PETER YERMILIN: THE "KURSK" MURDERER SIGNALLED "SOS", STATED KLEBANOV. WILL THE "NEAR-THE-KREMLIN BALL" OPPOSE THE VERSION OF SUBMARINES COLLISION NOW AS WELL? - 20 November, 2000

The authorities measure out by grain the information about the loss of the sub "Kursk" to be provided to the society. It is curious, but it is only several months later that Vice-Premier Ilia Klebanov mentioned a "SOS" signal they detected in the Russian submarine's disaster area a day later. According to Klebanov's version, the fact was not made public before because the naval command believed the signal had been given by "Kursk". But later, the Vice-Premier said, it was established that the missile carrier was not equipped with a device to give such a signal. "We think those were not the signals given by our sub," Klebanov said. Moscow, according to the Vice-Premier, proceeds from the fact that the unknown submarine was lying somewhere nearby at that moment.

The Vice-Premier's statement, in general, confirms the utterances by the naval command, including Chief Fleet Commander Vladimir Kuroyedov. The question is why was Klebanov silent about it before? The fact of experts having confirmed the impossibility for "Kursk" to give "SOS" signals only three months later, appears a complete nonsense. It means there are some other reasons. What are they? To all appearances, Ilia Klebannov, while possessing the complete established information on the reasons behind the loss of the submarine, used it for differennt, career purposes. Just to remind you, right after the disaster the so-called "black PR" became very active in discrediting the leadership of the Ministry of Defence. It is interesting that Gleb Pavlovski's "Effective Policies Foundation" ("EPF"), which is close to the head of the Kremlin Administration, became one of its main centres. On the crest of public indignation, it seemed fairly easy to remove Igor Sergeev, Minister of Defence, from his post. Having in mind that Klebanov was, certainly, to know about the preparation of a presidential decree to transfer the control over arms export from him to the Ministry of Defence, the objective of that "black PR" becomes clear. Having managed, while already enjoying Vladimir Putin's patronage, to came to common terms with Alexander Voloshin, and knowing about the claims to Igor Sergeev after his clash in public with Kvashnin, General Headquarters Chief, Klebanov decided it was time to catch his "bird of luck". The more so that the next Minister of Defence should be a civilian but not a military man. It is only by this intrigue, aimed at control over arms export, that you can account for the fact that the proofs of the military's version about the collision of submarines are dragged out from Klebanov with horses. In the light of these aspirations of the Vice-Premier, the versions about the fault of the submarine crew or a torpedo launched by the "Peter the Great " appear well-balanced. Both of them point to those immediately guilty of the tragedy: the military leadership that should be urgently changed. It is these versions that are also adhered to by the "EPF's" main propaganda vehicle site SMI.Ru. Strictly following this doctrine in covering the reasons behind the loss of "Kursk", SMI.Ru accuses the leaders of the Ministry of Defence with the same persistence as the "Moscovski Komsomolets" ("MK") did it in the late eighties and early nineties. It is another thing, of course, that, unlike the "EPF", the "MK" did it not realising the consequences of its campaign against the military. That the "EPF" acts in full awareness is evidenced, at least, by the title of one of the materials that accuses the military of the loss of "Kursk". By the irony of fate, it is entitled… "Black PR". The logic is well-known: according to a well-established tradition, it is the thief himself who is supposed to be the first to cry out "catch the thief"… Anyhow, yesterday Klebanov was compelled to inform the public about yet another fact which refutes the versions by the "near-the-Kremlin ball" and confirms the military's conclusions. Probably, Putin gave to understand that there could be no serious changes in this country's leadership this year, at least. It is quite possible that in the days to come the public will also learn the opinion of the experts as to the possession of the foreign submarine in the Barents Sea, the fragment of which was found during the first weeks following the tragedy. In any case, no matter how hard the known "ball" tries to conceal all the circumstances of the "Kursk" tragedy from the society, they will be a failure. Especially that the military, anyhow, possess a more comprehensive information and seem to have learned, over the last decades, to frustrate the crafty intrigues of those who strive for power in the Ministry of Defence.