By the information distributed by independent Chechen media in internet the Sulim Yamadaev (former commander of Battalion “Vostok”) was killed on Sunday in Dubai. Few Russians were captured by the police in Dubai. Cameras got them on tape while they were shooting Sulim. As Security Forces of UAE says, Russians that were captured, are Russian FSB agents. Yamadaev was soon some time under investigation and wanted by Chechenia’s current leader Kadyrov. Battalion “Vostok” participated under leaderhip of Yamadaev in August war against Georgia. Chechen figthers helped Russia there a lot. They were first Russian unit entering Tsinkvali and participating there in street fights and on 11.08 they saved large Russian column from full disaster when they were ambushed by Georgians. When the information is true, then it proves once again, what happens with them, who fight on the side of Moscow in their wars against other Caucasus nations.
Communist and nazi crimes under discussion in Europe.
At the opening of this week’s Strasbourg plenary session, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering made a declaration on the 60th anniversary of the deportation of thousands of citizens of the Baltic states to Siberia by the Soviet regime. He told the House “This week we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the deportation of some 100 thousand Baltic States citizens. This enormous wave of Soviet deportation started during the night of 24 to 25th March 1949 and resulted in tens of thousands of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians being forcefully moved from their home, deprived of their civil and human rights and often losing their lives due to harsh and inhumane conditions in the Soviet prison camps. Nearly every family in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as in other former Soviet Union republics, was affected by the cruel force of the totalitarian communist regime. In nearly every family you will find traces of people who perished in Siberia, who were persecuted by the KGB or imprisoned and harassed by the totalitarian regime. This is not a distant and obscure past; it is still very much a living memory in the minds of many people who are citizens of the European Union. Therefore, it is our moral obligation and a fundamental duty as Europeans, rooted in our common values, in honouring the memory of those many victims, to reiterate our strong and clear condemnation of those horrific crimes committed by the totalitarian communist regime in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the victims deserve nothing less than an objective, in-depth and thorough evaluation of the past, because there cannot be reconciliation without truth and remembrance.”
Declaration condemning these crimes will be presented to the Parliament tomorrow. This is important achievement as European Socialdemocrats tried till the last minute to get it out from agenda. Hearings on the crimes of communist last week in Brussels nevertheless had strong impact on Parliament and helped the case happily forward. Czech Presidency and President Havel played important role supporting the condemnation of communism. Looking on year 1968 they know what the communism is.
It is symbolic, that this declaration will be discussed on the day, when 60 years tens of thousands Baltic people were deported to Siberia. Today Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) passed its declaration, condemning communist crimes and remebering victims of communism.
Some month before the Russian invasion against Georgia in August 2008 Russian journalist Pavel Felgenhauer warned the World on coming Russian attack against Georgia. He was not believed, not in West and not in Tbilisi. Now Felgenhauer is warning us again. By the Bakillar.az newssite Felgenhauer is describing the plan moving around in Kreml to “finish the job” and remove Skahashvili from power. Failure to do this during the August-war has made Russia furiuos. Russia has not won sympathy in the World, he is still alone in its recognition of South-Ossetia’s and Abhkazia’s “Independence” and its authority is weakening in the region as Shakashvili is still there. Situation in occupied territories is deteriorating also. When Georgia has build houses for big part of refugees, then in South-Ossetia nothing is done. Kreml also needs “small and victorius” war to turn people’s attention away from worsening economic situation and to bolster its power. By Felgenhauer new campaigne starts from provocation against Russian peacekeepers where Georgia is accused. Kreml is then launching surprise attack against Tbilisi from two side – Tsinhvali and Akhalgori, opening the third front in West, attacking there Poti and Sukhumi from Abkhazia. Vaziani and Tbilisi airports are taken. Georgia is blocked from Sea and then Tbilisi will be conquered and Shakashvili would be removed from power, to be replaced by some kind of ”Salvation Commmitte”. Such of scenario can look unbelievible, but so was it before the August war. Only way to make it not happen is to be NOW – and not AFTERWARDS – very clear in this question with Kreml – make no war. When Kreml gets from West distorted signals, he thinks, that the new war would may-be not be so bad idea.
An international conference concerning the crimes of communism was held in Budapest on the 6-8 of March. The conference was organized by the The European Foundation for the Disclosure and Investigation of Communist Crimes. Institutions, embassies and organizations from Europe, USA and Canada were invited. In the conference delegates discussed the situation in the World in context of condemnation of communists crimes. It was stated that in the World knowledge of communist crimes is still very low. It is unimagible to wear Adolf Hitler T-shirt, but Che Guevara, Mao or Lenin T-shirts are in public sell around the World. When nazi crimes are rightfully condemned, the same has not happened with communist crimes. The question is not only in Stalinist crimes, communism has killed more as 100 million people around the World – and the list is growing. Communism has from the beginning been evil idea, who’s answer to the World problems was violence and terror. When we could not deal with past, we must relive it. Condemnation of communist crimes is only way to avoid, that some people get again idea to kill other people, because they belong to “wrong” political or social group. They know, that killing other people for racial or religious grounds is not welcomed, but till communism exists killing people for political or social reasons looks for some people not so bad idea.
Among other initiatives a joint letter was sent by the delegates to the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt concerning the Swedish EU Presidency and the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the liberation of from Communism, the democratization of the Baltic states, Eastern and Central Europe, and the peaceful reunification of the continent. European Parliament has declared 23.August remebrance day of victims of communism and nazism. On 23.august 1939 nazi Germany and communist Russia signed so called Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, dividing the World and launching the II World War. Week later, on 01.September 1939 Hitler attacked Poland from one side, on 17.september Stalin from other side. As a result of pact nations of Central and Eastern Europe lost millions of their citizens to nazi and Soviet terror, liberating themselves from totalitarianism only after fall of communism.
The letter was signed by delegates from the United States, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden, the Ukraine, Austria and England.
I was just mentioned by some friends that I have during last time totally forgot my English blog. Unfortunately this is true – and not good. So I try to do my best to change the situation. Main reason for the silence has been very busy times connected with preparation of Estonian negative suplementary budget, which was passed in Estonia at the end of February. Estonia decided to cut its budget by 10% not waiting time, when the cuts are made by IMF. Estonian goal os to prepare itself to eurozone, which can become possible in next year – when Estonia ofcourse can keep its budget under Maastricht criteria. Estonia is not asking any special conditions or privileges, we know that without good homework we can not become members of eurozone. So our future lies largely in our own hands.