A SAFE MORTUARY TO BE BUILT AT NOVAYA ZEMLYA
Izvestia, May 24, 2002, p. 3
ON May 23, a project of safe mortuary at Novaya Zemlya Archipelago (the Arkhangelsk region) was considered at the session of the board of Russia’s Ministry of Atomic Energy, Izvestia were told at the Arkhangelsk regional administration press service. A decision to construct it had been made on Tuesday at the board session. Officials of the Ministry of Atomic Energy are certain that construction of the mortuary will enable a considerable increase of radiation safety in Severodvinsk, the second largest city in the Arkhangelsk region, where a nuclear waste depository liable to be liquidated is situated. The new mortuary will also help ruling out over-limit accumulation of nuclear waste at temporary depositories and ensure orders on repairing and dismantling ships with nuclear power plants for the enterprises of Severodvinsk.
A CALL TO THE MOSCOW CITY INTERIOR DEPARTMENT
Tribuna, May 24, 2002, p. 2
Our police have been working in the intensified regime since May 20 already, Tribuna was told at the Moscow City Interior Department. Overall, 422 our policemen will additionally enabled during US president’s visit. The majority of them, 203 agents, will close all approaches to the Kremlin. Another 51 agents are observing the vicinities of Grand Marriott Hotel.
Moreover, patrols not only in the area of the hotel, but also at Tverskaya and the adjacent streets are reinforced. In the vicinity of the US embassy, approaches to which will also be closed on May 24, it is planned to activate 49 additional police agents. Patrols with dogs will inspect basements and lofts of all residential buildings in the neighborhood of the embassy. Plus, police patrols in the city underground will also be reinforced. The major part of officers of law enforcement agencies will be at all underground stations he area of the Ring Line. Overall, the number of Federal Guard Service, the FSB, the Moscow City Interior Department and Traffic Police agents, combined with 600 George Bush’s body guards, will total some 5,000-6,000 people.
GELAYEV HAS 300 AIR DEFENSE COMPLEXES
Rossiiskaya Gazeta, May 24, 2002, p. 2
Alarming intelligence has reached the special services. The reports obtained evidence that Gelayev’s guerrillas stole 300 Igla portable missile complexes, allegedly from South Ossetia.
Almost ten days ago, all complexes were in the Pankiss gorge in Georgia. Later on, it was reported that the weapons would be sent to Chechnya in small batches and supposedly three air defense missile complexes were already in the southern districts of the republic.
Now these reports have been confirmed. A large success of the special services has become known. Six Igla portable air defense complexes were found in Kurchaloy. The following fact can prove how dangerous air defense complexes are: in the course of the Afghani war Soviet officers had been awarded a Red Star order for each neutralized Stinger air defense complex.
Possible availability of such weapons in Grozny should not be ruled out. A special operation to prevent subversive terrorist attacks was launched in Grozny on May 23. On being given operational data about possible sallies of the guerrillas in the Chechen capital, the law enforcement agencies are acting in advance.
Now the law enforcement agencies are in full control of the situation in Grozny, Khezir Tepelev, head of the public safety police of the republican Internal Department said.
MIRONOV ESTABLISHES CONTACTS
Rossiiskaya Gazeta, May 24, 2002, p. 2
On morning of May 23, following a meeting with Armenian church’s leader Catholicos Garegin II, his Holiness, in Echmiadzin a delegation of the Federation Council headed by chairman of the upper house of the Russian Parliament Sergey Mironov arrived in the capital of Georgia.
In Tbilisi, Russian senators met with their Georgian colleagues and discussed the most acute issues both countries are facing, primarily the problems complicating Russian-Georgian relations. In particular, the situation in the Pankiss gorge, in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, the visa regime introduced by Russia what fro Tbilisi got so much offended, the status of Russian peacekeepers, Russian military bases in Georgia and activation of trade-economic cooperation between the two states were discussed. In the course of the meeting Nino Burdjanadze, Chairwoman of the Georgian Parliament made two significant statements. Firstly, she told, nowadays Tbilisi admits that the Chechen terrorists had found refuge in the Pankiss gorge. Secondly, she thanked Sergey Mironov for his contribution to the settlement of the so-called Kodor crisis.
