RUSSIA: RUSSIAN POLITICIANS DIVIDED IN THEIR REACTIONS TO THE ATTACK MADE ON CHECHEN REBELS

Record ID: 600051

  • Title: RUSSIA: RUSSIAN POLITICIANS DIVIDED IN THEIR REACTIONS TO THE ATTACK MADE ON CHECHEN REBELS
  • Date: 15th January 1996
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JANUARY 15, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SCU LEADER OF NATIONALIST LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY, SPEAKING (RUSSIAN) 0.23 2. SV PARLIAMENT LOBBY/ DEPUTIES 0.29 3. SCU PRESIDENT OF INGUSHETIA, RUSLAN AUSHEV, SPEAKING (RUSSIAN) 0.44 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. Al
  • Embargoed: 30th January 1996 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • City:
  • Country: Russia
  • Reuters ID: LVABQHHYSOZFUQH9D1ETDQS1VG92
  • Story Text: Russian hard-line politicians were divided in their reactions to the Russian attack on Pervomaiskoye village on Monday (January 15).

    In strong support of the attack, leader of the Nationalist Liberal Democratic party Vladimir Zhirinovsky said that the lives of the hostages did not really matter at the moment. The main task he said was to wipe out the bandits.

    He added that the best tactic would be to capture thousands of Chechen hostages and kill them one by one, in retaliation for the killing of the Dagestani or Russian hostages.

    In contrast, President of the neighbouring Ingushetia republic, Ruslan Aushev, said the use of force was a mistake. He warned that Monday's events would claim human lives which would be tragic.

    With the approval of President Boris Yeltsin, Russian forces began to storm the village just after 9 a.m. (0600 GMT), firing shells and rockets into the settlement near the border between Chechnya and Dagestan, after the Chechen fighters allegedly began to kill some of their hostages.

    Some 200 Chechen "Lone Wolf" rebels, led by bearded warlord Salman Raduyev, had been holed up in Pervomaiskoye since Wednesday (January 10) refusing to release their hostages which number about 100, and demanding free passage to their separatist homeland.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register