Lithuania to close Chechen separatists' website (Kavkaz is dead!)

Interfax ^ | Sep 17 2004 | Interfax

[MarMema]

VILNIUS. Sept 17 (Interfax) -

The Lithuanian Defense Council decided at its Friday session that the Kavkaz-Center website which belongs to Chechen separatists and is operated from Lithuania will be closed in the near future.

"This website has been inciting ethnic and religious hatred. That is why a decision was made at the Lithuanian Defense Council's session to recommend that its operations be stopped in the near future," Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas told journalists after the session, which was chaired by the country's President Valdas Adamkus.

[MarMema]

Just in case you are interested ping.

[MarMema]

To me that means Satan is behind Kavkaz doing his dirty work.

Yes my dear brother. I believe that would be very true. Gospode poi melo.

[Kolokotronis]

< Old Greek term for "servant" became the new Greek word for "slave." In Church Slavonic, the word "rab" (servant) likewise became the modern word for "slave." This is not a coincidence. Greeks believed that anyone who works for soemone else is not free. The concept of "employed" did not exist. You either worked for yourself and were free or you worked for someone else and were not free.>

O Thoulos tou Theou... as opposed to O Sklavos tou Theou....
The difference is very real as you point out.

Sometimes we kid about particularly new and overly pious and groveling converts as Oi Sklavoi tou Theou. Not very Christian of us I suppose. Got the idea from a convert, not Greek, who insisted that we were all the "slaves of God".

[struwwelpeter]

It's a rough job, please excuse the grammar:

---

Burakhlya detained - Basayev's Destroyer

Svetlana ORLOVA, 17 September, 09.24

In the north Caucasus an Arab mercenary by the name of Abu Muskhab was detained. "According to preliminary information, which requires additional checking, the detained person is Kamal Burakhlya, date of birth 1958, citizen of Algiers," Major-General Il'ya Shabalkin, representative of the north Caucasus regional operational counter-terrorism headquarters (ROSh), reported.

Before his appearance in Chechnya, the fighter lived for almost ten years in Great Britain, and had on him all required documents granting him legal residence in that nation. "According to the fighter, he was recruited in a London mosque near Finsbury park. There is an on-going recruitment of mercenaries who came from countries of the near east," reported Shabalkin.

The mercenary appeared in Chechnya in 2001 and was at first in Khattab's band. After it's destruction by Russian special forces, Burakhlya joined a band of Arab mercenaries run by Abu-al Valida, but recently joined Shamil Basayev's group, were he was a "demolisher".

For a long time he has been on the federal wanted list and was arrested while attempting to cross the Russian-Azerbaidzhanian border. He was planning on getting medical treatment for wounds in Azerbaidzhan.

During a medical examination, it was shown that he had a bullet wound in the chest. "Unfortunately, a lot of Chechnyan mercenaries, as well as mercenaries working in Chechnya, often use Azerbaidzhan for recuperation after receiving wounds in Chechnya, " noted Shabalkin. For now, investigative bodies are conducting an "active interrogation" of the extremist.

In the words of the ROSh representative, the number of Arab mercenaries in Chechnya consists of 200 to 300 persons and hasn't changed in recent days. "Some of the mercenary fighters were liquidated by armed forces, but there is information that new groups of 5-10 persons are illegally entering from outside of our borders," he declared.

Meanwhile the hunt goes on for Basayev, who took responsibility today from the latest terror acts performed in Russia. Thus far, even man's inherent thirst for profit has not helped. Recall that the Russian special services, who have still not been able to catch the head of the Chechnyan terrorists by their own, after a series of monstrous terror acts have decided to acquire help from anyone interested. The government has promised to pay 300 million rubels (about $10 million) for adequate information as to the whereabouts of Shamil Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov. Anyone having information is requested to call in Moscow: 914-43-69 (round the clock), in the Chechnyan republic: 8-8712-222-762, 8-928-290-06-10 (round the clock), 8-8712-222-510, or any territorial organ of the FSB in Russia. A week after the government made this announcement, about one hundred calls were recorded. Data which accurately indicated the terrorists' location, however, hasn't yet been received.

Only hope remains for the troopers. Since the tragedy in Beslan in the Caucasus, the Kremlin has ordered into action "flying" special forces, who have been charged with the hunt for terrorists. The group is made up of hitherto unprecedented - by Russian standards - mobile and effective new subdivisions. One must assume that the special forces will have their equipment "at full steam" and are able in the shortest time enter that or any other region of Chechnya, Ingushetia or Dagestan, to set up an ambush, block a group of terrorists or even carry out an arrest of a leading figure. Apparantly, the special units are set up with a concrete mission: reveal and destroy Basayev, Maskhadov, and other field commanders of lessor rank presenting a serious threat to the citizens of Russia. It's difficult to imagine how many more "magas", "colonels", and "movsar basayevs" remain in the terrorists' cartridge belt.

I can't find my dictionary, the word podryvnik ("demolisher") may also mean demolitions expert. BrooklynGOP may know more.

[struwwelpeter]

It looked at lot better in the original ;-)

[MarMema]

"demolisher") may also mean demolitions expert

Oh I am quite sure this is the case, from my gut instinct and from having watched far too many hours of video on Kavkaz. :-)

THANK you so much for this translation.

[MarMema]

More news on Kavkaz.....

These are so funny

Check out the titles and then look at the sources.

But look at this one, especially.
from AP?

" The site is regarded as a clearinghouse for pro-Chechen information and a mouthpiece for Chechen rebel leaders. It is based on a server in the apartment of renowned Soviet-era dissident and political prisoner Viktoras Petkus. Petkus today accused Brazauskas of bowing to political pressure. "

Who is Viktoras Petkus?

[MarMema]

Viktoras Petkus

"LITHUANIAN HELSINKI GROUP LEADER VIKTORAS PETKUS"

"Until then virtually unknown though prominent in dissident circles, Petkus was associated with the Catholic dissident movement and with the Lithuanian Helsinki group which monitored Moscow's compliance with the civil rights provisions of the Helsinki agreement of 1976. Arrested on August 28, 1977, and illegally held for many months, he was tried on July 10-13, 1978, that is, at the same time as Anatolii Shcharanski in Moscow and Alexander Ginzburg in Kaluga, Russia. This threefold event—Shcharanski's trial on espionage charges, Ginzburg's punishment for administering Solzhenitzyn's aid fund and Petkus' condemnation for his work with the Lithuanian Helsinki group has been reproved by Western press and statesmen, including West German Chancellor Helmut Schmid who singled out Petkus, and our own President Jimmy Carter, though many of the American Catholic publications and congregations, it is sad to say, still have to discover the case of their co-religionist."

Viktoras Pektus homepage

" Released in 1987, now lives in Vilnius and has returned to his research in history."

Research in history, indeed. I believe I have a good idea who this person is, from one of the Helsinki-laden pro-chechen lists.

[Libertina]

How was your rally at the Russian Embassy?

[MarMema]

Oh the Russians are really cooking now, look at this.

2004-09-17 18:54

PROOF PROVIDED BY RUSSIA, BRITISH AUTHORITIES WILL TAKE MEASURES AGAINST ZAKAYEV AND BEREZOVSKY

LONDON, September 17 (RIA Novosti's Alexander Smotrov) -

British authorities will take immediate measures against terrorists, if they get the appropriate proof, the Foreign Office press service officials told RIA Novosti, while commenting on the communication made yesterday to British temporary charge d'affaires to Russia Stephen Wordsworth.

The communication was made "due to renewed anti-Russian activities of the 'new political immigrants' in London: Ahmed Zakayev, Boris Berezovsky and others in the wake of the Beslan tragedy".

"In his July written statement for the Parliament, the British Foreign Secretary explained why the British Cabinet had granted asylum to Berezovsky and Zakayev, saying that the grant thereof did not imply support by the United Kingdom Cabinet of these people's personal views, actions and statements", the Foreign Office stressed.

"If the Russian authorities have any proof that the aforesaid persons participated in criminal activities or activities supporting terrorist organizations, they must produce this proof and we will immediately take the appropriate action against these people," the Foreign Office assured.

While Wordsworth was visiting the Russian Foreign Ministry, he was also told that "calumny of the persons" who were granted asylum in the United Kingdom "are more and more widely covered in the press, including the state-run BBC, but are not adequately commented by the authorities"

In reply to this, the leadership of the British Broadcasting Corporation said that "BBC is not a state-run, but a public company, whose independence is envisaged by the Royal Charter."

[MarMema]

I worked. It was my husband and childrens rally. :-)
I don't think they stayed long in the bad weather.

[MarMema]

This really renews my faith in the Russians. Look at what has happened in the last 24 hours.

1.The Brits are backtracking bigtime on their two terrorists given asylum. WOW, I am impressed.

2.Kavkas was shut down, and you were right on that one, btw. If you check the links, Lithuania originally resisted, according to at least a few news sources.

3.Mysteriously timed, an islamic charity in Oregon is raided and shut down, with emphasis on their financial support of chechen jihadists.

GO RUSSIA.

[struwwelpeter]

"Beat BAB (Boris Abramovich Berezovskiy), save Russia!"

Berezovskiy isn't a terrorist, though he plays one on TV.

Seriously, he's a tychoon/oligarch who with Alexander Lebed (governor/general/presidential candidate) brokered the ignomous peace treaty after the first Chechnyan war. Lebed recently perished in a helo accident. Berezovskiy fled after being investigated for his shady finances and tape recordings of him talking on the phone with Chechnyan leaders while apartments were blowing up during the Terror of '99.

Putin wants BAB. Can't blame him.

[MarMema]

Of course you are correct.

Though I strongly believe Berezovksy was involved with chechen money at least.

Was Babitsky ever released after being detained enroute to Beslan, do you know? Yet another I strongly believe was involved in chechen games. There is no way he was a true kidnap victim.

Do you think Lebed was murdered?

[MarMema]

though he plays one on TV.

LOL!! Just another corrupt financier dabbling in chechen politics.

[struwwelpeter]

Do you think Lebed was murdered?

Naw, helicopters sometimes crash. But it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

BTW: about 4-5 years ago on this site Lebed was the big white knight who was going to save Russia. You should have seen the gushing posts from Anne Williamson (Freeper Anochka).

Ahhh, how she used to flame me back then, the suka. Some of her testimony above is interesting as far as to how the oligarchs made their money, but her insights into Russia had my Slavic friends in stitches.

[MarMema]

She seems to be quite accurate, imo, on Yeltsin and the west's mistaken impression of him.

"An additional, purely Slavic feature of the Russians’ concept of property is the shared belief that each has a claim upon some part of the whole."
This certainly is a very Orthodox concept, and the Orthodox culture is threaded finely all throughout Russia, since she began as an Orthodox nation.

In the absence of property, it was access - the opportunity to seek opportunity - and favor in which the Russians began to traffic. The connections one achieved, in turn, became the most essential tools a human being could grasp, employ and, over time, in which he might trade. Where relationships, not laws, are used to define society’s boundaries, tribute must be paid. Bribery, extortion and subterfuge have been the inevitable result. What marks the Russian condition in particular is the scale of these activities, which is colossal. Russia, then, is a negotiated culture, the opposite of the openly competitive culture productive markets require.
This strikes home so deeply and with such sincerity that I know you will agree with me about it. In fact, she put the perfect words to it. "A negotiated culture" I could not have said it better myself. And again, "where relationships, not laws are used" is absolutely exact and correct. Quite well said.

Have you read this book, "From Nyet to Da"?

[struwwelpeter]

She's got some good points when she sticks to what she knows. That concept of "negotiated access" goes by the word blat. If someone can get something for you, you've got blat. With my rotten accent, it would come out blyad', which is an awful swear word ;-)

What's weird, is that the adjective of blat is blatnoy, which refers to the criminal underground and the songs celebrating it.

I haven't read "From Nyet to Da", but I'll have a look at it. I think Churchill(?) put it best when he said: "The two stupidest statements I ever heard were 'alcohol doesn't make me drunk' and 'I understand the Russians'."

[MarMema]

I can't really comment on the rest, but tell me, how many difficult negotiations have you done in Russia? We have manuevered several and not of the easy sort.

We were honored to attend this dinner with two of our adopted children. You probably have not heard of the president/founder of this group?

She was the subject of a long writing, Washington Post, I think, because she was among the very first here to begin adoptions of Russian children. In fact it was her idea for Americans to adopt Russian children.

So she began and almost immediately got into hot water. She forged some documents, or a license or something, in order to get two children out of Siberia who were in trouble. She had just moved here from Russia at the time. She did not know it was not ok.

I mean she knew the law said it was not ok, but she did not know they meant it. Because she had just moved here from Russia. You see?

Later we took a child that had been removed from Georgia and was supposed to be returned. Little did we know the fun ahead of us in that venture, including our time with the state dept. It's a long story I can tell you sometime if you are interested..... but suffice to say, that even up to our last adoption, a little girl from Russia, it was still all wheeling and dealing and who you knew. What it took to get this or that person to agree to do what you needed to be done. What they needed or wanted and how you could access that information and make it useful for your own purposes.

Russia is indeed, in our experiences, a negotiated society. One that is based, strongly, on a conciliar church. With very little personal boundaries in place, actually.

Almost none in my experience. There are no boundaries.
Again a very Orthodox concept, you see.

These are, btw, exactly what they told me in my several days spent at the US embassy in Moscow as well. It was very much a share experience with the Americans there.

Anyway I am interested in hearing more of your thoughts. I believe we are in contact with two very different groups of Russians or is it Ukrainians for you? My husband is Ukrainian, btw, and has a huge family, so I know the culture , some language, and the food, but not the politics there.

[MarMema]

and 'I understand the Russians

ROFL!!! You got that one on the money.