Dmitry Oreshkin About Terrorism: NOT PUNISH BUT PREVENT

By Pavel Koshkin

What do you think may cause the increasing spread of terrorist threats in Russia?
I believe that the historical peculiarities of the North Caucasus region and inadequate system of security in Russia are very significant factors that bring about terrorist threats, but the most important one is the Chechen Wars in 1990-x. To quote former Russian president Boris Yeltsyn, the Chechen war was his most serious mistake as a result of his controversial presidency. He admitted this fact later.

Initially, I strongly believed that Chechen leaders deserved to be punished. But now I understand I was wrong. I believe it was possible to agree with Chechens militants and leaders, with Djokhar Dudaev to avoid the conflict. After all, Dudaev had Soviet mentality. What he was seeking for was independence, sovereignty and power. Also, I suppose that agreements with another Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov were also possible. What we needed were only concessions. Russian authorities had to treat Chechen people with respect and take into account their rights.

Yet, the Russian government dragged its feet about negotiating. In the end, Mr. Yeltsyn launched the war which brought about fatal consequences. What I’d like to say is that it’s virtually impossible to deal with the current Chechen underground terrorist organizations because they are fanatics fighting for ideas. They are too reluctant to propose compromise. Likewise, the Russian authorities do not want to accept Chechen people because of their stubborn patriotism. They treat Chechen people with a sort of negligence, and at the same time they lay territorial claims to Chechen republic without yielding. I mean Chechens are the citizens of Russia, but some people wouldn’t like to see them in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia.

It’s a vicious circle and I don’t know how to deal with this problem. On the one hand, the government might create all the necessary conditions so that Chechen people adjust to modern Russian society, but on the other hand, militants deserved to be punished.

What do you think about the media coverage of the latest terrorist acts in March?
I was very displeased when I knew that Russian television didn’t mention the explosions in Moscow subway for several hours. There seemed no reason to pass over such event. Russian TV-channels worked in the manner of Soviet press and television. They were awaiting a command from the authorities and couldn’t do their job independently. If the television informed people about the first explosion in time, the death toll after the second explosion might have been much less: in that case people wouldn’t have gone by subway.

Do you think it’s reasonable to blame the Kremlin for the March explosion in Moscow subway?
I think that it’s the government that is responsible for the March tragedy. The authorities can’t provide the society with an adequate security system. But, the president says that we will punish criminals instead of admitting our mistakes and drawbacks. The resolving of the problem is not to punish or kill, but to prevent it. I don’t care how many terrorists will be annihilated; I do care about the security of my relatives and close friends. I believe that the government is seeking to shift all responsibility to something else.