Annex 2
to the Reply by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Russian Federation
As of December 1, 1999
Several Facts Concerning Hostages
On June 14, 1995, a group of armed militants led by Shamil Basaev
seized Budyonnovsk in the Stavropol territory. Having turned the town's
hospital into a stronghold the bandits held 1500 people as hostages,
demanding withdrawal of the Russian troops from Chechnya. As a result of
the bandit action in Budyonnovsk 130 civilians, 18 militiamen, 18
servicemen were killed, more than 400 people were wounded.
On December 14, 1995, 36 construction workers from the Stavropol
territory were taken hostage in the Chechen village of Achkhoi-Martan.
Some of them were freed nine months later.
On April 27, 1996, two employees of the Grozny mission of the
"Medecins sans frontières" international organization were kidnapped in a
Grozny suburb. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 200 000 US dollars.
The hostages were freed on May 10, 1996.
On July 27, 1996, the French national Frederick Malardo and the
English national Michael Penrose - employees of the international
humanitarian organization "Campaign against hunger", were kidnapped in
Grozny. They were freed on August 22.
On September 28, 1996, three employees of the Italian
humanitarian organization "Intersos" were taken hostage in Chechnya. They
were freed on November 29.
On January 19, 1997, Roman Perevezentsev and Vladislav Tibelius -
journalists of the Public Russian Television (ORT) were kidnapped in
Chechnya. After a long search and negotiations the journalists were freed
on February 18.
On February 23, 1997, Mauro Galligani - the Italian journalist of
the "Panorama" weekly was kidnapped in Grozny. The kidnappers demanded 1
mln US dollars for his release. He was freed without ransom on April 12.
On March 4, 1997, three employees of the Radio Russia:
correspondents Yuri Arkhipov and Nikolai Mamulashvili and space
communication engineer Lev Zeltsin; as well as the Itar-Tass
correspondent Hikolai Zagnoiko were kidnapped in Grozny. They were freed
on the night of June 5.
On May 10, 1997, the NTV film crew comprising the special
correspondent Elena Masyuk, operator Ilya Mordyukov and sound engineer
Dmitry Olchev, was kidnapped in Chechnya, in the vicinity of the village
of Samashki. They were freed on August 18.
On the night of July 2, 1997, the British nationals - Camila Carr
and John James, were kidnapped in Grozny. They were freed on September 20.
On August 2, 1997, four French nationals, employees of the
humanitarian organization "Equilibre", were kidnapped in Dagestan and
taken to the territory of Chechnya. They were freed on November 17.
On the night of October 23, 1998, two Hungarian nationals
Dunaisky Gabor and Olach Ishtvan, employees of the "Churches in Joint Action"
international organization, were taken hostage in Grozny. They
were freed on July 25.
On January 8, 1998, the Swedish couple Brulin Daniel and Paulina
were forcibly taken from Makhachkala to Chechnya. They were freed on June 24.
On January 29, 1998, the French national Vincent Kochetel, UNHCR
representative, was kidnapped in the city of Vladikavkaz. He was freed on
December 12.
On May 1, 1998, Valentin Vlasov, Russian President's
plenipotentiary representative in Chechnya, was kidnapped in the vicinity
of the Chechen village of Assinovskaya. He was freed on November 13.
On October 3, 1998, the New Zealand national Stanley Shaw and
British nationals Peter Kennedy, Darren Hichkey and Rudolf Petschi,
Grange Telecom employees, were kidnapped in Grozny. On the night of
October 8 they were brutally murdered.
On March 5, 1999, Gennady Shpigun, Major General of the Militia
and Russian Ministry of Interior's plenipotentiary representative in the
Chechen Republic, was kidnapped in the airport of Grozny. On March 17,
the kidnappers demanded an unprecedented ransom of 15 mln US dollars. The
general is still held in the territory of Chechnya.
On March 27, 1999, the priest of the St. Nicholas Church Pyotr
Markov was kidnapped in the Chechen village of Assinovskaya. He was freed in May.
On March 30, 1999, the Itar-Tass correspondent Said Isaev, the
only staff journalist of the Russian media who works in Chechnya on a
permanent basis, was kidnapped in Grozny. He was freed on June 19.
On July 19, 1999, the Itar-Tass photographer Vladimir Yatsina
disappeared en route from Nazran to Chechnya. He was kidnapped and held
in Chechnya. A ransom of 2 mln US dollars is demanded.
On October 10, 1999, the Itar-Tass correspondent Said Isaev was
kidnapped again, a week later he managed to escape.
At the end of October, 1999, Chechen militants kidnapped the
French press photographer Brice Latier.
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