The 1999 apartment bombings were some of the most pivotal movements in the history of the Russian Federation, yet seem woefully underdiscussed. Aside from the hundreds of innocent lives lost, the bombings served as a catalyst for the Second Chechen War and all of the misery which followed- as well as propelling Putin from an unknown bureaucrat to President. Yet the truth of who was behind the attacks remains a mystery, at least to most in Russia.
But what if something changed? Perhaps the police in Ryazan refuse to release the captured FSB agents. Perhaps the media gets involved earlier and the FSB is caught off guard and fails to act decisively to squash the story. Either way, within just a few days after September 22nd millions of Russians begin to seriously consider the idea that the Russian government has been engineering the murder of hundreds of its own citizens. Protests begin to spring up in major cities as rumors swirl that the FSB is planning more attacks in their areas. The international press gets involved, and soon opposition members in the State Duma begin to openly demand investigations of the security agencies and the government to determine if they had any knowledge or involvement in the attacks.
So what happens?
But what if something changed? Perhaps the police in Ryazan refuse to release the captured FSB agents. Perhaps the media gets involved earlier and the FSB is caught off guard and fails to act decisively to squash the story. Either way, within just a few days after September 22nd millions of Russians begin to seriously consider the idea that the Russian government has been engineering the murder of hundreds of its own citizens. Protests begin to spring up in major cities as rumors swirl that the FSB is planning more attacks in their areas. The international press gets involved, and soon opposition members in the State Duma begin to openly demand investigations of the security agencies and the government to determine if they had any knowledge or involvement in the attacks.
So what happens?