Oleg Alkaev: Video Records of Zakharenko, Gonchar and Krasovsky’s Murders Exist Indeed :: Charter'97 :: News

"Narodnaya Volya" continues to keep track of the investigation course into the disappearances of Yuri Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky and Dmitry Zavadsky. According to the information, received by the editorial board from the competent sources, in the end of the month the investigation into the matter may finally be halted. Detectives claim that they have exhausted all possible methods, getting no facts and results at the end. However, the Belarusian public will hardly put up with that. Facts do exist. This is proved by the video-records of Irina Krasovskaya and lawyer Garry Pogonailo`s conversation with Oleg Alkaev. They had a six-hour long talk in Germany with the former chief of the pre-trial confinement Alkaev. The records shed light on some remarkable peculiarities of disappearances of prominent opposition members. Publishing today`s materials the newspaper in no wise passes an accusatory verdict to the people, whose names are made mention in it. If they believe that Oleg Alkaev is mistaken or lies or that Garry Pogonailo`s position is biased, "Narodnaya Volya" will gladly give floor to any of the sides and publish their vision of the problem too.

Oleg Alkaev: Decision to arrest brigade`s commander was passed by three sober men

To our mind, there`s no point in laying out the whole transcript of a six-hour long conversation between colonel Alkaev, Irina Krasovskaya and Garry Pogonailo. We`ve already published a lot in our previous issues. In his new revelations Oleg Alkaev mentions two top officials – Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov and deputy state secretary of the Security Council Mikhail Udovikov. According to Alkaev, Vladimir Naumov from the very beginning was aware of all the nuances of disappearances. He adds that it is only thanks to the Interior Minister that the scandalous top secret rapports of Alkaev and Lopatik had been composed.

"We filed rapports to the name of Naumov," – says Oleg Alkaev: "You know, these are the things, which cannot be done without preliminary agreement".

When asked by Irina Krasovskaya why the head of state doesn`t dismiss Naumov from his post, Alkaev answered the following: "For two years in a row Naumov worked as the chief of the presidential security service and may well be aware of more dangerous things than these murders. He is a too informed person and therefore they can`t let him go… In the past Naumov could well not understand that investigation into the disappearances may ultimately lead to Lukashenko. Today Sheiman pretty much realizes that Naumov is a serious information carrier".

Oleg Alkaev, just as many others, claims that a wide circle of people has information about political abductions in Belarus. "Cherginets, Lopatik, Udovikov, Naumov are all cowards. They must celebrate women`s day on March 8," – exclaims the colonel (insulting by this one phrase all our women). However, a few years ago, having allegedly compared the dates of the gun issue with the dates of Zakharenko, Gonchar and Krasovsky`s disappearances, Alkaev addressed the one, whom he calls coward today.

"Then I told Naumov: they find a body with a bullet in it and get me arrested in two hours. I`m keeping the gun, so who will believe me? They will find false witnesses and bribe my own" (he possibly meant members of the special group for carrying out death executions).

As stressed by Alkaev, in response Naumov confessed that once he also almost got implicated into a similar dirty story. Once he received five machine-guns, from which, as it turned out later, they had massacred customs officers at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border. "I was lucky to avoid arrest," – said Naumov: "Fortunately, I found the right papers…"

Alkaev says that on November 22, 2000 Vladimir Naumov personally visited Valery Ignatovich in pre-trial custody. They brought Ignatovich over to him on a stretcher. Oleg Alkaev states that he didn`t listen to what they talked about: "I left the room in order not to interfere." But he remembers well Naumov`s last words, which he uttered when leaving the room: "But you better think and tell us where Zavadsky I buried".

On the same day one of the pre-trial confinement officials celebrated his birthday. They proposed to Naumov to drink a glass of champagne, but he refused referring to some important work ahead. "We only drank tea in my office," – recalls Alkaev: "He told me that next day they would arrest Pavlichenko".

Need help? – inquired Alkaev.

- We`ll do it on our own, - responded the Minister.

Alkaev pinpoints that on that day "a decision to arrest the commander of a brigade was passed by three totally sober men – Naumov, Bozhelko and Matskevich".

In the next couple of days the events were developing after the following pattern.

"Naumov called me and asked: "Heard the last news? Turn on TV". The TV presenters read out reports about dismissals of Sheiman, Bozhelko and Matskevich from the occupied posts. Alkaev determined that the guilty ones would for sure be punished now.

However, on November 24 Sheiman was appointed prosecutor general. After this appointment Alkaev was visited by the head of the procuracy investigation group Ivan Branchel, who gave him the execution gun and a gun issue book. "We never saw you and know nothing…"

"On November 28 I called Naumov," – says Alkaev: "He told me: don`t worry, I told them not to touch you".

Naumov was mistaken… He hoped that Lukashenko would get rid of Sheiman, knowing not that they are in one boat with him…"

According to Alkaev, video-tapes with the murders of Zakharenko, Gonchar and Krasovsky do exist in reality. He assumes that some law-enforcers even managed to multiply it.

The colonel also claims that he saw nothing of that tape. However, he said that "Yuri Zakharenko is videoed there with chopped hands. I was told about that literally on the next day after Pavlichenko`s interrogation by my acquaintance – the head of the collective farm, whom many of the top officials personally know". (At first we doubted whether we should publish this quotation, for it doesn`t really sound convincing. Alkaev was told something by some collective farm`s head. How could he know anything about the incident? But then we thought that it could possibly help the detectives to find track of that very person).

Soon Alkaev again called Naumov: "Some guys are after me. Know who it can be?" Although he didn`t feel any guilt, he asked the Minister to explain what on earth is going on.

"I guess, Naumov had no idea that Sheiman had surveillance of his own. And so he answered: No idea. Find it out yourself."

"I will deal with them on my own and then you will answer for that," – threatened Alkaev.

Some time later Oleg Alkaev attempted to discuss the disappearance problem with the current deputy state secretary of the Security Council Mikhail Udovikov. "I told him everything as officer to the officer. He said: "Destroy the gun and I will sign any paper".

- What about the bullet? – inquired Alkaev.

- Destroy it also, - recommended Udovikov.

"I refused", - said former head of jail.

"The version that it was me who slew them and fled abroad could have been masterminded only in KGB," – assures Alkaev.

P.S. Video-records of conversation with Oleg Alkaev are stored by Irina Krasovskaya. Interested law-enforcers may familiarize themselves with its text, if necessary.