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What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
October 12, 2005, Wednesday
ORANGE REVOLUTION WILL BE MET WITH WATER
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, October 12, 2005, pp. 1, 3
by Andrei Riskin, Mikhail Tolpegin
Law-enforcement agencies are preparing to suppress mass protest
rallies. Large-scale exercises by Interior Ministry special units
intended for countering public unrest have been held in some regions.
New weapons and equipment intended for dispersing rallies and
demonstrations are being purchased abroad. For example, a large batch
of water cannon will be bought in Israel.
Major General Mikhail Sukhodolsky, Deputy Interior Minister,
announced this yesterday. Sukhodolsky said, "We have already signed a
contract with the Israeli party on purchase of water cannon that will
be used very soon for liquidation of unauthorized rallies and mass
street disorders." The police official did not say because of what
the authorities were afraid of mass disorders very soon.
Meanwhile, if we believe the optimistic reports of senior state
officials, the situation in Russia has become completely stable. The
Stabilization Fund is growing rapidly, billions of rubles are
allocated for the national programs announced by President Putin,
state-sector workers are promised wage rises, and so on. The most
recent mass protests were connected with monetization of social
benefits, and the participants were mostly law-abiding pensioners. So
the law-enforcement agencies did not need water cannon. Even in the
rare cases when use of force was required, the police made do with
cheaper but equally effective rubber batons.
Of course, it is possible that the authorities are afraid of, mass
actions by skinhead youth gangs, for instance. However, skinheads do
not march in lines. They commit their crimes usually under disguise
of darkness and do not war the authorities. If they do this in
daytime like in Voronezh last Sunday they are not caught at the site
of the crime anyway. Thus, a water cannon - even Israeli-made - will
hardly manage to arrive at the event location on time.
Incidentally, Sukhodolosky emphasizes that "purchase of armament and
equipment from foreign manufacturers is a single case and the
Interior Ministry is mostly oriented at Russian developments in this
area." Sukhodolosky remarked patriotically, "We have weapons that can
be fired in such a way that you won't be able to tell which direction
the fire is coming from." We can only hope that in the course of
"eliminating unauthorized rallies and mass street disorders" matters
will not deteriorate to the point of firing weapons, especially since
our weapons usually don't hit their proper targets. Incidentally,
according to Sukhodolsky, "By resolution of the government last
summer the Interior Ministry adopted the use of 17 kinds of new small
arms and 23 new kinds of ammunition." By and large, additional
allocations for arming of OMON and police special units this year
will amount to 370 million rubles.
One aspect is alarming in all this. Sukhodolsky said, "Simultaneously
we are developing a water cannon of our own and plan that a prototype
model will be received in October or early November." Why it was
impossible to wait until production of domestic models? What will
happen "very soon"?
Lyudmila Alexeeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, says, "The
Deputy Minister knows best, but I don't expect such mass disorders
and such street actions against which sensible people use water
cannon. It seems to me that after the well-known events in Georgia,
Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan state officials starting from deputy ministers
and higher have lost sleep and quietness. That is why they buy water
cannon on money of taxpayers to disperse these taxpayers although
they do not plan to gather yet."
Boris Makarenko, deputy general Director of the Center of Political
Technologies, says, "Water cannon and tear gas are absolutely
necessary tools in the inventory of a police force in a democratic
state. As everyone knows, the lack of such non-lethal weapons in the
arsenal of Kyrgyzstan's police had very bad results last spring. With
regard to the statement of the Deputy Minister about the use of this
equipment very soon, I think that he simply expressed himself in an
unfortunate way. He probably wanted to say that the use of water
cannon would be adopted soon, not that dangerous rallies would be
held soon. Since last autumn our law-enforcement agencies have been
seeing orange devils everywhere."
Last Monday, special units of the Russian Interior Ministry and
Armenian police had joint tactical special exercises in stopping mass
disorders in the Krasnodar territory. According to the legend of the
exercises, a group of about 150 aggressive young people went out on
an unauthorized rally into the square in front of the building of the
administration and arranged mass disorders there shouting
anti-governmental slogans. Afterwards a group of armed rebels broke
into the building of the administration, looted it and took hostages
(interestingly, all this reminds very much events in
Karachaevo-Cherkessia last autumn and in Kabardino-Balkaria this
summer). Naturally, "by skillful actions of special police and
Interior Forces units with use of armored personnel carriers the mob
was dispersed and ousted from the square and afterwards the building
of the administration was released with assistance of paratroopers
and landing of a special police department." All criminals were
arrested and sent to a filtration camp, and the hostages were
liberated.
Among the observers at the exercises were Russian Interior Minister
Rashid Nurgaliev, chief of Armenian police Aik Arutyunyan and
representatives of the law-enforcement agencies of Ukraine,
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Similar exercises were arranged last December in Altai, this May in
Chuvashia, in June in the Orenburg Region, in July in the Khabarovsk
Region and so on. As a rule, many policemen from various regions of
the country participated in them. For instance, 1,500 servicemen of
special police units, police of Armenia and Russian Emergencies
Ministry participated in the exercises in Krasnodar.
When asked if the exercises in Krasnodar and the intention to buy
Israeli water cannon mean that the Interior Ministry expects mass
unrest, Interior Ministry spokesman Valery Gribakin said, "This is
not connected with any possible demonstrations and actions.
Rearmament of special police units is underway. New uniforms and
equipment are being purchased. We bought new Russian-made Tigr
all-terrain vehicles, similar to the Hummer. By the end of the year
22 such vehicles will be supplied to the regional OMONs. We have
bought one water cannon, made in Israel, and a number of Russian
plants are currently making counterparts. With regard to the
exercises in Krasnodar, they have been planned a long time ago. We
are not preparing for any war."
Translated by Pavel Pushkin
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
October 12, 2005, Wednesday
ORANGE REVOLUTION WILL BE MET WITH WATER
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, October 12, 2005, pp. 1, 3
by Andrei Riskin, Mikhail Tolpegin
Law-enforcement agencies are preparing to suppress mass protest
rallies. Large-scale exercises by Interior Ministry special units
intended for countering public unrest have been held in some regions.
New weapons and equipment intended for dispersing rallies and
demonstrations are being purchased abroad. For example, a large batch
of water cannon will be bought in Israel.
Major General Mikhail Sukhodolsky, Deputy Interior Minister,
announced this yesterday. Sukhodolsky said, "We have already signed a
contract with the Israeli party on purchase of water cannon that will
be used very soon for liquidation of unauthorized rallies and mass
street disorders." The police official did not say because of what
the authorities were afraid of mass disorders very soon.
Meanwhile, if we believe the optimistic reports of senior state
officials, the situation in Russia has become completely stable. The
Stabilization Fund is growing rapidly, billions of rubles are
allocated for the national programs announced by President Putin,
state-sector workers are promised wage rises, and so on. The most
recent mass protests were connected with monetization of social
benefits, and the participants were mostly law-abiding pensioners. So
the law-enforcement agencies did not need water cannon. Even in the
rare cases when use of force was required, the police made do with
cheaper but equally effective rubber batons.
Of course, it is possible that the authorities are afraid of, mass
actions by skinhead youth gangs, for instance. However, skinheads do
not march in lines. They commit their crimes usually under disguise
of darkness and do not war the authorities. If they do this in
daytime like in Voronezh last Sunday they are not caught at the site
of the crime anyway. Thus, a water cannon - even Israeli-made - will
hardly manage to arrive at the event location on time.
Incidentally, Sukhodolosky emphasizes that "purchase of armament and
equipment from foreign manufacturers is a single case and the
Interior Ministry is mostly oriented at Russian developments in this
area." Sukhodolosky remarked patriotically, "We have weapons that can
be fired in such a way that you won't be able to tell which direction
the fire is coming from." We can only hope that in the course of
"eliminating unauthorized rallies and mass street disorders" matters
will not deteriorate to the point of firing weapons, especially since
our weapons usually don't hit their proper targets. Incidentally,
according to Sukhodolsky, "By resolution of the government last
summer the Interior Ministry adopted the use of 17 kinds of new small
arms and 23 new kinds of ammunition." By and large, additional
allocations for arming of OMON and police special units this year
will amount to 370 million rubles.
One aspect is alarming in all this. Sukhodolsky said, "Simultaneously
we are developing a water cannon of our own and plan that a prototype
model will be received in October or early November." Why it was
impossible to wait until production of domestic models? What will
happen "very soon"?
Lyudmila Alexeeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, says, "The
Deputy Minister knows best, but I don't expect such mass disorders
and such street actions against which sensible people use water
cannon. It seems to me that after the well-known events in Georgia,
Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan state officials starting from deputy ministers
and higher have lost sleep and quietness. That is why they buy water
cannon on money of taxpayers to disperse these taxpayers although
they do not plan to gather yet."
Boris Makarenko, deputy general Director of the Center of Political
Technologies, says, "Water cannon and tear gas are absolutely
necessary tools in the inventory of a police force in a democratic
state. As everyone knows, the lack of such non-lethal weapons in the
arsenal of Kyrgyzstan's police had very bad results last spring. With
regard to the statement of the Deputy Minister about the use of this
equipment very soon, I think that he simply expressed himself in an
unfortunate way. He probably wanted to say that the use of water
cannon would be adopted soon, not that dangerous rallies would be
held soon. Since last autumn our law-enforcement agencies have been
seeing orange devils everywhere."
Last Monday, special units of the Russian Interior Ministry and
Armenian police had joint tactical special exercises in stopping mass
disorders in the Krasnodar territory. According to the legend of the
exercises, a group of about 150 aggressive young people went out on
an unauthorized rally into the square in front of the building of the
administration and arranged mass disorders there shouting
anti-governmental slogans. Afterwards a group of armed rebels broke
into the building of the administration, looted it and took hostages
(interestingly, all this reminds very much events in
Karachaevo-Cherkessia last autumn and in Kabardino-Balkaria this
summer). Naturally, "by skillful actions of special police and
Interior Forces units with use of armored personnel carriers the mob
was dispersed and ousted from the square and afterwards the building
of the administration was released with assistance of paratroopers
and landing of a special police department." All criminals were
arrested and sent to a filtration camp, and the hostages were
liberated.
Among the observers at the exercises were Russian Interior Minister
Rashid Nurgaliev, chief of Armenian police Aik Arutyunyan and
representatives of the law-enforcement agencies of Ukraine,
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Similar exercises were arranged last December in Altai, this May in
Chuvashia, in June in the Orenburg Region, in July in the Khabarovsk
Region and so on. As a rule, many policemen from various regions of
the country participated in them. For instance, 1,500 servicemen of
special police units, police of Armenia and Russian Emergencies
Ministry participated in the exercises in Krasnodar.
When asked if the exercises in Krasnodar and the intention to buy
Israeli water cannon mean that the Interior Ministry expects mass
unrest, Interior Ministry spokesman Valery Gribakin said, "This is
not connected with any possible demonstrations and actions.
Rearmament of special police units is underway. New uniforms and
equipment are being purchased. We bought new Russian-made Tigr
all-terrain vehicles, similar to the Hummer. By the end of the year
22 such vehicles will be supplied to the regional OMONs. We have
bought one water cannon, made in Israel, and a number of Russian
plants are currently making counterparts. With regard to the
exercises in Krasnodar, they have been planned a long time ago. We
are not preparing for any war."
Translated by Pavel Pushkin