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The London paper Al-Sharg Al-Awsat has written that Basaev His other articles contain political messages intended for abroad. controlled the "Abkhaz heroin road" used by the Taliban as a Surikov has contacts with Fritz Ermarth, former leading CIA transit route to Europe.* analyst of the USSR and Russia, now in the Nixon Foundation... Russian observers have pointed out that the meeting(s) in In 2002-03, together with Kondaurov—who represented France, which took place in June and/or July 1999, came shortly Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Leonid Nevzlin—Surikov, with the after the unexpected entry of Russian troops into Kosovo. On help of Victor Vidmanov, organized financing of CPRF by June 11, 1999, 200 Russian troops in SFOR drove from Bosnia to YUKOS shareholders and the individuals associated with OPS Pristina and secured Slatina airport. General Wesley Clark then [the organized criminal society] (Yakov Kosman, Nikolai ordered (UK) General Sir Mike Jackson (who on June 9 had Lugovskoi) to the tune of $15 million.” signed technical agreement for withdrawal of Yugoslav troops from Kosovo) "...to seize the airport. Jackson responded, (Note: "CPREF" stands for Communist Party of the Russian famously, that he would not start World War Three for him."* Federation. "YUKOS" is a Russian oil company, once Following two days of talks directly between Clinton and Khodorkovsky's.) Yeltsin, the crisis was averted. Instead, there followed weeks of Boris Kagarlitsky's essay [Novaya Gazeta, January 24, 2000] "protracted negotiations on Russia's role in the Kosovo and Yasenev's memo, taken from intelligence files, talk about eacekeeping mission".* In the end, under Surikov but from opposing perspectives. circumstances still not fully understood, the Kagarlitsky, a long-time dissident and foe of United States and NATO agreed that the Putin, saw the Beaulieu meeting as the venue Russians could stay. for Kremlin-instigated violence, designed to The Russian troops finally withdrew from restore the Kremlin's popularity before the the airport in July 2003.* Significantly, a saps coming election. Yasenev's memo sees chart of Russian drug-trafficking prepared Within a year of Surikov as part of an ongoing effort to y one of Surikov's partners, Sergei Petrov, 0 i destabilise Russia and weaken the Kremlin. indicates that in 2003 Kosovo ceased to be a the troops arrival, Kagarlitsky (and after him Dunlop) says main point of export for Russian drugs, its by 2000, according to almost nothing about Surikov, other than to place being taken by the Black Sea oil port DEA statistics. Afghan refer to his past years with Russian military of Novorossiysk.” . y intelligence, the GRU. To quote Dunlop Within a year of the troops' arrival, by heroin accounted for [pp. 44-45]: 2000, according to DEA (Drug Enforcement Kagarlitskii also notes: "During Administration) statistics, Afghan heroin almost 20 per cent Primakov's time, Surikov worked on the staff accounted for almost 20 per cent of the of the heroin seized in of the government of the Russian heroin seized in the United States— A Federation. Despite this fact, he also nearly double the percentage taken four the United States developed regular work relations with years earlier. Much of it was now nearly double the Voloshin's people." It seems therefore distributed in America by Kosovar quite likely that Surikov and Voloshin Albanians.* It is significant therefore percentage taken were personally acquainted."' that: The "Pristina dash" by Russian parachutists in 1999 during the Kosovo crisis (the purpose of the "dash" was to force NATO to guarantee for Russia a separate sector of responsibility in Kosovo) was organised by the head of the General Staff, Anatoly Kvashnin, most powerful enemy in Russia: the and his deputy, Leonid Ivashov, oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. (The without the knowledge of minister of defense Igor Sergeyev and Kondaurov—Khodorkovsky connection is abundantly documented: most likely without Yeltsin's knowledge.* both men freely admit it.) Forbes magazine, which underwrote Klebnikov's damning Yasenev says nothing about this, but does assert that Kvashnin account of Berezovsky, wrote on March 18, 2002, that was the Russian Army connection of two leading drug traffickers Khodorkovsky appeared to be "the West's best friend" in Russia. (Vladimir Filin and Alexey Likhvintsev) in the Saidov—Surikov According to PBS in October 2003, Khodorkovsky's firm group. Menatep shared business interests with the Western investment firms Global Asset Management, the Blackstone Group, the The Role of Surikov: The Dunlop and Yasenev Versions Carlyle Group and AIG Capital Partners. In addition: four years earlier. However, Yasenev's memo in December 2004 links Surikov not to the government or Kremlin but (through Kondaurov) to the sphere of the man who by that time had emerged as America's best friend and Putin's As we have seen, Dunlop describes Anton Surikov, the He frequently travels to the United States. He reportedly dined organiser of the Beaulieu meeting between Voloshin and Basaev, with Condoleezza Rice last year and recently was a guest at Herb as "a retired officer in the GRU". He fails to quote from his Allen's Idaho ranch, along with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and source Yasenev's description of Surikov: other luminaries, for an annual telecommunications executives Anton Victorovich Surikov (b. 1961). Presents himself as meeting.” His other articles contain political messages intended for abroad. Surikov has contacts with Fritz Ermarth, former leading CIA analyst of the USSR and Russia, now in the Nixon Foundation... In 2002-03, together with Kondaurov—who represented Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Leonid Nevzlin—Surikov, with the help of Victor Vidmanov, organized financing of CPRF by YUKOS shareholders and the individuals associated with OPS [the organized criminal society] (Yakov Kosman, Nikolai Lugovskoi) to the tune of $15 million.” Within a year of the troops’ arrival, by 2000, according to DEA statistics, Afghan heroin accounted for almost 20 per cent of the heroin seized in nearly double the percentage taken four years earlier. Yasenev says nothing about this, but does assert that Kvashnin was the Russian Army connection of two leading drug traffickers (Vladimir Filin and Alexey Likhvintsev) in the Saidov—Surikov group. The Role of Surikov: The Dunlop and Yasenev Versions As we have seen, Dunlop describes Anton Surikov, the organiser of the Beaulieu meeting between Voloshin and Basaev, as "a retired officer in the GRU". He fails to quote from his source Yasenev's description of Surikov: Anton Victorovich Surikov (b. 1961). Presents himself as political scientist. Responsible for informational and political projects. Actively publishes in press. Some of his publications resemble ciphered directives to the elements in Russian special services disloyal [emphasis added] to President Vladimir Putin. Quoting from an anti-Yeltsin essay of May 1999 by Surikov in Versiya, the American right-wing Jamestown Foundation agrees with Yasenev (against Kagarlitsky and Dunlop) that "Surikov is 30 - NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2006 the United States— www.nexusmagazi ne.com