The story of an officer

Not long before the beginning of the war in 1994, in Groznyy, in the presidential palace the broadened assembly of the Chechen militaries with Johar Dudaev's participation was carried out. At that assembly one episode, which fairly amused the participants, was noticeable.

The people, gathered in the hall pending of arrival of the president, voluntarily or not paid attention to some man wearing the uniform of an officer of the Soviet army, with habits and grimaces of a head of political education, who was running in the hall and ordering about. The picture reminded a plot from the life of the Soviet army, and the officer (later it turned out that he really was a head of political education), waiting for arrival of the army heads, was the same pertinent there, as, for example, a compere at the meeting of mojaheds.

But later everything turned out to be even more amusing. Johar Dudaev arrived, everyone stood up, and at the arm wave of the officer the Chechen hymn began to play. However, something had not worked with the equipment - after the first chords there was a scratch, and the music broke off.

After a small pause the attempt was repeated, but again unsuccessfully. It is excessive to assume, what was happening in the officer's soul, and after the third unsuccessful attempt, when everybody including Johar, began to smile and decided to begin the work without listening to the hymn.

However, the invisible mechanic with the Chechen persistence, made one more unsuccessful attempt to turn on the hymn, and then the worried and offended voice of the officer was heard, "Comrade warrant officer, stop scoffing, the whole solemnity of the moment has already passed!"

The name of that officer was Selim Tsuev, the same as the present "military commissioner" in the occupational administration of the Chechen Republic General-major (!) Selim Tsuev, because it is the same person.

It remains to be a riddle how he turned out to be in the armed forces of Ichkeria in the beginning of the war, the solution of which, probably, is getting dusty in archives of Lubyanka. But a fact remains to be the fact; in 1994 he was an assistant to the chief of the Headquarters of the Military Forces of Ichkeria Aslan Mashadov. And even the corresponding post was thought up for him; though it was exotic for Ichkeria - the deputy of the educational work with the staff.

He fulfilled his duties regularly and zealously, except for the incident with the hymn. It is enough to remember his speeches on TV with appeals to rise for protection of the Native land against the aggression of Russia . However, after the first fights with the Russian armies he disappeared.

Thanks Allah, the Chechen army has always managed without commissioners calling the Chechen fighters to the attack. People became interested with disappearance of Tsuev from TV only because of anxiety - whether he had got in the lists of fighting losses. It turned out that the loss was not fighting. He left a message for the government, that his wife was ill, and he took her to Moscow for treatment (!?).

"Damn him" - a not tempted inhabitant said then, "the deputy of the chief of the General Headquarters of the Military forces at the height of the war takes his wife for treatment to the capital of the enemy state". Though there is nothing to be surprised looking at it from the point of view of the modern realities - his trip, for certain, was paid by the Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow .

Today Tsuev, at last, has become well-known. However, the post of the military commissioner on the occupied territory of the Chechen Republic is also absolutely symbolical, like the head of political education in the army of Ichkeria. There is no levy of Chechens to the Russian army, and it is not expected for the known reasons.

For the second time, after the illness of his wife, he loudly reminded of himself by that he ostensibly was a nominee at the elections of "the president of the Chechen Republic " according to the version of the Kremlin. However, he resigned at once; but, nevertheless, he got in the chronicle of news. Then he disappeared again and now, at last, he has one more opportunity to become famous. Any way, he has undergone a real attempt at his life.

The truth, there is a suspicion, that not everything is so clear with the attempt; the same as with the illness of his wife in 1994. Tsuev declares that the attempt was at his life, and thus his security guards are wounded, but he was not in the car.

However, in the first news about the explosion near Hankala the version of an attempt was denied. The word of mouth and puppets from militia say the same. Venomous tongues approve, that the explosion happened because of wrong operation of the weapon, therefore, a manual grenade RGD blew up inside the car, which provoked the accident of several cars, but it was not 10 kg of trotyl anyway.

It is quite probable, that actually nobody attempted at his life. And there is no need to kill Selim Tsuev. Why? For one simple reason – he is unnecessary.

So the reason of the explosion can be much more banal - most likely, Tsuev took as the guard and entrusted the grenade to that warrant officer, who could not turn on the record of the hymn.

Ruslan Isakov,

Kavkaz Center

2005-06-08 00:04:16

http://www.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2005/06/08/3854.shtml