Issue #04/59, February 25 - March 10, 1999  

By Edward Limonov

February 20, about 2pm. Even though Saturday, headquarters of National-Bolsheviks Party are open. Few young party members discussing party protest action at Nikita Mikhailkov's press conference at Hotel Radisson-Slavyanskaya. For distribution of leaflets, two of our men were detained, then released. They are happy to be released, but disappointed of result, as they failed to get in. They were forced to throw leaflets at the entrance. Prudish, hypocrite, mediocre artist, Nikita Mikhailkov is our target.

One of our young men, Dmitri, gets up. He walks out of headquarters to go to post office. To the right of the door on staircase there is the cardboard box. Inside are about fifteen or more bottles of... "Molotov Cocktails". Smells gasoline, bits of rags are hanging from the necks. Smells gasoline... and smells rat. On the box it was written, "To National-Bolsheviks for revolution against democrats". After brief moment of confusion boys carrying box to militia station No. 107, which is located in same building as our headquarters.

AT 3:45pm, the group of armed men have stormed our party headquarters. They presented themselves as anti-crime police. They started unwarranted search of premises. Helmets, Kalashnikovs, bullet-proof vests, pistols, militiamen are behaving as Dirty Harrys from Hollywood movies. But Dirty as they are, they have arrived too late, cardboard box is gone. One of Harrys sabotaging telephone, so for the next hour when I am calling to headquarters, phone is constantly busy.

Then reporters made their appearance. Cameraman's team of NTV, cameraman of "Dezhurnaya Chast" (television program dedicated to true crime stories), people from some news agencies. According to them, they were summoned by militiamen.

Finally I have phone call from Dmitri who have managed to escape Together with my lawyer, Sergei Belyak, I am arriving to headquarters. Or for to be exact I should say "arriving near headquarters," since they'd closed and sealed doors. Not by militiamen, but by officer of fire department. Because, as they have found nothing, cops obliged to call in fire department officer (this is old Soviet-style trick, used against dissidents to close down their places of meeting).

Reporters still there. They interviewing me. It is obvious for them and for me that Dirty provocation didn't worked. Criminal police have disappeared, leaving the cops of 107th precinct as scapegoats. Cops of 107th are cursing, they are obviously unhappy with their assignment.

I am going to 107th station, where nine of my boys are detained. I am talking to the chief of the 107th precinct and to his next in command. They are rather upset. The Police Chief even goes so far as to say that he "feels disgusted."

One of reporters say that he recognized amongst Dirty Harrys the Chief of Moscow's Criminal Investigation Department Police (the infamous "MUR", or Moskovsky Ugolovny Rozysk). [Editor's note: MUR, whose employees are essentially just homicide and vice detectives, and their presence would be obviously political in nature.]

Having the boys released, I leave 107th precinct.

As I know, nothing been shown on television about National-Bolsheviks Party headquarters that very evening. Nothing been shown on Sunday. Only "Interfax" agency have released some information about failed provocation.

I am an ideological enemy of that political system, I have never hide that fact. That our government is band of thieves and sinister killers I have no doubt. I am asking myself, "What else should I expect from them?" Assault on me in 1996, explosion in headquarters in June, 1997, now Molotov Cocktails, failed provocation of 1999... What if it didn't fail? They would send me to prison for some time for possession of Molotov Cocktails... What else should I expect?

Luckily I have no son or daughter that they could rape.

Who is that man who "zakazal" (ordered) that National-Bolsheviks Party provocation? It should be a man who can order around such a big man as is Chief of Moscow Criminal Investigation Department? Answer is only one: Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Stepashin, who is fighting political extremism together with Minister Of Justice Mr. Krasheninnikov. Those brave men are hunting youngsters of RNE and NBP on Moscow streets from dusk to dawn. The problem is that they are breaking law, those passionate ministers.

I accuse Mr. Stepashin and Mr. Krasheninnikov of preparation and execution of provocation. It is also high probability of FSB participation. The day before, on February 19, Minster Kondratiev, FSB officer, who is working under command of General Zotov, visited me at our headquarters. He warned me of consequences if my party will misbehave. Unknown men in civilian clothes have seized all party documents during search on February 20, as a consequence, I suppose.

Doctor's Limonov's diagnosis? State banditry.