Beslan hostage remembers how he woke up in a body bag

Stas Bokoev, a hostage, who survived the terrorist attack in Beslan when he was 14 years old, said that he woke up in a bag for dead bodies after the storm of the building.

Source: Wikipedia (license CC BY-SA 3.0)

In an interview with Russian journalist Yury Dud for his three-hour documentary "Beslan. Remember," Bokoev said that he was born with a mirror arrangement of internal organs. His heart was placed in the right section of his thorax cavity, which was probably a reason why rescuers concluded that the boy was dead.

Before finding himself in the bag, Bokoev escaped from school with other hostages. The boy hid himself behind a building where he thought he could find shelter, leaned against the wall and lost consciousness. He then woke up in an EMERCOM tent and told a doctor where he had been wounded. According to Bokoev, there was a fragment of a bullet in his left side. "I showed the place where I had the bullet fragment and then I passed out," Bokoev said adding that he then woke up in a body bag.

"I had lost a lot of blood, so they failed to find out that I was still alive. My heart is in my right side, so they assumed that I was dead. As soon as they saw me with my eyes open, they pulled me out of the bag and then I found myself at hospital," the man said. "I only had enough strength to open my eyes. I could not move," he said.

On Sunday, September 1, North Ossetia hosted Memory Watch events in memory of the victims of the hostage crisis that took place in the city of Beslan 15 years ago. On September 1, 2004, more than 1,200 people were taken hostage at Beslan's School No. 1. A group of armed terrorists attacked the school at the moment when people gathered there for traditional annual Day of Knowledge celebrations. The terrorists were holding the hostages in the school gym without giving them any food and water for nearly three days. On September 3, after an explosion ripped through the building, Russian special services launched an operation to storm the building and destroy the terrorists. 334 people were killed, of which 186 were children.

Today, Beslan still lives in mourning. Over 15 years that have passed since the horrendous terrorist attack, local residents have formed their own procedure to hold memorial events. In the school gym, where more than 1,200 hostages were kept, people light candles next to photos of the victims. The procedure lasts for three days to coincide with three days of the terror attack. People bring toys and bottles of water to the school yard. Residents also visit the memorial graveyard "City of Angels" where they bring flowers to pay tribute to those who were killed in the terrorist attack. On a third day, a divine service is held. All of North Ossetia stops for a moment of silence, before people walk from the school building to the memorial graveyard. At the graveyard, they announce the name of every victim; a memorial service is then held.

The Day of Knowledge in the Republic of North Ossetia is held after the Memory Watch is finished - on September 4. The rest of Russia marks this day traditionally, on September 1. 

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Kazakhstan: Crossing the bridge between past and future

Kazakhstan: Crossing the bridge between past and future

  

                When I visited Kazakhstan in 2017 I had some expectations about what I would see in this country and how they adapted after the Soviet Union. I would imagine a country still much linked to its old traditions and still in a slow development from the production model of the Soviet Union to a western model of free market.  For me was a great surprise how this country has developed so fast in a few years and assumed a behaviour as leader in Central Asia.

                My adventure across the lands of Genghis Khan starts in Almaty in October of 2017, after having travelled on the same period to Uzbekistan, I have taken a flight from Tashkent capital of Uzbekistan to Almaty the old capital of Kazakhstan. I could learn from recent Kazakh friends that Almaty is a name more linked to Russian expression, however the most adequate name was Alma Ata in Kazakh that describes the city as "Place of apples"

                On a traveller perspective enter in Kazakhstan was easy, my country has visa free for 90 days with this country and could not see whatever of difficulty to enter there, differently Uzbekistan is much more bureaucratic and controlled and I wrote about that in my last article Uzbekistan: Inside the Heart of the Silk Road.

                The first impression on arrival of Almaty was interesting, a modern city, crowded, industrialized with high urban traffic and polluted. The highlight point was meeting a city in a development and reference to other important cities on this region. Located in the south, Almaty has easy access to Bishkek the capital of Kyrgyzstan far from there only 235 km and not so far from Tashkent around 1100 km, beyond that has good access to water from Balkash lake and Kapchagay lake. The main visual lowlight is the air pollution. Still there are not much control on CO2 emissions from cars and buses and concentration of black smoke from cars are high, it reflects on air quality as Almaty is located on the base of mountains and the dissipation of black smoke is hard. The public fleet of buses still is old and not friendly to the environment, I did not see any perspective to change it soon from government however on other public transport they have better improvements. The example is the Almaty metro. In Kazakhstan only Almaty has metro subway and provides a good access to main regions of city and touristic points. The metro is modern and the wagons produced in South Korea provide to Almaty the best structure of Central Asia.

                Almaty is a central point to make the main touristic packages and visit other cities and make tours of one day. It is totally accessible make most of tours alone considering an adventure profile tourist however is need at least a relevant knowledge of Russian language. Almost all Kazakhs speak Russian with fluency, however finding English speakers or speakers with quality is not an easy mission for whom travel without travel agencies.  Certainly I recommend a visit a Zeleny Bazar the green bazar, this bazar has the same structure as another bazar that I saw in Central Asia and an obligatory point for tourists that want to have a cultural immersion, beyond that Zeleny Bazar is close to Park Panfilov that is located the Orthodox church of ascension other important place to visit.

                For adventure people this region provides many possibilities and it is possible to book trips to Almaty Lake in the south for hiking, also it is possible to make a hike to Charyn Canyon. I recommend also the visit to Tamgaly Tas the ancient budist city located in Kapchagay. Depending on the season it is possible to enjoy the complex of Chymbulak resort and the Medeu station, Chymbulak is really organized place with many activities for tourists and base to attack many mountains for climbing and hiking. I could hike from Chymbulak up to the mountain Tuyuk Suu reaching the high lake Manshuk Mametova. This hiking with climbing will spend around 9 to 10 hours from base to highest point and return to the base, also it is possible to sleep in the mountain in alp lager available to tourists. On this region is possible book daily hikings up to 7 days hikings with ascensions from 2000 mt up to 4000 mts across the complex.

                After visiting Almaty I went to Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, and translation to Kazakh language is basically capital. The impression is a big contrast in comparison with Almaty. This city was completely projected and in many aspects it is possible to compare with the awesomeness of Dubai. We can see high modern buildings; sumptuous palaces all built in the middle of a desert. This is a clear message to Central Asia and world; Kazakhstan now is assuming a leadership regional pattern and not only a friendly shadow of Russia. Differently of other countries in central Asia, Kazakhstan is much richer in natural resources such as copper, gas, chromium and other resources.

                For a traveller, a starter pack to explore this region is to walk around the center of Astana and start from the new modern shopping mall Khan Shatyr that was built as representation of a Kazakh tent nationally recognized as Yurt and part of most relevant Kazakh nomadic traditions. From this place it is possible to pick the main points of Astana and reach to the Presidential Palace. I recommend visiting in this area the tower of Bayterek the most important point of Astana and on the top of tower it is possible to have a view of the whole city. The most relevant place inside the tower is the gold hand moulding on the top tower that represent the President Nurusultan Nazarbayev driving the country. Across this region also I recommend a visit at beautiful Nur Astana Mosque. For whom that looks for an immersion in culture and traditions the national museum of Kazakhstan in Astana is the right place to know the nomadic style of life, the traditional clothes, traditional music instruments and much more. The Hazarat Sultan Mosque and the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation are also important places to visit.

                Talking with new Kazakh friends I perceived that many dislike of Astana and its modernity and consider Almaty more authentic and traditional, however all agree that Kazakhstan has chosen a path forward that cannot go back. Coincidently I have read in the journal on that year 2017, that government had announced that Kazakhstan should keep moving forward on its process of modernization, and a step for that would be switch Kazakh language from Cyrillic to Latin alphabet up to 2025.

                Now in 2019 we are taken by surprise that President Nursultan Nazarbayev left the position and opened free elections, the minister Kassim Jomart Tokaev was elected as new President, as recognition of benefits that Nazarbayev gave to Kazakhstan, government changed the name of capital from Astana to Nursultan. Western analysts can say and argue if the elections were fair or not, and discuss if Kazakhstan is a dictatorship or not, in fact this transition was the smoothest since the end of the USSR.

                Nobody has doubt that Kazakhstan is crossing a bridge between the past and future and this bridge cannot be broken.

Dimas Wiegerinck

Dimas is a global trekker passionate for travels, and lives on the sunny coast of Cascais in Portugal.

Dimas-business@hotmail.com 

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People in Russia and USA have similar problems

What can Russia learn from the United States? What pieces of American experience could work in Russia? Rustem Safronov, an international journalist, a Sputnik news agency correspondent, shares his views on the subject in an interview with Pravda.Ru.

Also read: Americans have racism under their skin

USA wants more socialism while Russia wants cruel capitalism

"What can Russia learn from the US experience? What positive things do they have in the States that we do not have in Russia? Is there any part of American experience that could work in Russia to make our lives better?"

"Russia can indeed learn something both from Americans and from the USA as a state. Perhaps we could start from the grass root level of public utilities. In the USA, they always listen to initiatives that come from below - how to protect someone, how to solve people's problems. Not only do they listen to people - they support them in resolving important problems. To solve those problems, local authorities form groups of activists to address this or that issue. If there is a construction going on that causes damage to the environment, then one needs to create a group of activists and make the problem public, to say the least. We have elements of this system in Russia, but there is a lot more to it."

"Do you think Russia should adopt a phenomenon known as philanthropy? Wealthy people could use their funds to provide real assistance to common people and solve real social problems. After all, it would be more pleasant and more convenient for them to live in a better country."

"Indeed, wealthy people are mostly conceited individuals. If they do something that changes other people's lives, they feel relevant and important. If, for example, someone's name is written on a plaque, indicating that this, let's say, playground, was built with the help of this particular person, it gives those people another reason to feel that they can change this world."

"We hardly have it in Russia. We can hardly see anyone helping a school or a hospital. Neither the Russian authorities nor the state-run mass media propagandise this."

"There are such people in Russia, who engage in philanthropy, but there are not many of them. Even if they do something for charity, they do not want publicity. Alisher Usmanov, for example, never wants to be talked about at this point."

"Speaking about migrants in the USA. If a migrant comes to live in America, can they hope that they can make their lives better?"

"Sure, they can if they try. The United States still remains one of the world's wealthiest states, with very large GDP, national wealth, and very developed infrastructure. Even if a person lives in a godforsaken hole there, he or she can have good roads, warm toilets and so on. At the same time, such things come gradually. Suffice it to say that they did not have toilet paper in America during the times of the Great Depression. I've known people who had used newspapers for the purpose.

These days, the USA always invents something new to make life more comfortable. There are very simple, but important things there at this point. We in Russia may often complain of our technological backwardness. For example, it was not the Russians' who invented Airbnb. In the USA, people can always make their lives better if they are motivated to work. If a person is satisfied with little, then it will be so, and nothing will change for them.

Interview conducted by Lyuba Lulko

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Russia's Air Force One: Ilyushin Il-96-300, the Flying Fortress

Russia's Air Force One  - the airplane flown by President Vladimir Putin - is the Ilyushin Il-96-300. This is a long-range passenger aircraft that can fly without landing for as long as 13,000 km. Few people know what security systems are installed on the plane of the Russian president.

The Il-96 is completely made of Russian components. The aircraft is made in Russia completely. The group of presidential aircraft includes not only the Il-96, but also Tu-154, Tu-204, Yak-40, a Sukhoi Superjet and two Airbus-319. The president can also use two helicopters when needed.

Currently, IL-96 is not profitable commercially, so there is no mass production for this aircraft. The aircraft is manufactured piece by piece, exclusively for the needs of the president. When traveling by air inside Russia, the president can use any other aircraft from his fleet. The Il-96 is used for traveling for international flights to summits to other countries.

When the presidential plane goes on its flight, it is escorted by fighter jets of the Russian Air Force throughout the flight. There is also an additional aircraft following behind.

In the event of an attack on the presidential aircraft, escorting jets will fight to repel it. They can use air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. If necessary, the fighters will sacrifice themselves to save the presidential plane, and if the actions of the fighters to prevent the attack are not enough, the president's plane can independently repel attacks.

The body of the presidential Il-96 is made of special radio-absorbing materials that make it invisible to radars. The flight route is always strictly classified. When the president's aircraft is flying above the territory of the Russian Federation, Russian air defence systems escort it too to intercept possible attacks.

According to unconfirmed reports, the president's aircraft is equipped with systems for evading enemy missiles. The Il-96 can also release heat traps. The aircraft is also equipped with electronic warfare systems known as Mercury and the Curtain. These systems can either misguide a missile or destroy it as it is approaching the target.

If all measures to counteract an enemy attack are exhausted and the plane cannot repel a missile strike, the president can escape in a rescue capsule.

Given all of the above, the protection of the presidential airliner enables it to avoid any type of enemy attack in the air on the level of 99 percent.

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So you think you want to save the world

So you think you want to save the world

  

Fear not your enemies, for they can only kill you.

Fear not your friends, for they can only betray you.

Fear only the indifferent, who permit the killers and betrayers to walk safely on the earth.

                                                                                              Edward Yashinsky

 

Years ago, when I was younger and much more naïve, I entered the legal profession with dreams of saving the world.  To me, the court system was the ideal way to do this, since judges, on the federal level anyway, are appointed, instead of elected, and therefore do not have to mire themselves in lies and hypocrisy to solicit votes.

My awakening was quick and brutal.  As I've written in numerous other Pravda.Report articles, America's legal system will work 1000 times harder to promote and propagate injustices than it will to do justice.  (Those who doubt this need look no further than the current case of Lamar Johnson, who was recently denied a new trial by Missouri judge Elizabeth B. Hogan, despite the fact that prosecutors admitted Johnson has already served twenty-four years for a crime he didn't commit); that this system will travel millions of miles to obscure the truth, but won't even cross the street to uncover it; and that it will always ignore, defend, or cover-up the criminality of those who serve the system, while relentlessly pursuing and prosecuting anyone, guilty or innocent, who challenges it.

But, to be fair, some of my biggest frustrations came not from attorneys and individuals who were opposing me in court, but from the very clients I was trying to help.  I've had clients tell me one story, and bring in "evidence" to support it, only to later learn they were lying or concealing facts all along; clients who were ready to pursue justice "to the ends of the earth" who, just a few weeks later, wouldn't even show up for scheduled appointments; and, especially frustrating, clients who believed that every grievance or alleged wrong they suffered, no matter how minor, was automatically worth millions of dollars.  As a result, they would refuse settlement offers that were more than generous, and even accuse me of trying to force them to settle just so "I could get paid," only to receive substantially less, and sometimes nothing at all, after going to trial, which also, in their view, was my fault.

Even though I am not a religious person, and had not even thought about Biblical passages for decades, during this period of my life one such passage frequently ran through my mind:  "He saved others, but he cannot save himself," which, to more accurately fit my circumstances, I paraphrased to say, "I wanted to save others, and I couldn't even save myself."

But I knew I was not alone.  Throughout human history, the people we call "pioneers" were incessantly scorned, ridiculed, blacklisted, and even murdered for their work-work that others ultimately benefitted from.

This is why I knew that, as courageous and patriotic (despite claims to the contrary) former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Colin Kaepernick was in protesting during the national anthem to draw attention to racial injustices in America, those who opposed him would do everything to silence him, or weaken his voice, and that many of those who allegedly supported him would betray him in an instant when the price was right.

After all, the individual discussed above who "could not save himself" was betrayed by his friend Judas.  And Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, two leaders of the Black Panther Party in Illinois who were extrajudicially murdered by the Chicago Police and FBI, were betrayed by an informant named William O'Neal.

In this world of betrayal, there are several categories, and most betrayers fit easily into more than one of them; however, for clarity's sake, I will describe these categories individually.

CATEGORY ONE, THE LEECHES:  The leeches are individuals who pretend to support, and even participate in, a social movement, while actually using that movement for personal gain.  For example, when I was in law practice, I participated in a community group that worked closely with the mayor.  As it turns out, several members had no interest in promoting our group's platform, and just used it to ingratiate themselves to the mayor, and ultimately secure jobs in his office, whereupon their "support" for us immediately ceased.

CATEGORY TWO, THE USURPERS:  These are individuals who lack the courage to lead a movement themselves, but who jump on the bandwagon once the movement begins.  They then do everything in their power to undermine the original leaders, so they can hijack the movement for themselves.  An excellent example of this is Malcolm Jenkins and the NFL "Players Coalition," who claimed to support Kaepernick until such time as the league, that was actively blacklisting Kaepernick for his activism, agreed to throw millions of dollars their direction.

CATEGORY THREE, THE BETRAYERS:  These are individuals who feign support for a movement when it is beneficial to do so, only to betray that movement and its leaders for personal gain.  This is evident in the NFL's use of music mogul Jay-Z to promote the league's so-called "social justice" program.  Jay-Z was once an outspoken supporter of Kaepernick, wearing T-shirts with Kaepernick's name on it, and even attempting to dissuade other musicians from performing at the NFL's Super Bowl half-time show.  Now, even though Kaepernick, at the time of this writing, remains banished from the league, Jay-Z is organizing a free concert to open the NFL season, and many one-time supporters of Kaepernick are now eagerly backing Jay-Z.  And it should not be forgotten that these alleged "social justice warriors" are promoting a league that has absolutely no compunction about fielding a team whose nickname denigrates Native-Americans.

CATEGORY FOUR, THE DIVIDERS:  During the 1950s and 1960s (and some argue continuing to this day) the FBI used, often illegally, its so-called COINTELPRO operation to undermine numerous leaders and organizations in the civil rights and anti-war movements.  As is often the case in times of political upheaval, many of these groups devoted more time and energy fighting internecine struggles and/or against other groups with similar goals, than they did their common enemy.  COINTELPRO was designed to instigate and exacerbate these struggles, because those in power knew that if these groups united and worked together, meaningful change was almost a certainty.

Music mogul P-Diddy seemed to acknowledge this history when he stated, in support of the NFL's partnership with Jay-Z, that, "We, as a people, cannot be divided and conquered at this time."

NEWS FLASH, DIDDY:  What the hell do you think the predominantly white ownership of the NFL signed Jay-Z for? 

For nothing more than to divide and conquer.  These owners have already seen the rift between Players Coalition supporter Jenkins and Kaepernick supporter Eric Reid (and, to no one's surprise, while Reid has denounced the NFL's duplicitous partnership with Jay-Z, Jenkins has obsequiously supported it), and how oblivious does one have to be to see how quickly numerous Kaepernick supporters jumped on the Jay-Z bandwagon, while others have rightfully recognized Jay-Z for the self-serving dupe that he is?

So, it's a little late to talk about unity now.

Kaepernick has now learned, as many throughout history have learned, that only fools try to change the world, because, unfortunately, the world doesn't want changing, and, far too often, those who you are desiring to help will be the first to stab you in the back.

But, in truth, this is what makes the actions of those seeking to change the world even more courageous and inspiring, because they know that, more often than not, they will never personally benefit from the change they helped bring about, and sometimes will not even live to see it.

As for the betrayers-well, at least it can be said that both Judas and William O'Neal felt enough remorse for their treachery that they ended their own lives.  Given their self-serving natures, I doubt that any of the betrayers of Kaepernick will ever be inclined to do the same.

David R. Hoffman, Legal Editor of Pravda.Report

Photo: By Ancient Chinese Tomb Painter - https://ift.tt/2zIxETg, Public Domain, https://ift.tt/2PAwyns

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