31.03.2001

Russians are applying all kinds of forbidden weapons in Chechnya Minister of Health of Chechen Republic, Umar Khambiev has carried out analysis of results of application of special arms and ammunition used by Russian aggressors in territory of ChRI. Importance of this analysis is more because Khambiev directly observed and treated people struck by these arms. In addition to traditional weapons, Russian armed forces have used in occupied zones of Chechen Republic, weapons of mass destruction, which are forbidden to use according to
Geneva conventions.

Operatively tactical ground - ground missiles

They blow up in air, spreading splinters in very extensive perimeters, damaging many victims at a time. Splinters put rather perceptible damages to cells of human body. The injured ones die on the spot in some minutes. The traditional ratio between wounded and killed, one to fourth, is not observed, reaching a proportion of 2 killed and one wounded.

October 21, 1999 is launching date for one of ground - ground rocket in territory of market of Grozny, a maternity hospital, road service station and a mosque were destroyed and resulted in following losses: 400 persons were lost, 200 persons were wounded. Thus, the number of killed twice has exceeded number of wounded. Many such other examples can be put forward to prove the fatal consequences of application of this kind of weapon. Similar destructive action on cells is connected to a special kind of splinters. Such splinters - in the form of bars - reach the size of 4õ4õ2 CM, with their sharp and rough edges. They cause big damage to cells of the struck bodies, causing a fatal shock. About 70% of the wounded have died from the wound.

Bombs with under-pressure or airless environment (vacuum bombs)

These were widely applied outside of territory of Grozny, mainly underground. Now they are used in mountain areas in South of Chechen Republic. The damage put to organism by these bombs has different features. The victims struck in zone of perimeter of explosion, die within 8-10 hours from strong intoxication. The death comes from
decomposition of vital bodies as a result of destructions at cellular level. Cells emit toxins into the blood and thus results in general poisoning of organism. Insufficiency of functions of the vital bodies
results in fatal outcome.

Persons, who are struck in epicenter of blast of vacuum bomb, experiences deterioration of health state as a whole, and it is very rare for struck person to survive. Their body at external examination is not struck with visible traumas. Appearance from physical point of view remains, integument is rather untouched, however bones are
broken, internal bodies are destroyed - and the body turns to hapeless weight, hardly he can be moved to somewhere. It is extraordinary hard for me to explain the complete descriptions. These are painful
minutes of examination of bodies of injured of all ages, from old men up to children, but I do it in hope that the international community will forbid the use of such type of arms against civilians, and in
wider plan, against any alive creature.

Ball and needle bombs and shells

In spite of the fact that such kind of weapons is forbidden by Geneva conventions, but during Chechen conflict these fighting means were used so frequently as automatic gun Kalashnikov. They are conceived so
that to kill slowly, and result in terrible consequences for the person. The question is bombs and shells which blow up in air, liberating millions smallest needles and metal balls. Traumas are small, but quite distinct. Happens so, that victims of such wounds with needles do not notice the condition within several days.

Many victims, operated even at an initial stage of victims, as it is potentially fatal creating dangerous complications, did not survive. Percentage of death rate as a result of paralysis from such kind of
weapon in our hospitals has exceeded 30 %. Ball bombs were applied very widely. Their influence on organism is identically to influence of needle shells, however parameters of volume of destructions is
higher than perimeter of action.

Reactive installation for salvo shooting (Grad (Hailstones), Smerch,
Uragan (Hurricane), Áó?àòèíî, Skelet (Skeleton))

These kinds of weapon in dense populated places result in plenty of victims. There is no such region in Chechen territory, where these weapons were not applied. Recently "Skelet" are more often used. We are talking about shells with a length of more than 2 meters, which are stuck in the ground and fire in 500-600 meters of space, spread huge amount of splinters (in the form small metal squares extraordinary sharp on edges) in all directions within 4-5 minutes. "The pipe " remains on the spot as a skeleton. In its internal surface, there appear set of apertures through which salvo fire is conducted. The victims, who have appeared in zone of perimeter of action, are
struck with a set of wounds. Death rate reaches practically 100 %.>From 46 victims of the "skeleton", brought to us in hospital, we managed to rescue only one person.

Mines

Russian armed forces in Chechen Republic use all kinds of mines. Victims of mines give much more trouble to doctors, and state. The care of victims from mines needs tremendous efforts on the part of doctors, time and huge quantity of medicines is needed. On the other hand, physical inability of such patients creates social problems for
the state.

The most brutal and immoral are disguised mines, which have been invented for paralysis of children. In Chechen Republic many cases of application of similar mines have been marked. In our hospital, we nursed one child from Bachi-jurt, who lost a hand, having picked up a mine in the form of a toy, and other teenager from Tsatsan-Yurt has
found the same sorts of alarm clock.

Cases of use of bombs and shells filled with unknown poison gas, causing the same symptoms and nervous - paralytic action, which arise during poisoning of gases.

At the end of July and in beginning of August, 2000, bombs and shells filled by poison gases, were launched in Chechen Republic on three directions: in area of Starie Atagi, in vicinities of settlement Vedeno and in settlement Tsentoroj, in district of Nozhaj-Yurt, in the South of Republic. I personally examined and treated victims from
Vedeno and Tsentoroj. Wide publicity has got only one case found in area Starie Atagi. Aspiring to provide safety of medical personnel and that of my own to victims, then I have preferred to be single-minded concerning the given events. From these reasons, I carefully misled the medical personnel and population, diagnosing cases of botulism
even if symptoms spoke completely about other effects. In the evening

July 27, 2000 in hospital Benoj, where I carried out survey at that time, two persons were brought in unconsciousness. The question was about two inhabitants 17 and 28 years old of village Vedeno. According
to persons accompanying them, one of them has asked, that he should be taken to hospital, the single medical institution working in those days in district. When he arrived there, where there was his comrade,
there have already died 4 persons. According to descriptions of accompanying fellow, the mouth of dead people were filled with mix of saliva and blood, and their faces had cyanotic shade as if they have been strangled.

In half an hour, two more persons started to suffer from headache and to rave. Those who accompanied them, have told us, that victims became unbalanced and lost consciousness on road to hospital. The data of survey of patients: Inhabitant of Vedeno, 17 years old, in unconsciousness. He is very pale, his pupils are expanded, with
muscular spasms, expressed tachycardia, increased arterial pressure, and stains from 2 up to 6 centimeters on extremes and on trunk. His breathing accelerated (till 50-60 respiratory movements per minute).
Plentiful salivation. Neither wounds, nor contusions were seen on body. The same concerns patient from Vedeno, 28 years old. Three days after when our wounded still were in unconsciousness, six more person from Tsenteroi in a coma with identical symptoms were brought to hospital.

According to accompanied person, who have brought them directly from fields where they worked. Three young people, who accompanied them, have told, that they were together with them, but we went to village
to have meal. Returning after two hours, they found them in critical condition. All of them suffered from headache, shouted and, according to the description of accompanied one, behaved "as lunatics". They yelled from pains in head, roared, showed with fingers' gestures what tormented them; were possessed by hallucinations, cried, then laughed. And it is curious that symptoms in accuracy are the same, as at victims from Vedeno.

It became obvious - the question was not of an infectious disease, as some physicians could assume but poisoning without any clear poisonous substance. Later, in conversation with the young people, whom I found
in the field, I came to the conclusion that poisoning spread when wood thicket located nearby was subjected to bombardment and artillery bombardment in the morning. When I asked them that what could be the
reason after poisoning influence on them, they have answered, what they already thought of it, however guessed.

Five more persons were brought to hospital with similar condition. They are inhabitants Tsenteroj, at that time they were nearby to a zone, which had undergone bombardment. The medical personnel did not know that what is necessary to undertake. These 8 persons behaved in an incomprehensible manner. In any 10 or 15 minutes, extreme excitation was replaced by condition of stupor, and at last they lost consciousness. Then we began to apply to all patient therapy of desintoxication.

Characteristic symptoms for all patients: headaches, as if brains are broken off on part, pain in stomach, indisposition in all body, faintness, sensation of heat, extreme pallor, cold sweat, quickly arising and disappearing of stain on skin of extremities and trunk, spasms of obverse muscles, increased secretion of saliva, expanded
pupils, tachycardia, accelerated pulse (140-150 impacts per minute), unstable arterial pressure (from 180-160/120-100 mm up to 80-60/40-30 mm), rapidity of breath, changing breathing sounds. The next day died two more victims, who were present near to site of bombardment and firing. Symptoms were the same, but less clearly
expressed.

All those, who were brought to hospital, could survive. During treatment, doctors came across with ethical problems. All the victims were at ages of 17 to 30 year. It was much more difficult for their relatives to bring them to hospital, risking their own lives. The relatives refused to offer help because they knew that army
divisions are blocking all roads. They said, that they preferred to die than to be captured by invaders, fearing never to discover any more bodies of their relatives. I contacted some of toxicologist through intermediaries in Daghestan and Ingushetia but it could help. Within two weeks we carried out intensive desintoxications, which
eventually has resulted in positive results. As soon as there appeared improvement in situation, relatives have taken out them from hospital, not sure in favorable outcome as were afraid of the next
sortie on part of militaries.

All were surprised with absence of movement of armored vehicles of the armies remaining in the former locations. When I understood, that there was an application of bombs and the shells filled with poison gases, the reason of three-week respite arranged by soldiers became clear to me. Some days before, approximately July 25, soldiers have suddenly left places of known events, military posts were removed that has caused hearings about withdrawal of all armies from Chechen Republic. Constant habitual movements of tank divisions have stopped,
down to August 20.

Probably they were sent to reliable place. It means that many officers from army divisions of the specific area were informed on application
of these kinds of weapon. Knowing that some of us communicated with officers, I have asked, whether admitted though somebody that actually what has taken place in wood. One of them has told me: "On the eve of
these events, when I passed through a post(Russian road and transport control), one of my familiar officer warned me that my people should remain at home and let them not come nearer to wood. That I did not
pay much attention to his words as these places were exposed to bombardments each day, and people there anyhow were afraid to come nearer".

No doubt that many officers knew that has taken place, and I hope that there will be even one fair officer, who will open the truth and will give a testimony. In settlement Starie Àtagi, appearance of poisonings have attributed to any vests, which have been found out in cemetery, water in which people bathed, these are only the words of propagation much tried by Russians. To cover up traces resulted in the most fantastic explanations. At interpretation of the cases given by us, attempts were carried out to accuse of indispositions of bad food in spite of the fact that victims were delivered from different places and in different periods.

I was and I remain firmly convinced: three incidents which have entailed behind so disastrous consequences (in Vedeno, it struck 6 person, 3 persons were lost,in Tsenteroi 18 victims, 2 were lost, in Starie Atagi 15 victims, 6 were lost, that is out of 32 victims only 12 were lost), form parts of one circuit, and that during 3 days of
bombs and shells filled with poison gases of nervous - paralytic action, were applied in various districts. I think that international community should not remain indifferent. It is necessary to demand for conducting of an independent expert appraisal on revealing the use of similar types of arms and other kinds of weapon. On their suggestion,
we, on our part, are ready to provide patients and testimony.

Dr. Umar Khambiev
Minister of Health in ChRI
Source: Kavkaz Center