Translated material
Victim of the information war
The head of Ingushetia complained about the fabrications of journalists and “enemies of Russia”
President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov yesterday held a press conference at the Interfax agency office in Moscow on the situation in the republic . At it, the head of the region tried to rebuff those who say that the situation in the republic has worsened. “Nothing extraordinary is happening there,” Mr. Zyazikov said categorically.Mr. Zyazikov did not discuss the official data of his own law enforcement agencies - that over the past two months more than fifty attacks on police officers, military personnel and civilians have been registered in the republic. Instead, he complained that in reality there are much fewer crimes committed in the republic than the media report, and journalists are simply making things up. In this regard, the President of the Republic stated that Ingushetia was subjected not to a terrorist attack, but to an “information attack”, behind which were some “enemies of Russia.” They, following the logic of the head of the region, are also behind those few, according to his data, crimes that do take place.
These same “enemies of Russia,” by the way, yesterday made themselves felt again in Ingushetia, committing two daring acts of sabotage at once. At about 12.30 on the federal highway "Caucasus" in the area of the village of Yandary, unknown persons fired at the Ural with the military. As a result, the car slid into a ditch and overturned. Two servicemen were wounded. And at about 13.45 in Nazran, a Niva with police officers was fired upon. As a result, two officers were killed and two more were wounded. It was not possible to find out from Mr. Zyazikov whether these crimes were also invented by someone or not, since they occurred after the end of the press conference. But these events were officially reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia itself.
However, even Mr. Zyazikov’s press conference, dedicated to the supposedly calm situation in his republic, almost fell apart due to other equally turbulent events. On Wednesday evening, information appeared that the president of the republic would not be able to communicate with the capital’s journalists, since he was urgently planning to fly to Ingushetia to investigate the conflict between local residents and security forces.
On September 19, about 500 residents of the republic gathered on one of the busy streets of the city, which is crossed by the railway. The protest action was provoked by the disappearance of the Aushev brothers from the village of Surkhakhi, who disappeared on the road from Grozny to Nazran. Those gathered accused the special services of Ingushetia and North Ossetia of kidnapping the young people. The protesters blocked the railway crossing, restricting the movement of trains and cars. When the police and military demanded to disperse, people threw stones at the security forces. In response, shots were fired into the air.
The protesters calmed down only at night, when it became known that the Aushevs had been found in the Shatoi district police department of Chechnya. How they got there remains a mystery. The police department itself explained yesterday that the guys were brought to them by people in camouflage and left at the threshold of the building. The regional department declined to answer what documents these “people in camouflage” presented.
As the President of Ingushetia himself explained, when clashes with riot police began, he decided to fly to Ingushetia. But when it became known about the return of the Aushev brothers, the flight was canceled. “It was a preparation, a kind of staging, since the protesters had cups, spoons, and mattresses ready in advance. Yes, they prepared for the rally for two months. But the Aushevs have already been found,” noted Mr. Zyazikov. At the same time, he noted that the prosecutor’s office had not received any written statements regarding this fact.
Nevertheless, the investigation into the case of the kidnapping of two residents of Ingushetia was taken under control by the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation. This was announced yesterday by Presidential Envoy to the Southern Federal District Dmitry Kozak, who noted that the investigation is considering “a variety of versions - from a real abduction to a staging of missing people.”
However, all this, according to Mr. Zyazikov, confirmed that “replicating non-existent crimes in the republic is beneficial to those who are waging an information attack against Ingushetia.” Continuing the theme of narrow and one-sided media coverage of the life of the republic, Mr. Zyazikov told how difficult it is to get journalists to cover positive events: “When we built 300 houses for people, when United Russia provided schools in eight villages with everything necessary for the school year when the most beautiful registry office was built. I say, show me, but I don’t, it’s not interesting.”
Admitting, however, that crimes do occasionally occur in the republic, Murat Zyazikov noted that there is no terrorist underground in Ingushetia. And what is happening “will continue until the money thrown at it runs out.” Behind all this, according to the president, are the “enemies of Russia” who created the coalition, opponents of Ingushetia and a small group of opposition. Mr. Zyazikov, however, refused to name names, advising him to ask about them from those media outlets that broadcast about the heated situation in Ingushetia.
“Well, you know, I’m inconvenient for some media,” Mr. Zyazikov complained. - And I know that there are already some platforms, television and some others. I already know what they will say.”
Speaking about the recent deployment of 2.5 thousand internal troops into the republic, Mr. Zyazikov called this operation a planned one, noting that similar operations are being carried out in other regions of the North Caucasus. “There is nothing extreme about this. They, military personnel, do not bother us. And they have completely normal relations with the local population,” the president said.
Nevertheless, journalists still asked whether what was happening in the republic would affect Mr. Zyazikov’s political career. He categorically rejected the possibility of his voluntary resignation, recalling that his term of office expires in 2010. “I have a constitutional term until 2010, and I will have another ten years!” - Mr. Zyazikov summarized.
Murat Zyazikov also opposed the reorganization and consolidation of the region. “I do not accept any consolidation, optimization, structural changes, deportations, any other changes, any political territorial experiments. “I believe that this historical stage has passed,” the President of Ingushetia emphasized, answering a question about his attitude to the proposal of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, to provide assistance to the “brotherly” republic. - No one will ever restore any order here. We are ready to help anyone ourselves.”
Murat Zyazikov concluded his press conference with the message that although he heads the republican branch of United Russia in the upcoming State Duma elections on December 2, he does not intend to be number one on the party’s regional list. “If I lead, there will be 100%. But I don’t want that,” explained Murat Zyazikov.