian cities, though, then the eventual price of a weak, non-centralized political system may be much higher than the media pundits appreciate. Insomuch as the US has vested interests in the outcome (and it certainly does,), I don't see how a strong Russian regime is not in our stragetic interests. It may very well be against american economic interests, however.

There are persistent rumors of russian weapons, plutonium, etc., being found in the black market. I want whatever kind of government in moscow it takes to stop that, once and for all. If it takes secret police to scare the devil out of the people in a position to sell those materials, then that is what it takes. Given the money that can (and presumably is) being offered to the caretakers of those facilities, that may be what it takes to dissuade them. If one of our cities is nuked, it is certainly possible that it will turn out to be russian-processed plutonium that was used in the bomb.

[WoofDog123]

"Did you catch the Nightline coverage of this story two nights ago? They summed this up as no big deal."

This is like using Pravda as a source for determining the signifigance of political events in the US.

You are being sarcastic when referring to Nightline as a basis for making informed decisions about anything they report, aren't you?

[rintense]

I am going to agree with MM on this, Luis. I will not condone, approve, or justify what the bastards did in Belsan- regardless of what Russia has allegedly done in Chechneya. By your argument, you've justified what terrorists do as well.

What happened in Belsan was terror, plain and simple. I don't recall stories of Russian soldiers capturing a school, raping girls and murdering people with the help of AQ.

Luis, can you give sources for the numbers you state?

[WoofDog123]

"If one of our cities is nuked, it is certainly possible that it will turn out to be russian-processed plutonium that was used in the bomb."

I would like to amend this statement. This is probably MUCH less true than it was even 2 years ago, though if one of the rumored 'suitcase' (crate-sized, I understand) nukes were involved it would be russian. In any event, apparently a LOT of uranium/plutonium from the former soviet union has found its way on the market.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Luis, Chechneya sided with the Nazis in WWII."

As did Japan and Italy.

"As far as I know, Russia never held hostage an entire school full of children and shot those who fled in the back."

They've killed 25% of the population of Chechnya, what do you say about that?

"I am aware of Chchneyan executions of Russian soldiers on video, usually by beheading."

So have Iraqis, are they all to blame?

However, the point being discussed here is the disturbing move by Putin to roll back democracy in Russia, something that disturbs the Bush administration.

Who do you agree with on that issue?

[Luis Gonzalez]

The US State Department among others.

There is of course the Russian figures which places the number of civilian deaths much lower...on course.

BTW...where do you see me condoning, approving, or justifying the terrorist's actions in Beslan.?

As a matter of fact, the issue being discussed on this thread is the turning back of democracy in Russia by Putin...something criticized by the Bush administration.

[Smartass]

Who in ^the hell is Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Great post.

[rintense]

I agree that democracy should reign. But to say that Russia has killed 40,000 children in Chechneya, etc., you are giving a backhanded justification for what the Chechens did.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"...thinks the school attack was justified..."

You know Will, I truly detest liars, so I'll do this.

You post a link to a single statement by me saying that I think the attack was justified, and I will leave this forum forever.

You fail to do so, you leave this forum forever.

Do we have a deal?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Justification?

That's what you are interpreting, I'm just posting the numbers.

In reality, Russia is being given a pass on their attrocities because of the massacre at Beslan.

The massacre at Beslan was horrible, and unjustifiable...so have Russia's actions in Chechnya.

If you want to know the truth, just go looking for it.

[OXENinFLA]

Who in the hell is Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin?

One was head of the USSR and the other ran Russia.