Date:25/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/25/stories/2004122502971400.htm

International

Russian spies back home

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW: Two Russian spies sentenced to life imprisonment in Qatar for the assassination of exiled Chechen rebel leader have returned to Moscow. Sources said a red carpet was rolled out at Vnukovo Airport for the arrival of the Kremlin's Rossiya Airline plane from Qatar which brought the two intelligence officers on Thursday night. The men were extradited on the basis of an accord signed by Moscow and Qatar under which they are to serve their term in a Russian prison. Russia has denied any involvement in the killing of the former Chechen President, Zeminkhan Yandarbiyev, who was blown up in his car in the Qatari capital, Doha, on February 13. Mr. Yandarbiyev, who had lived in Qatar since 2000, was on the United Nations' list of international terrorists. Experts said the extradition agreement was so worded as to allow a revision of the spies' life sentence by a Russian court.