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27.12.1999 17:00

RUSSIAN INFORMATION CENTRE STATEMENT:
RADIO LIBERTY FIGHTS ON THE SIDE OF TERRORISTS

The amateur video footage shot in Grozny in mid-December which one of the Russian TV channels showed yesterday is a fresh fake. The narrator of the program in which separate topics were shown drew attention to their exclusiveness, saying that our television hardly ever shows films made in the gunmen's disposition. One must agree that in some respects the report may really claim to be unique. The author of the mentioned video film is A. Babitsky, a Radio Liberty reporter in the North Caucasus. Availing himself again of the patronage of Udugov, slave-trader and ideologist of the Chechen bandits, Babitsky spent some time among people whom he considers as worthy. Thus Russian TV viewers became witnesses of an interview given by several panic-stricken cut-throats who have entrenched themselves in the basements of Grozny, the babble of befuddled youngsters, together with whom A. Babitsky inspected a home-made gun, demonstrating obvious delight, etc. And finally, the correspondent filmed on a platform that obviously was specially built for Western correspondent one armoured personnel carrier and two corpses in uniform. All this should have served as confirmation of the reports of Babitsky, who was effusively speaking of the dozens of killed Russian soldiers he had counted himself and the burned convoy of armoured vehicles he saw in the very centre of Grozny. The faked film in the production of which the Radio Liberty reporter took a most active part, is known to have turned out a failure, but this did not calm him. Then a captured federal soldier appeared on the screen, part of whose interrogation Babitsky has also filmed.

Babitsky said in one of his recent radio reports that "the Chechens are cutting soldiers' throats not because they are sadists, but simply because they want in this way to make the war more striking, visible, bright, and thereby reach out to public opinion". He needn't worry because people in many countries were shaken when they saw the stills showing the valiant mujahedin cutting off the head of a helpless lad with a truly sadistic vigour. But even this is not enough for Babitsky. After attending the Russian soldier's interrogation, he evidently now would like to take part in an execution, as well. Prominent publicist Maxim Sokolov once called the mass media "the quartering, rather than fourth, estate". No doubt, this is precisely the sphere in which Babitsky excels. Before long he will be ready to change his reporter's trade for that of a hangman in one of the units of his idols - Basayev and Hattab. It is hard to imagine a situation when an American journalist would interview those who set off the explosion in the American embassy in Kenya, at the same time savouring the number of casualties it involved, or a French reporter who would have chosen as his heroes those who murdered the passengers in the Paris underground. It is hard to imagine the American authorities impartially watching the central TV channel demonstrating the interrogation of an American serviceman or providing air time to established murderers of their country's citizens.

Why is all this possible in Russia? Regardless of whether this is the result of the connivance of the federal authorities or society having grown callous - this is impermissible. A Russian journalist is always involved, a Western one - detached, and a Radio Liberty journalist is objective - is one of the radio station's mottos. But, hold on, gentlemen!

The Russian citizens must know that Radio Liberty has long been drawn into the war against them, and that it is on the side of the bandits and terrorists.