This is the hotel where I was whisked away from 'for my safety'.

Makhachkala is potentially a very beautiful city. A great resort.

This is a statue dedicated to a Russian teacher. A real teacher as oppose to 'Russia, the big brother' type of teacher. I was assured the sentiment was genuine at the time when it was erected.

Some pics

These were taken right before I, Наталья Пелевайн, was pronounced a slightly unlikely but nevertheless enemy of the state.

This one says Welcome to Dagestan. As i took the picture a militia man with the AK approached me and asked me to put the camera away.

The new idea currently promoted heavily by the Russian government and the pro-government press is the imminent collapse of the 'American empire'. President Medvedev mentioned that 'America is in no position to tell us how to live' and the press like hyenas that they can be, started spitting out article after article about the American system being in the verge of a total breakdown. This is all too pleasing to the Russian ear. Russian people would much rather see someone powerful rot than pick themselves off the ground. And i don't mean by scoring a few goals in a Euro cup.

Found this photo of Anna

She was there probably 2 years before me and not long before her murder.

Book

I have been asked to write one chapter for a book which these company might option, about Nord Ost, which i've been putting off for a while. Largely because i have too many other projects right now. Another reason is that this will mean going over all my materials on the subject, and i have probably the largest amount of it out of anyone, and this might be a little tough. Draining. I must get to it though. How does one rate their ongoing battles? Which ones are more important than others.

KARPOVS

A completely desperate situation in the family of Karpovs. They lost their son in the Moscow theatre siege and Tatyana, the mother, is the official head of NGO Nord Ost. Their younger son is going blind after some kind of infection and no one can give the precise diagnosis. On top of that everywhere they go they are asked for money. Large sums, which they don't have. As a result of a bunch of pills he was given, last night he became delusional. They took him to the hospital this morning, he is still there. Tatyana, a women of incomparable strength, is sobbing. I am in the phone with them all the time...feeling helpless.

Little fact

At the risk of giving myself too much importance, out of the four of us stuck in the elevator three and a half years ago: Anna Politkovskaya, Ahmed Zakaev, Alexander Litvinenko and me, only two are still alive. Myself and Ahmed.

"NASHI"

Spoke with the PR girl for government formed and financed NASHI Youth Organization today on behalf of a UK production company that's doing a documentary film on them, to organize filming. They are at their summer camp, doing 10 mile hikes and various patriotic activities. Anya sounded cheery and happy, Go Russia! type of thing. Tomorrow Zhirinovsky, Russia's Mussolini, will visit them and 1st vice president will go there the day after. Their agenda, which is often of the nationalistic nature, is dangerous and so is the fact of the existence of a government endoursed youth group like this, taking into consideration the history of Russia.

On another negative note, my friend is still in jail on a fabricated case.

Skanderbek no longer wants to live in Dagestan. Or possibly Russia in general. He told me he has no illusions left. Also apparently at every mentioning of the Russian theatre (in Makhachkala) Aliev's face changes. I am glad the impact was this deep.

Bit of news

Spoke with Skanderbek, the director of the Russian theatre in Dagestan, who told me that the officials have told him he will not be allowed to take our Nord Ost play to Ossetia on tour even though they are taking a number of other productions there. by doing this they fully disregard the appeal made by the mothers of Beslan who asked (and collected over 100 signatures) for this production to be shown in Ossetia. He was also told to forget about ever doing this production, period. There were also further publications suggesting that i recruited him on behalf British secret services and the play was the beginning of a 'master plan'. we were to start the destabilization of Russia in Dagestan and then take it step by step. Where to? I have no clue.

Strasbourg

A rather shocking news-Strasbourg has fulfilled the demand of the Russian Federation to give the Nord Ost case the classified status. This means all the information provided by the victim's families has been sealed off and is inaccessiable.

Another slice of Russian reality

A very close person to me is in jail in Russia. The case is fabricated and will soon go to court. He is an amazing man and shouldn't be in there. He was telling me of the awful conditions people are in. Many have no mattresses on their beds. They are not taken outside at all, many rooms don't have even tiniest windows. And people who work there are like angry dogs. The whole thing borders on torture. He asked me if anything can be done. He was not asking for himself. I will do all i can. I hate Russian reality of complete lawlessness.