Russian Apartment Bombings

In the beginning of September 1999 occurred a series of apartment bombings in Russia, which lasted for two weeks & killed almost 300 people. According to the official story told by Russian President Vladimir Putin, & the Federal Security Service (FSB), the bombings were caused by Chechen terrorists. Two men who denied involvement were convicted during a closed trial which was believed to be a charade. The bombings triggered anger by the Russian people which resulted in an invasion of Chechnya. It also made possible Vladimir Putin's smooth ascendance from Prime Minister to the presidency, by portraying him as a savior of the people. The BBC proclaimed, "shortly afterwards Mr Putin launched a second war against Chechnya. The military operation had massive support from a public outraged by the bombings."

During one attempted bombing some residents noticed suspicious activity & phoned the local police who arrived to discover a military-grade explosive in the basement of the building. They setup roadblocks hoping to catch the people matching the description. Upon discovering this, the perpetrators used a public telephone to contact a source, apparently for instructions on how to avoid the roadblocks. When an operator traced the call, it lead directly to the FSB in Moscow. The people who made this call were arrested by the local police.

On March 13, 2004, in an articled called, Secret at the heart of Putin's rise to power, the UK Telegraph wrote, "Shortly afterwards the two men were arrested. ... Each produced documents showing that he worked for the FSB. Later an order came down from Moscow ordering the local police release them." The next day, the head of the FSB announced that the entire operation had merely been a training drill. However, the local police concluded that the working explosive they found was the exact type used in the other bombings. Also, the bombings stopped when the FSB agents were caught.

On the right is a photograph of one of the bombed apartment buildings. The investigation, which resulted in a conviction of Chechens on charges of terrorism, was conducted by the FSB. But no Chechen claimed responsibility. A motion for another investigation was filed by at least one member of the Russian Parliament but was blocked by Putin. Not satisfied with the official report, some citizens formed a private committee to investigate the bombings. The committee was disbanded after multiple deaths ensued. No more investigations were allowed. The bomb found in the apartment was confiscated from the local police by the FSB, & all materials related to the incident were sealed for the next 75 years. Who benefited from these bombings?

Wikipedia states, "These suspicious events led to allegations that the bombings were in fact a "false flag" attack perpetrated by the FSB in order to legitimize the resumption of military activities in Chechnya and bring Vladimir Putin and the FSB to power." [A] growing body of proof has surfaced that links the bombings ... to the FSB," noted the Telegraph. Interestingly, President Vladimir Putin was an FSB chief until August of 1999. "The 1999 bombings," described the UK Telegraph, "proved to be Mr Putin's political making. He positioned himself as a strongman who would crush the Chechen rebels and restore order to the ailing country. ... Now, after winning nearly complete control over parliament in December and installing a loyal new cabinet ... Mr Putin is poised to seal another four years at Russia's helm."

"Former GRU officer Aleksey Galkin ... and other whistleblowers from the Russian government and security services have asserted that the 1999 Russian apartment bombings that precipitated the Second Chechen War were false flag operations," explained Wikipedia "perpetrated by the FSB, the successor organization to the KGB." "Alexander Litvinenko, a former FSB officer, also claimed that [the] apartment bombings were organized by the FSB and the GRU agents in the book Gang from Lubyanka..." On December 29, 2003 the FSB confiscated 5000 copies of this book en route to Moscow from Latvia. On November 1, 2006 Litvinenko fell ill & died three weeks later of acute radiation syndrome. A number of other accidents, deaths, & imprisonments related to an independent investigation of these bombings also occurred.

On March 6, 2002 in an article entitled, Former Ally Links Putin to Moscow Blasts, The London Guardian described how a tycoon named Boris Berezovsky accused Putin of being linked to the bombings. "Mr Putin, who was named prime minister shortly before the bombings after heading the FSB, blamed the attacks on Chechens and used public outrage to justify sending Russian forces into the rebel republic. Presenting himself as a tough war leader, he won the presidential election in 2000," stated the Guardian. Quoting Berezovsky, they wrote, "I am sure the bombings were organised by the FSB. It's not just speculation. It's a clear conclusion."

The BBC added, "He [Berezovsky] also has the backing of a Russian explosives expert, ex-FSB member and former director of the Russian Conversion Explosives Centre, Nikita Chekulin, who says that before the bombings, security services purchased large amounts of the explosive Hexogen, said to have been found at Ryazan. ... The tycoon said that the subsequent campaign in Chechnya aided Mr Putin's rise to power."

-Sources-
In the beginning of September: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_apartment_bombings
Two men who denied involvement: UK Telegraph, Secret at the heart of Putin's rise to power, March 13, 2004, Julius Strauss, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/13/wruss13.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/03/13/ixnewstop.html
Mr Putin launched a second war: BBC News, Russian tycoon blames Moscow for blasts, March 6, 2002, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1857060.stm
residents noticed suspicious activity: UK Telegraph, Secret at the heart of Putin's rise to power, March 13, 2004, Julius Strauss
he worked for the FSB: Ibid
the bombings stopped: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_apartment_bombings
resulted in a conviction of Chechens: UK Telegraph, Secret at the heart of Putin's rise to power, March 13, 2004, Julius Strauss
sealed for the next 75 years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_apartment_bombings
perpetrated by the FSB: Ibid
proved to be Mr Putin's political making: UK Telegraph, Secret at the heart of Putin's rise to power, March 13, 2004, Julius Strauss
Former GRU officer Aleksey Galkin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag
Alexander Litvinenko, a former FSB: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_apartment_bombings
5000 copies of this book: Ibid
Litvinenko fell ill & died: Ibid
accused Putin of being linked to the bombings: The Guardian, Former ally links Putin to Moscow blasts, March 6, 2002, Jonathan Steele, Ian Traynor, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/mar/06/russia.iantraynor
backing of a Russian explosives expert: BBC News, Russian tycoon blames Moscow for blasts, March 6, 2002