Interview with presidential candidate feared missing

(11 Feb 2004)
1. Presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin seated in the studio of 'Echo of Moscow' radio station
2. Radio station logo
3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Ivan Rybkin, Presidential Candidate:
"In fact, I have spent a year and a half in Chechnya and there were various scrapes. I also supervised those (secret) services and I know more or less their temper. I was deeply surprised and shocked how they could not find a person who has crossed the border legally."
4. Journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Ivan Rybkin, Presidential Candidate:
"I do not want to construct my PR (Public Relations) on this subject. Now I am thinking of refusing any (TV) debates and stopping my run for presidency. I think that in this situation I must think carefully - but I am not a broken man."
6. Cameraman
7. Rybkin walking along corridor
8. Exterior of radio station

STORYLINE:

In a rambling hourlong radio interview, Russian presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin suggested on Wednesday that for at least part of his five-day absence in Ukraine he was hiding out from shadowy operatives - but at the same time he lashed out at authorities for not being able to inform Russians about his whereabouts.

Rybkin also announced "a weeklong time-out" to decide whether or not to scrap his candidacy in the March 14 election, which Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to win.

Rybkin, a long-shot presidential candidate and fierce Kremlin critic, resurfaced in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Tuesday.

He flew back into Moscow on Wednesday, returning to a torrent of questions about what happened since he was last seen by his bodyguard and driver outside his Moscow home on Thursday night.

Initially, Rybkin suggested his absence was just a much-needed rest from the swirl of activity around his campaign, but after arriving back in Moscow, he hinted at a more sinister reason.

Moscow police on Wednesday formally closed their investigation, which began on Sunday when Rybkin's wife, Albina, and his campaign staff officially reported him missing.

Rybkin gave odd accounts of people that he came across in Kiev who might have been involved in intrigues against him.

He never specified exactly what he meant, however.

As a head of Russia's Security Council under former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Rybkin repeatedly said that he knew how Russian secret agencies work.

But he also chastised the same agencies for not reporting his whereabouts. Rybkin said that he presented his passport at the Ukrainian border, as required, and dealt with numerous customs and other officials.

Rybkin's disappearance came the day before he was scheduled to speak at a news conference and two days before the Central Election Commission validated his candidacy raising the concern that he had fallen victim to some kind of attack.

In terms of attracting votes, Rybkin presents little or no challenge to Putin, who is expected to win a second term easily.

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