Platform : Mexican Crisis or Russian Strife, Southern California Feels It : Chechnya: ‘It’s Like “The Empire Strikes Back” ’

The Russian army sent at least 13,000 troops and hundreds of tanks into the small, oil-rich Muslim republic of Chechnya on Dec. 11 in an attempt to crush its 3-year-old independence bid. The strife threatens to topple the government of Boris Yeltsin. The events are pressing for many of the more than 100,000 residents of Los Angeles County who trace their heritage to Russia or one of the republics of the former Soviet Union. JAMES BLAIR talked to some of them with the help of translator LUDMILA GENN.

YEVGENY YURKOVETSKY

From Odessa, Ukraine; in the U.S. five years

My reaction to events in Chechnya is that of outrage. I am disgusted by what Russian troops are doing there. This is like “The Empire Strikes Back” because although we think the old Soviet Union disappeared, it did not. It’s shameful to be Russian, in a sense, at this moment.

I think Russia has a very long road in front of her if she wants to become a real democracy. Probably it won’t happen--not in this century, not in the next century. It’s a sad thing to realize.

As far as prospects for (Russian President Boris N.) Yeltsin’s government, at some point I felt that he tried to become much tougher and he’s actually becoming another dictator. Maybe that is something that inevitably happens to any Russian leader. The same thing happened to Gorbachev and the people before him were dictators to begin with.

EUGENE LEVIN

Editor in chief, Russian Radio KMNB, Los Angeles; president, Assn. of Soviet Jewish Immigrants

This problem could have been solved a long time ago using political means, not military. During his New Year’s talk on Russian TV, Yeltsin explained that Russian troops occupied Chechnya because it’s Russian territory and it was done because of Chechen criminal activities. I don’t believe that’s true. To my understanding, this crisis is more related to oil.

I found out what Yeltsin wrote to Soviet troops dispatched to Vilnius, Lithuania, in 1991. At that time he was in opposition to (then-Soviet President Mikhail S.) Gorbachev. He wrote that Moscow sent those troops to crush democracy and the soldiers should not believe what they were told by the Kremlin and that they had to make their own decisions. Now he is doing the same as Gorbachev and (former Soviet leader Leonid I.) Brezhnev.

It was strange to find out that many here in the community supported Yeltsin’s action. They consider it fine to crush this struggle for independence.

I asked them what they would think if the citizens of the Crimean peninsula decided to join Russia. Should the Ukrainian government bomb (Crimean cities of) Yalta or Sebastopol? They didn’t answer. They consider that different. It’s very strange.

VLADIMIR KATZ

From Kiev, Ukraine; nine months in the United States

What is going on there is a disaster. If I were living in Russia right now, I wouldn’t be able to know for sure what is going on in Chechnya. Russia presents all the information from the point of view of its interests and, of course, they’re interested in the oil in Chechnya. The government will lose its authority as they lost their authority during events in Afghanistan. I’m pretty sure the government’s going to be changed. Only then will we be able to know the truth as happened with Afghanistan--We didn’t know anything and we learned the truth only when new people came to power. Politicians who are in power always tell us that what they are doing is right and correct and only later on, when they are not in power, do we learn the truth.

LIANA BABAYAN

From the Republic of Georgia; in U.S. four years

Georgia (a neighbor republic of Chechnya) was famous for its hospitality. People who were living side by side had never been interested in what nationality and what ethnicity they were. Now they are fighting each other. There is hunger. They do not have electricity or gas. (Georgians) have always lived with Chechnya in friendship. I do not know who needs this war. Absolutely innocent people are being killed there.

The general public does not want these wars and it’s the general public who always experience the most hardships during war.

I’d like to wish peace to everyone so that at the beginning of the 21st Century all wars would be behind us and no one would experience such problems as the shortages of water and power--and no one would be afraid to be of some nationality or ethnicity.

The question of ethnicity is the most terrible question all over the world.

AVTES GURUNINIAN

Armenian

I think the (Chechyans) should listen to what the Russian government is saying because Russia has proved to be very good for everybody.

It’s very hard to say (if the independence movement is in the best interests of the Chechyan people) because up till now they have lived in peace with all other nationalities and with the Russians.

Since they have lived so close to each other it is very difficult for them to part now.

IRINA PETROVA

Originally from Lithuania

I’m living in Los Angeles now and I like it very much here. I’m not interested at all in what is going on in the Soviet Union though I do realize that things are bad there.

The thing is that all my family’s here and I have nobody back there. A person is happy where he is happy.

I think they have to decide all their problems in Russia by themselves and America should not interfere.

ARTERN MARDIROSSIAN

Owner, Terek Russian Bookstore

Los Angeles

I think this is their internal question. They will have to settle their arguments in a peaceful way. I was very sorry people were being killed.

Everybody is very unhappy about what is going on. I have customers who have relatives there. The economic situation is getting worse. Prices are going up. Of course it’s going to be negative in terms of President Yeltsin. What else can I say?