- Title: RUSSIA: CHECHEN FIGHTERS THREATEN TO KILL ALL THE HOSTAGES
- Date: 15th June 1995
- Summary: BUDENNOVSK, STAVROPOL AND MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 15 AND 16, 1995) (REUTERS TELEVISION - ACCESS ALL) BUDENNOVSK, RUSSIA (JUNE 15, 1995) 1. SV VARIOUS OF THE CITY MARKET WHERE MOST OF THE HOSTAGES WERE TAKEN 0.06 2. SV BURNED TRUCKS AND BUSES 0.18 3. SV RUSSIAN INTERIOR MINISTER VICTOR YERIN TALKING TO HIS TROOPS, ENCOURAGING THEM TO STAY CALM 0.34 4. SV EXTERIOR OF HOSPITAL 0.44 5. SV HOSTAGES INSIDE HOSPITAL (AUDIO OF GUNFIRE) 0.53 6. SV CHECHEN SOLDIERS AT MEDIA CONFERENCE 0.57 7. SCU CHECHEN COLONEL SHAMIL BASAYEV TALKING ABOUT THE SHOOTING OF FIVE HOSTAGES (RUSSIAN) 1.12 8. SV HOSTAGES INSIDE HOSPITAL 1.24 BUDENNOVSK, RUSSIA (JUNE 16, 1995) 9. SV COLUMNS OF RUSSIAN APCS AND TROOOPS WAITING, GETTING READY TO GO 1.37 10. SV ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS MOVING TOWARDS HOSPITAL 1.52 11. SV RED CROSS VEHICLE 1.57 12. SV LOCAL DOCTOR WHO TOOK FOOD SUPPLIES TO CHILDREN HOSTAGES WALKING OUT OF THE HOSPITAL WITH A WHITE FLAG WITH RED CROSS 2.03 STAVROPOL (JUNE 16, 1995) 13. SV VARIOUS OF DOCTORS TAKING BLOOD FROM DONORS 2.12 14. SV LINE OF PEOPLE WAITING TO GIVE BLOOD 2.16 BUDENNOVSK, RUSSIA (JUNE 16, 1995) 15. SV VARIOUS OF CROWDS IN CENTRAL SQUARE IN BUDENNOVSK 2.22 16. SV RUSSIAN SOLDIER ADDRESSING CROWD 2.32 17. SV NIKOLAY YEGOROV, RUSSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, ADDRESSING THE RALLY, SAYING THAT THE GUNMEN HAD BEEN OFFERED AIRCRAFT AND MONEY (RUSSIAN) 2.44 18. SV RALLY 2.47 19. SV PRESS HALL, HEAD OF RUSSIAN COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE SERGEY STEPASHIN WITH REPORTERS 2.51 20. SCU STEPASHIN SAYING THAT MILITARY ACTION SHOULD BE SEEN AS HOSTAGE FREEING OPERATION NOT ATTACK ON GUNMEN (RUSSIAN) 3.04 MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 16, 1995) 21. SCU RUSSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SERGEI KOVALYOV SAYING HE IS READY TO BE HOSTAGE (RUSSIAN) 3.18 22. SCU KOVALYOV SPEAKING ABOUT HOSTAGE CRISIS (RUSSIAN) 3.24 23. SV AIRPORT 3.32 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 30th June 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BUDENNOVSK, STAVROPOL AND MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City:
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVA8V5QC4REK16M4KDHHQYZO72PP
- Story Text: Chechen fighters on Friday (June 16) renewed their threat to blow up a hospital with up to 2,000 hostages and themselves inside after new negotiations with Russian officials failed.
The collapse of Russia's latest bid to solve the hostage seizure brought the threat of large-scale bloodshed closer in the southern town of Budennovsk, where heavily-armed Chechen fighters staged a commando-style raid on Wednesday.
News of the failure prompted Russian Defence Minister Pavel Grachev to announce that the early use of force was the only way to save the lives of the hostages.
Earlier Russian officials said 67 civilians and police were killed when the Chechens swept into the town. The rebels said they also killed five hostages on Thursday night in the hospital.
The Chechens, headed by top rebel commander Shamil Basayev, threatened to shoot their captives if Russia did not meet their demands, including pulling troops out of their breakaway region.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Yegorov on Friday said his negotiators had offered "any amount of money" to Chechen fighters in exchange for the release of the hostages.
But one official heading the operation refused to rule out the possibility that the four-storey hospital building housing the hostages could be stormed.
"We will do our best to avoid bloodshed, meaning we will do our best to protect the people if they start eliminating them," security service chief Sergei Stepashin told a news conference. "I would not call it storming, it is called freeing the people." In Moscow, prominent human rights activist Sergei Kovalyov announced he would help with the negotiations.
Speaking prior to his departure for Budennovsk, Kovalyov said he was ready to give himself up as a hostage in return for those being held in the hospital.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None