September 11 Commission Report - Gnostic Liberation Front

Berezovsky, a notorious critic of Putin’s regime, said he aimed to replace the “anti-constitutional
regime” in Russia. “The regime has lost its legitimacy. Neither Putin nor the parliament are legitimate.
They are anti-constitutional, because they have made a number of anti-constitutional decisions, such as
replacing elected governors by appointed ones. This is absolutely against the spirit and the language of
the constitution.” Today’s regime would never allow a fair election, Berezovsky added, so the only
way out is a coup.” [January 26, 2006 mosnews.com]
This however, is not the first time the Yeltsin Family has demonstrated a willingness to
resort to political terror for its own agenda. This willingness to use terrorists for their
political agenda is best understood by understanding the ‘muscle’ in the Yeltsin Family,
starting with Aleksander Voloshin.
“Who are the strong men of the Yeltsin "family?" (Khaydarov) Roman Abramovitch represents them.
He manages their shares, for example 50 percent of Russal, based on the agreement signed with the
Chernoi group in early 2000. Then, there is of course Vladimir Voloshin, head of the presidential
administration under Yeltsin, and whom Putin was not able to get rid of. His story is known, starting
with the scandal of the AVVA financial pyramid (created with Boris Berezovskiy). He controls the
"family's" interests and takes care of anything that could harm it. If he cannot do so, he turns to Roman
Abramovitch, to Oleg Deripaska, or Valentin Yumashev (former head of the presidential
administration, author of Boris Yeltsin's books, and husband of the former president's daughter Tatiana
Diachenko).” [Le Monde: French Editorial Says Russian President Putin Unable To Effect Changes,
Counter Mafia, Corruption]
“Voloshin, 47, was considered the Kremlin's "gray eminence" by many, mediating the interests of the
Russian state and the country's oligarchs. Officially, Voloshin ranked third in the Russian power
hierarchy, after the president and prime minister. However, Voloshin is believed to have decided many
sensitive political issues on Putin's behalf, effectively making him the second most powerful political
figure in the country. Voloshin became head of then-President Boris Yeltsin's administration in March
1999 on the strength of heavy lobbying from now-exiled Boris Berezovskii, with whom he worked
during the 1990s to build that oligarch's vast business interests. After Putin's election as president in
2000, Voloshin opted to support his new boss and helped ease Berezovskii into exile instead of a likely
prison term.….It was Voloshin who brokered deals between bureaucrats and the business world and
applied the necessary influence to enforce agreements.” [Filling Russia's Voloshin Vacuum, Peter
Lavelle, RFE/RL Newsline, November 03, 2003]
“… the Russian Prosecutor-Generals Office announced that it had launched an inspection into the prior
commercial activities of one the country’s most powerful officials, presidential chief of staff Alexander
Voloshin. Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov said that the initial probe may or may not result in a
criminal case. In the early 1990s, Voloshin worked with Berezovsky on the so-called "pyramid"
schemes, say Russian media outlets. According to the reports, Voloshin ran several companies that
were accused of embezzling millions of US dollars, but the case never led to criminal charges. Ustinov
eventually backed down and said there was no criminal investigation relative to Voloshin.”
[Transparency International: Putin undertakes apparent crackdown on corruption, Toni Schönfelder ,
Asia Times, Jan 23, 2002, Moscow]
“…during the spring and summer of 1999 members of Yeltsin’s close entourage (the so-called Family)
were as prepared … to violate the letter of the Russian Constitution as well as Russian law in order to
prevent a transfer of power to persons they did not trust to look out for their physical well-being or
their financial interests. … the Yeltsin Family were more than ready to involve Russia in a “short
victorious war” as well as to destabilize Moscow and various regions of Russia to the point where the
parliamentary elections of 1999 and the presidential vote of 2000 would need to be canceled or
postponed for several years. As in 1994, a military conflict was in fact launched (the incursions into
Dagestan), but due to unanticipated contingencies, it did not prove necessary to cancel the upcoming
THE SEPTEMBER 11 COMMISSION REPORT Page 235