MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION INFORMATION AND PRESS DEPARTMENT _______________________________ 32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya pl., 119200, Moscow G-200; tel.: (499) 244 4119, fax: (499) 244 4112 e-mail: dip@mid.ru, web-address: www.mid.ru |
Question: Today in the paper Komsomolskaya Pravda Boris Berezovsky was frightening us that Chechen gunmen have atomic weapons. How possible is that?
Commentary: Of late we have been witnesses of the appearance in a number of media of all kinds of threats against us. We shall give as an example the British television Channel Four, which a few days ago aired a story featuring terrorist/murderer Shamil Basayev, who threatened Russians with "new Beslans." Now London political emigre Boris Berezovsky is trying to scare us with portable nuclear bombs at the disposal of Chechen gunmen. We do not rule out that there will follow more scary tales of this kind, the aim of which is to spread in Russia feelings of vulnerability and nervousness.
As to the substance of the matter, Moscow does not believe that Chechen gunmen might have such a nuclear device. Accordingly, we do not consider a terrorist act with its employment possible.