The official version of the death of Russian journalists in the TsAD was formed in the secret chat of the Media Board of Prigozhin

On July 30, 2018, journalist Orhan Dzhemal, operator Kirill Radchenko and director Alexander Rastorguev were killed in the Central African Republic, where they were on a business trip. In the Tsar, the film crew came to make a documentary about the activities of the mercenaries of the Wagner private military campaign, one of the sponsors of which is close, as is commonly believed, to President Putin the St. Petersburg businessman and restaurateur Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The journalists were killed under the end of the circumstances that were not fulfilled. Their bodies were discovered by UN mission employees in the Central African Republic 20 kilometers from the city of Sibu. A car with journalists, who was driving a local resident Bienvenu Davokam, was stopped by unknown, and the journalists themselves were shot. The murder occurred at about 10 pm on July 30. The driver of the group survived. How experienced journalists were in the dark on a country road, far from the magistrate, in the country where the civil war is going on.

The key role in preparing the trip was played by a special correspondent of RIA FAN (an information agency affiliated with the business structures of Yevgeny Prigozhin) Kirill Romanovsky. It was he who made the contact of the "fixer" named Martin. Martin had to meet the group in the TsA, ensure contacts and security. None of this was done. It was at a meeting with Martin that journalists were traveling from the capital of TsA to the city where the UN mission is located. On the way, they were killed.

The official version of the investigation is “the murder of Arabian bandits for the purpose of robbery”. It is this version that the authorities and the Investigative Committee of Russia adhere to the authorities. She was voiced by the press secretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova. Vladimir Putin repeated the same version at his press conference in December 2018.

The official investigation of the murder in the Russian Federation is not actually conducted. Over the year, the investigation did not have any new data.

Even the personal belongings of the dead, who are stored at the Russian Embassy in the RF, still cannot be transported to Moscow. Neither the Investigative Committee, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the Russian Ministry of Defense do this.

On the anniversary of the murder of Dzhemal, Radchenko and Rastorguev, the Dossier Center Mikhail Khodorkovsky published a report on the results of his own investigation. It was started in August 2018: two international teams of professional investigators were formed, who went to the TsA, where they worked independently, stringers were hired there. Over the year, a huge array of documents, interviews and digital data related to the murder of journalists was collected and analyzed.

The first results were published in January 2019. Read about them in detail in the material of Denis Korotkov “Chronicle of well -prepared death” ( “New Gazeta”, No. 2 of January 11, 2019 ).

The investigators "Dossier" established:

• The murder of journalists was planned in advance. In the Tsar, surveillance was organized behind them. The driver of journalists Bienvenu Davokam is directly related to the local gendarmerie. From the billing of his telephone negotiations, it is clear that from July 28 (the day of the arrival of journalists in the Tsard) he supported constant operational communications with the gendarme Emmanuel Kotofiofio, who tracked the movements of journalists and was in the immediate vicinity of them.

* Emmanuel Kotophio was identified by FACA soldiers, who were on the night of the murder at the checkpoint in Sibu. According to the testimony of witnesses, at about 19.00 on July 30, another car drove at the Siberian checkpoint at the Sibya checkpoint immediately in front of the car of the journalists' team. At 20.45, the journalists driver announced the attack to the residents of the village of Kpak. Together with Kotofio, there were three white people, presumably Russians in the car.

• Kotofio maintained a connection with a person identified as an “external monitoring, counter-observation, recruitment, agent work” company M-Finance (a company affiliated with Evgeny Prigozhin ) Alexander Sotov , personal number of an employee of the Wagner PMC M-5661. Sotov, in turn, talked with Valery Zakharov -adviser to the President of the Central Academy of Sciences and the head of the group of instructors of the Company Evgeny Prigozhin , the personal number of an employee of the Wagner PMC M-5658.

All this information is accompanied by telephone calls, as well as documents confirming:

Zakharov and Sotov are the people of Evgenia Prigozhin and full -time Wagnerians.

Investigator Zolotov, who conducts the case of murder in Russia, at the request of the relatives of the victims, introduced these documents to the criminal case. However, Zakharov and Sotov refused to interrogate.

• Martin's fixer did not exist at all. He was invented by the coordinators of a carefully planned operation. After the murder of Martin, disappeared. As it turned out, in Bambari (376 km from the capital of the Tsar), where, according to Kirill Romanovsky, Martin was never there. Journalists never talked with Martin on the phone, since Kirill Romanovsky urged only to communicate through text messages. He claimed that in the place where Martin is located, a bad connection. The data of the mobile operator indicate that the phone of Martin did not leave the bangie limits where there are no tangible problems with the connection.

In the augmented version of the report, the specialists of the Dossier refute the official version of the murder. And once again they emphasize the important role of the driver of the group and people associated with him, as well as Kirill Romanovsky. Based on the chats in the Telegram Messenger, the dossier shows in detail how the people of Evgeny Prigozhin deployed an information campaign to stuff fake versions about the murder of journalists. Prigozhin’s people, led by Valery Zakharov, have “practically unlimited power in the Central African Republic, control military structures, including gendarmerie, whose employees are investigating the murder of journalists,” the report says.

Murder

The official statement of the driver of Davokam that the gendarme is his friend and that in July he called him purely on personal issues was not true. Analysis of the phone calls of one of the numbers of Bienvenu ( +23675465314 ) and five more telephone numbers Kotofio for July 2018 indicates that in July the first telephone conversation between them took place on the 21st of 18.46. Let me remind you that the journalists received visas in the Central African Republic on July 11, that is, from that moment in the country's authorities were aware of their arrival. The intensity of the communication of the driver and the gendarme is rapidly increasing on July 28 on the day of the arrival of journalists.

• July 1–20 - 0 calls

• July 21 - 2 calls

• July 23 - 6 calls

• July 24 - 11 calls

• July 25 - 4 calls

• July 26 - 5 calls

• July 27 - 5 calls

• July 28 - 36 calls

• July 29 - 5 calls

• July 30 - 12 calls

“The analysis of the nature of the wounds indicates that the murder was intentional and professionally executed. So, according to the forensic medical examination, spot injuries in the heart were discovered on the body of Rastorguev. Presumably, journalists were shot from the Kalashnikov AK-47 machine gun or its modifications. The murderers were not interested in robbery, ”the investigators of Dossier say after studying forensic and ballistic examinations.

Only things that could serve as evidence disappeared from the scene of the crime: mobile phones, the camera on which Kirill Radchenko shot in the TsA, as well as the DVR, which the journalists installed on the car of his driver. The “robbers” did not even try to stop the car of Davokam, who managed to “run” at the sight of armed people. There were things from journalists in the car, as well as three canists of gasoline, which in the TsA is valued more than gold. Employees of the Law enforcement agencies of the TC did not actually inspect the crime scene. Despite dozens of shots in the bodies of the dead, only two sleeves were discovered at the crime scene.

A few days after the murder, unidentified faces burned the grass in the place where the bodies were discovered. “Dossier” publishes photos from the company’s office in the CAR, made in May 2018. They can see that at least four AK-47 assault rifles were stored in the room. Civil employees of the African project Prigozhin (translators, political scientists, etc.) had free access to weapons. Employees of the company have repeatedly traveled to the shooting range.

Gendarme and "Martin"

Carefully analyzed metadata of telephone conversations of the gendarme Kotofio confirm that during a trip of journalists in the TsAD, he was constantly in the immediate vicinity of them. On July 28 and 29, Kotofio was in the center of Bange, next to the National Hotel, in which Jemal, Rastorguev and Radchenko settled. Data on the calls of July 30 indicate that on this day, Kotofio, like journalists, was in the cities of Damara and Sibu.

As it managed to establish, at about 15.00 the team of journalists was in Damar, at 14.56, the activity of the OSMO camera was recorded in the Google Account of Radchenko. The metadata of telephone conversations of Emmanuel Kotofio indicate that at 13.28 the signal from its number +23675717428 was recorded by the Damara_1 tower, and on 16.07 - the Sibut_1 tower. From the printouts of telephone conversations, Kotofio follows that he was in constant contact with several gendarmes and officers of the FACA, whose personalities were established by the Dossier Center: “According to local sources, Emmanuel Kotofio maintains close communication with Russian instructors in the CAR, some time after the murder of Kotophio was noticed as a driver of the Russian military.”

According to officials surveyed in Bambari, including the deputy head of Minusca and the mayor of Bambari, the Dutchman named Martin did not exist in the city. As a result of studying the list of UN employees on the territory of the Hollander, Martin was also not discovered.

"Versions" of the murder

According to the official statements of the authorities, Dzhemal, Radchenko and Rastorguev were killed "by 10 men in the turbans who say in Arabic."

Dossier specialists managed to access the internal correspondence of employees of the African project Prigozhin, which was conducted in the Telegram messenger in a group chat with the name “CAR Media”. Correspondence shows how, after the murder of journalists, Prigozhin’s people began to plan the “versions” of crime and the information policy of the coverage of this event. It is amazing that they plan not only “activity” in social networks and the media, but also the official statements of the TsAY gendarmerie.

Before moving on to the screens of chat messages, it is worth explaining one important technical detail. The Telegram messenger has a feature of changing messages in according to the geographical location of the person who opens them.

For example, if someone opens my telegram in Vladivostok, then the story of my messages will be displayed for him in Vladivostok time. The person (the “dossier” does not call him, referring to ensuring security), who managed to access the chat, he was in another time zone, with a difference of +10 hours, which is why another time is displayed in the screenshots of Prigozhinsky’s correspondence, it needs to be added to him for 10 hours in order to find themselves in the TsAYA watch belt. We publish the time of correspondence for the Central African time for fundamental considerations: the time of the appearance of information is important to us.

On July 31, at 15.40, the Bangs Chat Telegram “TsA Media” was sent the first news about the murder of journalists asking him to quickly start the search for information and react to the incident.

At 17.25, Petr Bychkov, the head of the so-called “back office” of Prigozhin in St. Petersburg, writes in the chat that, together with Valery Zakharov (Prigozhin’s employees call him Valera), what position should be held about the murder: “ These are incomprehensible persons, by order of the Kodor, they were headed towards Kaga Bandor, where Information of the minute was a meeting of the bandits - Ali Daras, Alkatim and Abduly Hissen ( field commanders in TsA. - I. G. ). For the purpose of robbery, they were stopped by 10 people of Arab -speaking bandits. The driver managed to escape - now he is in interrogations ” (hereinafter, the spelling and punctuation of the authors are preserved) .

At the same time, the information that the journalists were attacked by “10 Arab -speaking bandits” publicly appeared later: the first news was published by the Associated Press on July 31 at 21.15 , that is, 4 hours after the voiced Bychkov version. The first official interrogation of the driver Bienvenu (the only living witness) took place only on August 1 at 9.58 in the morning.

And in this interrogation, a copy of which is in the editorial office, the driver did not call the exact number of “bandits”, he will “remember” them later.

Then the participants in the chat discuss who should promote the version of Bychkov and Zakharov: as possible options, the Embassy or Safety Service of the Central Department Store is proposed. The formulations that the participants in the chat use say for themselves:

“ Vadim Kuptsov: Why should we even make any official statement about this incident? How does it feel about us? We will not steal ourselves if we plunge our nose in this? Well, who is not there and for what reason died? The ambassador gave his comment already. And how do we perform?

Taras: It really may turn out that the hat has caught fire on the thief.

Vadim Kuptsov: Exactly!

Petr Bychkov Bychkov: I agree.

Taras : Now all the country's journalists (as well as Ukrainians) are looking at the TsA. Who will stick out - will be in sight.

Maria Pushkina: A very simple approach. Maybe this information will issue an embassy? Or the Security Service of the TsA? Since the lack of information is an opportunity to complete this information with something else. ”

As a result, the participants of the chat agree to “launch 3-4 publications in local media” and come to the conclusion that “ the main source of information should be the local police and the embassy”.

At 20.21, Vadim Kuptsov sends a detailed plan for the information campaign. It is important that they plan not only publications in the media and social networks, but also the statements of officials in the TsA.

“-Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, the release of the news article in local two or three media outlets (two newspapers + radio)

- On Friday, the statement of the head of the gendarmerie about the investigation and versions

- At the weekend, international Russian media analytical material about what happened ...

“Social networks fill the Internet with discussions and all kinds of versions (close to the nonsense) about what these people did there.”

Moreover, Kuptsov’s report explicitly states that the version of what happened needs to be “invented”, and the information that journalists planned shooting about the activities of PMCs - to hide: “ But what these people did there need to come up with. The versions that they shot a movie about PMCs or worked for the head for a head. I think we can say that they came to the CAC to shoot a report on the successes of Russian briefings in Faka. And they were not lucky on the road. We officially, openly and legally teach Faka. The history of the appearance of Russian journalists will then be logical ... "

At 20.52–20.53, Peter Bychkov sends the following message: “We discussed. Arab -speaking criminals. With the chef ( as in the correspondence they call Evgeny Prigozhin. - ** and. G. ) I will discuss now how he will get in touch - can we abode ... accuse. "

By “Abd ...” is meant “Abdula Khissen” - the rebel leader of the “Popular Front of the Renaissance of the Tsar” (in the past - the group “Seleka”). In turn,

The reason by which Bychkov should agree with the “chef” (Evgeny Prigozhin), whether it is possible to shift the guilt of Hissen, is the existence of the established contractual relations of representatives of the “company” with the rebels.

From the investigation of the Dossier Center, it can be seen that Prigozhinsky people are endowed with broad powers: for example, to instruct the employees of the Russian Embassy in the TsA.

On September 19, one of the employees of Prigozhin structures Dmitry Sytnoy received a letter from the attache of the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Central Academy of Sciences, the head of the consular department of Konstantin Lekhov (the screenshot of the electronic letter is at the disposal of “Dossier”). Lekhov, who asks for advice on how best to respond to the requests of brother Kirill Radchenko, Roman, regarding the transfer of Cyril’s personal belongings to Moscow. According to the employees of the Dossier, they have a screenshot of email.

Letter from the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the CAC employee of Prigozhinsky structure

& Nbsp
“Dima, hello!

As agreed, I send scans of requests from the brother of the deceased A. Radchenko.

The first with a request to help with receiving personal things, and the second (I send at the request of Victor) with the question of who paid.

The first-so that you can tell the local prosecutor's office/gendarmerie, so that you will not burn anything, let them give it to the post (we will transmit).

The second - so that you consult and orientate us about how it is better for us to answer.

Sincerely,

Kostya "

According to the "dossier", Dmitry Sawn is one of the main assistants and translators of Valery Zakharov. According to his resume, after graduating from the State University of Economics and Finance, he was trained at the International University of Catalonia, as well as at the SKEMA business school in Paris. According to the SPARK-Interfax system, a well-fed is a co-owner of TF Silut in St. Petersburg. Along with Evgeny Khodotov, Dmitry Song was among the seven specialists of “Men Invest”, who arrived in the Central African Republic on September 21, 2017 at the invitation of the President of Tuaders.

At the disposal of the Dossier Center was a list of employees of the Troll Factory Evgeny Prigozhin. In it, Dmitry Changered is indicated as an employee of the department of translations carrying out the manipulation of public opinion.

The list also includes the name of the journalist RIA Fan Kirill Romanovsky.

Also, the “dossier” managed to get documents, from which it is clear: “company” Evgenia Prigozhin paid for the retraining of law enforcement officers of the TsA, conducting the investigation of the murder. Retraining took place in Russia. According to the newspaper "Moscow Komsomolets", quoting the diplomatic mail of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Central Academy of Sciences, September 20, 2018, temporary attorney in Russia's affairs in Tsar V.G. Tokmakov told a senior employee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation that the judicial investigator was not yet appointed to the Central African Republic, and the African prosecutors flew to St. Petersburg:

“The Prosecutor General (TsA) and his deputy with a group of other employees went to St. Petersburg for advanced training courses with the support of a Russian private company.”

The Dossier Center also received documentary certificates according to which Prigozhina pays $ 5,000 monthly to each of his “advisers”, including police officers, Minister of Security and other members of the CAC of TUADERS President.

The data obtained by the Dossier Center suggests that Evgeny Prigozhin and its employees have been actively working on the Central African project since 2017. On September 21, 2017, seven specialists of the company “M Invest” (Evgeny Frolov, Nikolai Dobronravin, Boris Nizhnevkov, Vyacheslav Botheev, Evgeny Khodotov, Dmitry Syatyatov, Alexander Kuzin), at the invitation of President of Tsar Fosten Arkanzh, the Tuaurs arrived in the Central Academy of Sciences for a deeper study of the possibilities of intelligence and production of natural resources in the country.

Evgeny Prigozhin constantly denies his connection both with the "PMC of Wagner" and with commercial structures engaged in activities in the TsA, Sudan, Madagascar, South Africa and other countries. Nevertheless, the materials obtained by the Dossier Center indicate the personal participation of Yevgeny Prigozhin in the African project and the implementation of his systematic control over the activities of the company.

So, at the disposal of the “dossier” there was a document of Mikhail Bogdanov, who was affected by Mikhail Bogdanov, who was named Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and signed personally by E. Prigozhin. The document contains a request to provide assistance in the accelerated design of Russian visas for the two ministers of the Central African Republic (Thierry Herve Oronfei-Fiogbia and Rameaux Claude Bireau), as well as a citizen of Southern Sudan Issa Hassan Mohamed ABOUNA. A visit for discussing joint projects with Mm Invest was scheduled for the period from August 23 to 28, 2017. The document was registered in the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation under number 6616 dated 08.21.2017.