RUSSIA: CHECHNYA: ALLEGED CHECHEN REBEL LEADER INTERVIEW

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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Russian/Nat In an exclusive interview with APTV, Russia's Most Wanted man has claimed Chechen soldiers hiding in the hills of their breakaway republic are inflicting physical and emotional damage on their Russian enemies. Shamil Basayev, the Chechen leader wanted by Russian security forces for his attack last summer on a hospital in southern Russia, says his troops are using traps, kidnappings and surprise attacks to undermine the morale of Russian soldiers . APTV has this exclusive interview with the Chechen rebel leader. These are the most wanted men in Russia. Hidden away in the remote hills of the breakaway republic of Chechnya, they carefully plot each new attack on the Russian troops. They claim they have taken no lives since June, and consider that to be a failure on their behalf.. SOUNDBITE (Russian): "I haven't killed anyone since Budyennovsk, although every day that I don't kill an occupier I consider to be a wasted day." SUPERCAPTION: Shamil Basayev, Chechen rebel Shamil Basayev led the rebels on a devastating attack into the southern Russian town of Budyennovsk in June. Dozens of innocent civilians were killed, and another 500 were held hostage for several days in the main hospital. When Russian special troops tried to storm the building, many more lives were lost. Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin won the release of the surviving hostages by guaranteeing safe passage for Basayev and his men back to Chechnya. Since then there have been repeated attempts by the Russians and Chechen authorities to agree on a ceasefire but these broke down after an assassination attempt on the life of General Anatoly Romanov, Russia's top military commander in the republic. Basayev is determined not to give in to Russian domination. SOUNDBITE (Russian): "The people of Russia are simple slaves and they themselves don't want to be free of slavehood, they are crazy, they like to suffer and be tormented, and they like their role as slave but why should I be a slave?" SUPERCAPTION: Shamil Basayev, Chechen rebel Basayev and his men say they were ready to disarm but the Russians broke their agreement. Now they say they will only give up their arms on the day the Russians leave Chechen territory. SOUNDBITE (Russian): "I want to live in freedom and for that they made me become a terrorist and gangster in the eyes of the world and they shouldn't have done that. But I know that before God and my people I am pure and that is all that matters to me." Basayev and his men have fought for a year already to free themselves from Russia. It appears they have no intention of giving up until they win. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/3049ecda0539d32e49c1ecfcaa64e48e Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork