LEBED SOLDIERS ON WITH MISSING BOMB CLAIMS

(Moscow Times, Sept 10, 1997 by Richard C. Paddock (LA Times)

Alexander Lebed, the former russian general and presidential hopeful, has been broadcasting his claim over the past week that Russia has lost track of 100 nuclear bombs the size of suitcases.

"A very thorough investigation is necessary," Lebed reiterated to reporters Monday, September 8. "The state of nuclear security in Russia poses a danger to the whole world."

The general's allegations are roundly denied by Russian officials, who contend that all the Russia's nuclear weapons are safely under control.

In his previous post as President Boris Yeltsin's top security adviser, Lebed might have been in a position to know about such secrets. But the president fired him nearly a year ago.

Now Lebed - who negotiated last year's peace accord with Che- chnya - is a political outsider who is trying to revive his career and build a base for a potential run at the presidency in the year 2000, when Yeltsin must step down.

"How can a serious politician make such a sensational statement without the cheking of facts first?" said Vladimir Uvatenko, chief spokesman for the Defence Ministry. "This scandalous statement was clearly made by Alexander Lebed to get the attention of the press and boost his waning political image and declining popularity."

Despite the official denials, Lebed is pursuing his allegations undeterred. In an interview with CBS television's "60 Minutes " aired Sunday, Lebed said the suitcase bombs were ideal weapons for terrorists because they could be armed and detonated by a single person within 30 minutes.

One of the one-kiloton bombs could kill 100,000 people, he said. Of 250 suitcases devices made by the Soviet Union, he said, 100 are unaccounted for.

On Monday, Lebed was quoted by Interfax as saying he had lear- ned of the existence of the bombs 11 month ago when he was Yeltsin's security adviser. Since that time, he said, he has been able to prove to his own satisfaction that the weapons were real.

Lebed said the suitcase bombs were deployed in special briga- des in some of the empire's remore regions. After the break-up of the Soviet state, many of the suitcases vanished in what became independent republics, where they could fall into the hands of terrorists, he said.

In Washington, US officials say they have no information that any of Russia's nuclear weapons, whatever their size, have been offered for sale on the world's black markets.

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