A bunch of grenades were thrown to the general
On Friday evening in Karachay-Cherkessia, an attempt was made on the life of the former commander-in-chief of the Russian ground forces, Army General Vladimir Semenov. On the way of his motorcade, a bunch of grenades were blown up. No one was injured in the explosion. The general connects the attack with the April elections for the head of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, where he is one of 15 candidates.

“I was returning to Cherkessk from a meeting with voters living in auls and villages on the border with the Stavropol Territory,” says Vladimir Semenov. “In a convoy of five cars, my Volga was second. At 22.20, when we were descending from the pass near the village of Eltorkach , two bangs were heard. One of the accompanying people suggested that a gun was fired, and the convoy stopped. They examined the cars, made sure that there were no traces of bullets, and continued moving at the stationary checkpoint. The next day, the policemen. They inspected the road and found two grenade pins on the side of the road, with a cord attached to them. According to experts, the explosion was directed away from the road and could not have caused any harm to us. Most likely, they just wanted to scare me. Nevertheless, the local FSB opened a case. about terrorism."
Semenov believes that the explosion is connected with the elections of the head of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic scheduled for April 25 of this year. A total of 15 people are vying for this post. The current leader of the republic, Vladimir Khubiev, who has held this position for more than 20 years, has the highest chances; from the mayor of Cherkessk Stanislav Derev, who is also the owner of the Mercury distillery; permanent representative of Karachay-Cherkessia in Moscow Magomed Kaitov (he owns factories for the production of vodka and mineral water) and member of the Constitutional Court of Russia Boris Ebzeev. Semenov is now suing the latter in the Supreme Court of the republic, arguing that the judge of the Constitutional Court does not have the right to engage in political activities, and therefore, to be a candidate for the post of head of the republic.
“My people are constantly threatened,” says the general. “In March last year, a group of militants staged a pogrom in the office of the Alan interregional association, which nominated me as a candidate for the head of the republic. And in February of this year, the people of one of the candidates slaughtered the stallion that was given to me residents of the village of Khuzruk. At my meetings with voters, there are always dubious individuals asking provocative questions, spreading slanderous rumors and demonstrating military weapons. The abomination has no limits, but it’s difficult to intimidate me. This only makes me angrier.”
Semenov turned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic with a request to provide him with security. Previously, he had been accompanied by one armed bodyguard from a local private security firm.
In the event of his defeat in the elections (Semyonov is confident that he will win if the voting results are not rigged), the general intends to return to the army. In 1996, the commander-in-chief of the ground forces was removed from office “for actions discrediting the honor of a serviceman,” but was not dismissed from the Armed Forces. Then the Main Military Prosecutor's Office considered that Semenov allegedly illegally privatized a service dacha in Bolshevo, near Moscow, the cost of which was reduced several times by the Main Housing and Operations Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, at the request of the general. A criminal case was even opened on this fact, but they did not bring charges against the general, and the case was dropped.

SERGEY Ъ-TOPOL

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 56 dated 04/06/1999, p. 5