'We didn't fly to Baghdad to drink coffee' (Former Russian Generals help Iraq prepare for war)

Gazeta.ru ^ | 04/02/03 | Alexander Kornilov

[Smogger]

Gazeta.Ru has obtained sensational evidence proving the involvement of a group of former Soviet generals in preparing the Iraqi army for war against the United States. The generals in question refused to discuss their degree of involvement, but admitted that just before the beginning of the US-led campaign against Iraq they received state awards from the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Photos, which Gazeta.Ru has acquired, show an awards ceremony (namely awards, our sources emphasized, and not gifts), involving two very prominent Russian generals.

They are retired Soviet officers, Col.-Gen. Vladimir Achalov and Col.-Gen. Igor Maltsev. The former completed his military career as the Soviet deputy defence minister, after being the Air-Borne Troops commander and the first and last Soviet commander-in-chief of the rapid-reaction forces. The latter resigned from the post of the chief of the Main Staff of the Soviet Air Defence. In 1991 both generals backed the GKChP, (the State Committee for the State of Emergency, set up by a group of Gorbachev opponents with the goal of supplanting him and preventing the disintegration of the USSR) and were consequently dismissed from military service.

The photos show Achalov and Maltsev receiving awards from Iraqi Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Akhmed. Another photo commemorating the event features the Russian generals in the company of the head of the General Staff of the Iraqi Army Izzat Ibragim and his deputies. On the photo published above the Iraqi official is standing between Achalov and Maltsev.

According to our source who provided the photos, the ceremony was held ''less than 10 days before the beginning of the war'' in a building that was destroyed by US cruise missiles in the first few hours of air raids on Baghdad.

[Stavka2]

What do you expect of Arabs...can't teach them to fight...well you can teach them but they don't learn so well. As if American generals don't become mercs...well the ones that don't get picked up by various news networks. Just because you're out of the service doesn't mean your life is over or you don't have to earn your bread.

[Stavka2]

Ask yourself how many US personnel work for the terrorist Saudies. I've looked through the military databases for jobs, when I was leaving Active Duty...they had positions labeled by service time, MOS and rank for what they wanted out of the US and salaries were no problems...imagine being an E-7 going from $35K in US service to $120+K working for the Saudi terrorist regime.

[Naspino]

The Iraqis have to be destroyed for wearing those puke green uniforms on the backdrop of sand. What morons.

[lewislynn]

Former Russian Generals help Iraq prepare for war

How's that brilliant preparation going for ya?

[Stavka2]

Why not, makes the US terror war and the Saudi terror masters friends...called petro bucks and buying out DC.

[Stavka2]

Has the same effect with Chinese industry.

[Stavka2]

Yup, while the US backs the Saudi terror masters, backs Shevi in Georgia...a former KGB head and mafia boss giving comfort to Al Quids and Chechins, meets with Chechins on a regular basis and still funds the KLA...or are some terrorists just "freedom" fighters? Oh, and the US is the center of funding for the IRA...damn those little facts.

[Stavka2]

A bioterrorism expert has claimed that Russia has been Iraq's "main supplier of the materials and know-how to weaponize anthrax, botulism and smallpox." Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Goldberg cites former UN weapons inspector Richard Spertzel, who believes that Moscow supplied Baghdad with fermentation equipment to produce bio-toxins, and says that Russians on the UN inspection team in Iraq were "paranoid" about his efforts to uncover smallpox production.

Yes and the proof is where? Thought so...speculation and ineuendo...show me the beef.

[swheats]

And of course you want no part of that so you've given up petro driven vehicles.

[Stavka2]

Enemy at the Gates is a stupid flick, read the book...much better. The Russian army in '42/'43 didn't attack in body waves...it attack in 20-30 man storm groups armed to the teeth with submachine guns and grenades and moving through cellars. A better flick is Stalingrad. It's german. Really shows how they were fighting in the sewers, in the side streets and room by room. The book goes into deep detail on this and how the Germans were pushing body waves since they didn't have a clue about urban warfare. Also, the movie took less then 6 pages and twisted the hell out of them.

[Stavka2]

Yes, but yet not one major settlement has been secured...and there is where your casualty figures rise. Urban warfare. The real fight is still ahead, sure in the open desert 1950s-1970s tech and arab fighting skills are not match for modern US equipment and soldiers, especially without air supperiority....but in the cities...look at the Isrealies.

[Stavka2]

Yes Afghanistan...where 15 thousand Russians died and 1 million Afghanies. Horrid odds. Here, read and learn. How the Soviets Won in Afghanistan; And how the U.S. will win And by the way, maybe you haven't noticed, but we are still taking casualties in Afghanistan and there is still fighting, while the whole of Korizai's government is protected by US mercs since they can't trust their own people...not much of a victory.

[Stavka2]

There are plenty of other countries with oil. So you don't mind paying for Islamic extemism? I see...then don't bitch about 911...paid and bought for by US oil addiction.

[swheats]

Are you saying that 9/11/01 was America's fault and that we deserve what we got? What exactly are you saying?

[Grampa Dave]

Actually, I can hear the Pravda organs of the Russian Maffia/KGB controllers of Russia saying soon:

We purposedly sold them billions of $'s worthless military material, technology, tactics and consultants to help our American and British Allies win this war against these terrible and evil Iraqis.

[Grampa Dave]

We can only hope that they taught the Iranians, Syrians and N Koreans as well as they taught the Iraqis.

[Stavka2]

No, I'm carrying your response to its logical conclusion. Since you dismiss US dependency on Saudi oil, this is what that leads to...terrorism. The fact that the obivious was ignored by the ruling elites is criminal. They didn't care what the Saudies were doing or to whom they were sending their monies as long as the oil was cheap...terrorism in America was inevitable.

[swheats]

Seems you jumped to a few conclusions that were not evident in my original post.

My comment was in response to the numerous times that Putin has visited America and Bush, Russia. Their seeming "friendship" and now the possible betrayal of equipment and possible intelligence from ex-generals in assisting Iraqi soldiers. I'm hoping that some how this all became a part of the overall plan in disabling Saddam's regime from within. Time will tell.

[bybybill]

The USMC ain`t been drinking much coffee either, WOW, they are doing the job, big time.

[struwwelpeter]

"...preparing the Iraqi army for war against the United States. The generals in question refused to discuss their degree of involvement, but admitted that just before the beginning of the US-led campaign against Iraq they received state awards from the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein."

"...retired Soviet officers, Col.-Gen. Vladimir Achalov and Col.-Gen. Igor Maltsev"

From C.I.A. Hunts Iraq Tie to Soviet Smallpox : "Iraq might have obtained the mysterious strain from Nelja N. Maltseva, a virologist who worked for more than 30 years at the Research Institute for Viral Preparations in Moscow..."

Coincidence? Since Russian women's family names generally are "feminized" (Raisa Gorbacheva, Naina Yel'tsina, Lyudmila Putina), Ninel Maltseva could be related to this general.