ANONYMOUS LETTER BY KGB AGENT CONFIRMS DEATH SQUAD’S EXISTENCE :: Charter'97 :: News

Anonymous letter was e-mailed to a range of independent periodicals, radio-stations and Russian TV channels, accredited in Belarus. The authors of the letter, who call themselves KGB officers, prove data on the existence of death squads in Belarus. The KGB agents say they had to voice their information due to the failed Lukashenko’s attempt to refute the accusations of murders. KGB people claim that the death squad does exist and operates at the expense of ordinary tax-payers.

According to the authors of the missive, the initiative to form a special unit, which was originally designed to slay leaders of organized gangs, belongs to the current prosecutor general Viktor Sheiman. The idea was then approved by Alexander Lukashenko. Former Interior Minister Yuri Sivakov was the one in charge of carrying out the plan. Then the idea was upheld by Vladimir Tkachenko, deputy chief of reconnaissance department of the armed forces of Belarus. The special unit is reportedly based in the building of the former block of apartments of Minsk garrison on Talbukhina street of Minsk.

The authors state that the major tasks of the special unit are as follows: developing a spy network within opposition ranks, receiving data about their plans, collecting compromising data against opposition figures and their relatives and operations on physical annihilation of opposition leaders.

Over 150 staff employees are reported to be doing the job – officers, warrant officers, graduates of the Institute of national security and other institutions. The authors cite names of some of the participants and pledge to divulge their home addresses in their next message. Among the permanent staffers the authors name Dmitry Pavlichenko and his mates, who are entrusted with the most serious tasks. In general, the death squad has at its disposal over 20 vehicles, whose number-plates get constantly replaced anew. The activities, that the unit is involved in, are kept strictly confidential. The orders are given to the executors directly, avoiding their chiefs. At the moment the squad is guided by former officer Nikolai Vasilchenko, who used to work for the chief department of state protection – a body personally subordinate to the president.

The KGB agents dare not identify themselves, fearing for the safety of their loved ones. However, they say, as soon as the trial over the assassinators of politicians starts, they vow readiness to act there in capacity of witnesses. Radio Ratsya correspondent sought to check out the address, specified in the letter. It turned out that there’s an ordinary block of flats in the spot, which the authors believe to be the location of the unit. However, right behind that multi-storey house there’s a building, surrounded by high metal fence without any identification marks. From behind the fence there came up policeman, who asked Radio Ratsya correspondent to present his ID. The guard took away his passport and promised that he would call for some woman, who can answer all their questions. 20 minutes later, though, the law-enforcer returned the passport and told the reporters that their questions would remain unanswered.

Near the site of the building there’s a parking lot where there is a sign, enumerating numbers of car plates, mentioned in the anonymous message. Residents of the neighboring houses say that the building in question belongs to the presidential Administration. The young man in civilian, who walked out of the gates, declined to say what’s located there.