The price of conversations

The main text of Anna Politkovskaya about the terrorist attack in the theater center on Dubrovka (2002). Audio version: reads Chulpan Khamatova

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"10 hours before the assault." Anna Politkovskaya’s report on negotiations with terrorists who captured Nord-Ost reads Chulpan Khamatova

Everything is the main thing for my role in this drama began on the 25th day-about two. At 11.30, I first talked with those who captured the hostages on a mobile phone - and they agreed to meet. At 13.30 I arrived at the headquarters for the operation. About half an hour it took to approval: someone unknown to the claping doors decided something ...

Finally brought to the line at the cordon from trucks. They said: “Go try it. Maybe it will be possible? ”

Dr. Roshal went with me. They protected to the door, I don’t remember how: scary. Very.

And so we enter the building. We shout: “Hey! Someone! "

In response - silence. It seems that in all this building there is not a soul.

I shout: “I am political! I am Politkovskaya! ” And slowly climb the right stairs - the doctor says that he knows where to go. In the lobby of the second floor again silence, darkness and cold. Not a soul. I scream again: "I am the Politkovskaya!" Finally, a person is separated from the former bar.

On the face is a loose black mask, facial features are quite distinguishable. In relation to me, he is not aggressive, while the doctor causes rejection in him. Why? I don't understand. But just in case, I try to extinguish the emerging emotions. "What, doctor, do you make a career?" - Taldych "mask". And the doctor is 70 years old, and he is an academician, and he has already done so much important in life that he does not make sense to think about any career-it has long been done.

I'm talking about this. A light skirmish begins. It is clear that it is necessary to “bring down the degree”, otherwise ... In general, it is clear that it could be otherwise.

The “light mask” goes into the depths of the darkened lobby and continues to mutter: “Why did you, the doctor, said that you treated Chechen children?” Some other unpleasant shouts, but rather slurred, and therefore I convey the meaning: you, a doctor, are highlighting Chechen children, which means that Chechen children are not like the rest; We Chechens, what are not people? .. "

Famous song. I intervene, but not because it is necessary to intervene, but you just can’t stand it anymore. I say: “All people are the same. They have one skin, only bones, one blood. ”

Suddenly, this not too original thought acts conciliatoryly. I ask permission to sit on the only chair in the middle of the lobby, five meters from the bar, because the legs are cotton.

Allowed immediately.

The soles of the shoes glide along some red nasty things crushed on the floor. I carefully peer into this terrible bottom, because I'm very afraid to seem too curious, but I'm even more afraid to stand with my foot in frozen blood. But, thank God, this is some kind of former sweetness. Maybe fruit ice cream. The trembling is slightly retreating, since it is not blood.

We waited for about twenty minutes - it was sent "for the elder." While he still does not go, from above, from the balcony, now and then the heads in masks hire. Some masks are full, covering faces so that it is impossible to determine the features of the face. Others are light, like the first, standing behind the counter.

- Was you in the Khotuni? - ask their heads.

- I.

The "heads" are satisfied. And these Khotuni (a village in the Vedensky district), it turns out like my pass here: it was - it means you can talk.

- Where are you from? - I ask a question to the one who is behind the counter.

“I am from Tovzeni,” answers. - There is a lot of Tovzeni and generally from the Vedensky district.

An incomprehensible mocking tragedy follows: some “masks” come, others leave - a floating time floating now compresses the heart with stupid forebodings ... But there is still no “senior”. Maybe we will just be shot now?

Finally, a person comes out in camouflage and with a completely closed face, stocky, not at the same way and with the exactly the same beaming as our specialist officers who pay serious attention to physical training. Says: "For me." Legs are completely jammed, but delirious. It turns out that this is the "senior."

We find ourselves in a dirty change house with a crushed buffet. Behind - water tap.

Someone walks behind me, I turn; I understand that it looks nervous, but ... where to go? You might think that I have experience in communicating with terrorists in extreme conditions ...

Returns to the cold reason the "senior" itself:

- Do not look back! You talk to me, look at me.

- Who are you? What to call you? I ask, not hoping for the answer too much.

- Bakar. Abubakar.

He had already lifted the mask on his forehead. The face is open, her cheekbone, also very militarized-tipid. Automat on the knees. Only at the very end of the conversation he will put him behind him and even apologize: “I am so used to him that I don’t feel. And I sleep with him, and I eat with him, always with him. " And without these explanations I already see everything: he is from the generation of those Chechens who are fighting all his life.

- How old are you?

- 29.

- He fought in both wars?

- Yes.

- Did he sit in Georgia?

- No. I did not leave Chechnya.

There is such a generation of modern Chechens: Bakar - of those who, for the past ten years, did not know anything except the machine gun and forest, and before that he only graduated that the school, and so, gradually, life in the forest for them became the only one that is generally possible. Fate without options.

- Let's talk about business?

- OK.

“First, about older children. We must let go, they are children. ” - The first thing Sergey Yastrzhembsky, assistant to the President of Russia, asked for this first of all to talk about this.

- Children? There are no children here. You have been taking ours in stripping from the age of 12, we will hold yours.

- To take revenge?

“So that you feel how it is.”

I will return to the children many more times - with requests to at least make extensions for them. For example, allow you to bring food. But the answers will be categorical:

- We do not allow ours to eat on the stripping, let you also endure yours.

On my list - points of request:

• Food for hostages,

• personal hygiene items for women,

• water,

• blankets.

Looking ahead: it will be possible to agree only on water and juices. In the sense that I will wear them, screaming from below that I brought, and then they will let me in.

“Can I come several times?” I can’t bring many at a time ... A lot of people. Maybe let someone of the men be with me?

- Fine.

- Can I, too, our journalist?

- Yes. And someone else from the Red Cross.

- Thank you.

I can ask: what do they want? But politically Bakar “floats” strongly. He is “just a warrior”, and nothing more. He explains why he would all this and why, long and fuzzy, and four points can be distinguished from this.

• First : Putin must “say the word” - announce the end of the war.

• Second : during the day, demonstrate that the words are not empty - for example, to withdraw troops from one area.

- From which area? From yours? Vedensky?

- Are you a pear? You interrogate like a pear. All go away!

I understand, I can’t leave, although I really, really want to. Therefore, I hear me almost justifying myself - a fool, of course:

- Understand, you have to know what you want. And know for sure. Otherwise ... - I stumble about myself every now and then.

My brain is working on an excessive problem, how to facilitate the fate of the hostages as much as possible, since they agreed to talk to me, but also not to lose the advantage, and it has slipped, alas.

More often, I don’t know what to say next, and there is some nonsense to babble, if only Bakar would not say: “That's it!” - And I would leave with nothing without bargaining anything ...

• So we approach the third point “their” plan. Then Boris Nemtsov calls Bakara on a mobile. The militants seized this apparatus from one of the hostages, the musician of Nord-Ost, and now all their conversations are led on him. On the same mobile, after Nemtsov, Bakar will be called “from home” - from the Vedensky district of Chechnya.

Bakar, talking with Nemtsov, begins to be very nervous. Later, he will tell me that Nemtsov, they say, was driving him by his nose, he said the day before that the war in Chechnya could stop, and the stripping today, October 25, resumed ... And then I ask: I ask:

- And to whom do you believe? By the word, who do you trust with confirmations of the withdrawal of troops?

It turns out to be Lord Jaddu.

• And we go to the "their" fourth point . It is simple: if the first two are completed, they will let the hostages be released.

- And yourself?

- Out to fight. We take the fight and die in battle.

- And you, in fact, who are there? -she said and scared: "Lord, I dared something!"

-Interstate and sabotage battalion.

- All here?

- No. Only part. We had a selection for this operation. They took the best. So we will die - anyway, someone will continue our business.

- Do you obey Maskhadov?

I see confusion and again - extreme discontent. Cunning explanations can be reduced to the formula: "Yes, Maskhadov is our president, but we are fighting on our own."

Actually, this is a confirmation of the worst fears: a detachment - of those who themselves are in Chechnya. They have their own autonomous war, and it is extremely radical. And by and large they want to do not want Maskhadov - because he is not radical. I continue:

- But you know, peaceful negotiations are conducting Ilyas Akhmadov in America, Ahmed Zakayev in Europe - representatives of Maskhadov. Perhaps you will contact them now? Or let me type them. You have one thing.

- Why is it? They do not suit us. They conduct these negotiations slowly, because they do not drip over them, and we are dying in the forests. We are tired of them.

There are no more points in their “” plan. Bakar adds a lot of strong phrases from himself: “For a year and a half, people asked to become Kamikadze and come here”, “We came to die” ... Actually, I have no doubt that the doomed and ready to die, taking away as many lives as they themselves want.

The mobile calls, Bakar listens, begins to shout and make noise: “Do not call here again. This is an office. You interfere with my business. ”

- Can I talk to the hostages?

- It is forbidden. No. - But five minutes later - the “brother” sitting with me almost behind me: - Give me, okay.

He takes out a frightened beautiful girl Masha from the hall. She can say nothing from horror and weakness - hostages did not eat anything.

Bakar is annoyed by her babble and orders her to take her away: "Come on another, older." While the “brother” goes to the hall and back, Bakar explains how noble they are here. Like, here are how many beautiful girls are there in their power - and Masha is really very beautiful - but they only have no desire, all their strength is given to the struggle for the liberation of their land.

As I understand it, his words that I should also be grateful to him, that they did not raped Masha.

We talk a little about morality and morality, so to speak.

- Do not believe it, but morally we feel better here than in all three years of war. We are finally doing the job. We are at ease here. We are better than ever. It will be good for us to die. The fact that we took part in history is a great honor. Do not believe? I see that you do not believe.

And I really believe. For a year, since these conversations have been going on in the military-Chechen environment. Against the backdrop of the inaction of the virtual Maskhadov, many combat detachments sat all winter in the forest and reached the handle: you can’t get out and you can’t fight, there is something to do, but the order from the commander in chief ... as these moods grew, the detachments were either decomposed or radicalized, in parallel, in fact, starting a different war, where Maskhadov is not authorized.

"Brother" gives another beautiful girl in the stage of extreme nervous exhaustion.

- I am Anna Andriyanova, a correspondent of Moscow Truth. You, there, understand: we have already prepared to die. We realized: the country abandoned us. We are the new Kursk. If you want to save us, go out into the streets. If Putin asks half to Moscow, we will survive. It is clear to us here: if we die here today, tomorrow in Chechnya a new meat grinder will begin, and then it will come here again, to the new victims.

Anya says without stopping. Bakar is nervous, but Anya does not feel this. Again it is very scary that Bakar will begin to demonstrate strength.

Finally, Anya is taken away. And we agree that I will now deal with the fact that I will wear water into the building. Bakar suddenly adds from himself: "And you can bring juices."

- For you?

- No, we are preparing to die, we do not drink anything, do not eat. For them.

- Or maybe food? At least for children.

- No. Ours are starving, so let yours starve.

I go to the street. Dr. Roshal, it turns out, has already left. It starts to pour rain. Damn, as inappropriate. I think: “Here, there is no umbrella, I look like a wet chicken,” really, we have to think about something.

We collect money in pockets and wallets who have something - those who are nearby. Journalists are dropped first, also firefighters. Someone runs to the nearest store for juices.

It turns out that “on behalf of the state” at hand does not have any juices at hand at this moment. This is strange, but there is no time to think. There is only one understanding: rather! Quicker! Until the "those" have been banned! So far, the "those" allowed!

Juice appears. Roman Schleinov and I (a colleague, factory department of Novaya Gazeta) take two packages in our hands and try to go. On the right - an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on the left - an officer of the FSB. They quarrel. The fact that from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is an order that we go, since this is the help of hostages and the ability to contact the bandits as long as possible. The fact that from the FSB is not to let the order.

They are quarreling. It pours rain, stand like fools, in the middle of all snipers and wait, it seems to me when someone starts to shoot. Finally, the FSB gives “good”: “go”.

Then - another walk and more. It's already dark. The bandits said: "Domino manage." But while the juices were brought “on behalf of the state” - the next portion - a lot of time has passed.

On the third lane, a group of launch men was released towards us. I am afraid to say even a word so that shooting does not begin. Simple: "Hello." They answer. They are lowered with a goose. A young guy in a black concert suit and a white shirt is passing by. Probably the artist of the orchestra. He whispers briefly: “We were told that they will begin to kill us at ten in the evening. Submit. "

In the next walk, I just nod silently, meeting with my eyes: they say, she said who needed. These hostages are again reduced along the steps to meet us. Do you make exemplary and locate? Taking his cargo - packages with juices, “my artist” whispers on the way back: “Got it”.

The bandits suddenly begin to be very nervous. They shout, stroke. The hostage screams on top: “Bring disinfectants. Very needed. We asked. " He is driven away. I ask permission to bring these funds in the next lane, but it is already full of all refusal.

- Well, at least food? A little? Children? Please…

“We are hungry, so let them die of hunger.” Go away.

This day in history ended. Then there was a storm. And now I think: did we do everything to help avoid victims?

Is it a big “victory” - 67 victims (to hospitals)? And did someone personally need me with my juices and attempts on the edge of the abyss?

My answer: I need it. But we did not do it all.

Because we have a lot to come, despite the fact that we have too much behind. The tragedy of Nord-Ost, born not from scratch, is not the end. Now we will live in eternal fear, escorting children and old people from the house. Will I meet again? Exactly as people in Chechnya lived in recent years.

We have only two options.

• First: we finally realize that the more excessive power there, the more blood, victims, stolen and humiliated, the more those who want to take revenge for this, no matter what and contrary to everything. The more new recruits on Wednesday those who want to die in revenge.

And since this war will not take place on the battlefield, but next to us and with the participation of people who have nothing to do with it-all of us with you, this means: we are doomed to the new “Nord-Oste”, to the fact that no one will feel safe-both going out into the street and sitting in their own apartment. A person, driven into a corner, will come up with more and more intelligent ways to take revenge.

• The second option is difficult, tense, but at least with the direction to improve: we must start talking with who holds on the last extent of his power - with Maskhadov. Otherwise, we are doomed only to negotiations similar to the "Nord-Ostan", according to the patterns of hopelessness. When at stake - lifeless life.