European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 b the stars and stripes Friday december 13, 1991the fall of the soviet Union Lack of fuel forces soviet airports to cancel most flights Moscow apr a critical fuel shortage forced More than half of All soviet airports to close thursday and led to the cancellation of most Domestic flights of the state Aeroflot airline Tass reported. The soviet news Agency said 92 airports were closed and 38 were on the Brink of closing. It said there were no flights fron the Ukraine the caucasus mountains the far East or the Republic of Kazakhstan. A no information is yet available As to when any form of Normal services can be resumed Tass said in a Brief dispatch. The navigation officer on duty at the soviet unions Central air traffic control Center told the associated press a a lot of airports were closed. He had no further information. The soviet Union is suffering a severe fuel crisis. There Are Long tines of cars outside almost every Gas station and Many soviets fear widespread fuel shortages and possibly Power outages this Winter. Nato must increase Aid to East Europe official says Brussels Belgium a the nato defense ministers thursday moved toward unprecedented cooperation with the soviet Union and other former Warsaw pact nations amid concern Over the breakup of the soviet Union. A War in Europe is possible Agair sense minister Gerhard Stoltenberg Down of Central Rule by the Kremlin must increase political and economic cooperation with again a Germany a de Berg said of the breakdown of Central Rule by the Kremlin. He said the West ase political a the nations of East and Central Europe. This weeks two Day meeting of nato defense ministers comes amid growing concern about the soviet unions 27,000 nuclear arms. Russian president Boris n. Yeltsin is leading a drive to unite the republics in a Commonwealth that would further eclipse the Power of soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev and the Central government. Yeltsin a proposal received near overwhelming approval in the russian parliament on thursday. During thursday s nato session . Defense a Ney suggested regular meetings be defense ministers and their counterparts from the soviet Union Hungary Bulgaria Romania Poland Czechoslovakia Ana the three Baltic states Estonia Lithuania and Latvia. Next week the foreign ministers of the 16-member North Atlantic treaty organization meet in Brussels for the first time with their nine Eastern european colleagues. Vileik Eide a norwegian general who is chairman of natos chiefs of staff said earlier thursday that he did not believe the disintegration of the soviet Union posed an immediate military threat to the West. A we Are concerned about the situation a a Eide told reporters but added a we do not see that As a military threat to our  a nato Diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said that during thursdays session the allies discussed a practical cooperation that could be established with former Warsaw pact members. This could include helping to convert Eastern military industries to civilian purposes removing weapons in line an purposes with arms accords designing officer and drafting efficient budgets the Diplomat Sal programs Secretary Dick Cheni tween the nato the Diplomat said Cheney told his nato colleagues that the United states has earmarked $400 million for that purpose. Cheney has just visited Prague Czechoslovakia and Budapest Hungary and has come Back with a list of requests for help said the nato  wants Gorbachev indicted for chernobyl Kiev Ukraine apr ukrainian lawmakers Are demanding that soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev be prosecuted for allegedly helping cover up damage from the 1986 chernobyl nuclear Plant disaster. Lawmakers made the demand wednesday after a special parliamentary commission concluded that 18 ukrainian and soviet leaders including top ministers under Gorbachev personally covered up the extent of radiation leakage. A fall the leadership from Gorbachev Down to the decipher ers of coded telegrams were aware of the level of Active radioactive contamination Quot commission chairman Volodymyr Yavorovsky told the parliament. It was unknown How the Ukraine intended to prosecute or punish the soviet leaders if formal charges Are made. The Republic on dec. 1 voted to break away from the soviet Union. It has since joined in a new Commonwealth of states that considers the soviet Union dissolved. Yavorovsky condemned the leaders for failing to protect or warn the Public about the damage from the explosion and fire which spread a radioactive Cloud around the world. Among those named in the commission report were former soviet prime minister Nikolai Ryzhkova former defense minister Dmitri Yazoo and the head of the Kab at the time of the Accident Viktor Chubrikov. Yavorovsky initially did not mention the soviet president m the list of officials to be investigated. But lawmakers shouted Quot Gorbachev a to ensure his name was added. A we would like to Start life in Independent Ukraine with forgiveness but our whole history is one of forgiveness and the result has been poverty and misery a Yavorovsky said. A that is Why we Are giving the results of our inquiry to the prosecutors office with a request to investigate the roles of these High ranking officials Quot he said. At the time the first indication of a major Accident came from Scandinavia As scientists there detected unusually High Levels of atmospheric radiation. Soviet officials later admitted the Accident three Days after it occurred and admitted that 32 people had died. A huge International Relief Effort was mounted and Western and some soviet scientists now claim that the actual death toll is at least 2s0 and could Rise to As Many As 10,000. The soviets still insist on 32. Last month ukrainian lawmakers voted to close the entire chernobyl facility by 1993. Simmering anger Over the Accident was a major Factor in ukrainian and byelorussian drives to break from Kremlin Rule. Approach of Winter spurs chilling soviet predictions Moscow apr for now the streets Are Calm. But leading soviet thinkers predict banditry in the Countryside and mobs in the cities this Winter As a divided military and Downtrodden citizenry lose patience with their leaders. Under a perpetual Gray sky russians silently slog through a Brown Mush of Snow and mud ignoring what seem to be a thousand daily incitements to riot shoving in line to buy shoes paying a Days wages for a few tomatoes watching limousines race Down special lanes reserved for the Kremlin elite. How much longer will they take it a riots disorder chaos Are always possible Here especially this Winter a said Len Karpinsky editor in chief of the influential Moscow news. A they Are a spontaneous thing that can to be precisely forecast and can to be ruled out. Everyone is worried a Karpinsky said. A we live under a constant threat of some kind of local  political analysts said in interviews that the danger of a split in the military is real. A i think that on the whole the officers and the Field commanders will support the Commonwealth agreement signed sunday by Russia byelorussian and the Ukraine said Alexei Arbatova a defense specialist at Moscow a Institute of the world Economy and International relations. A but in a not sure about the top ranks of the ministry of defense. A for All the advantages of the agreement it creates great uncertainty about. The Chain of command. There Are those who might feel endangered and nervous about the change and want to prevent  Arbatova said he doubted the military would oppose the pact with Force. But a leading soviet sociologist Tatyana Kosyagina contended that a violent blow up within the military was possible. A the army is a destabilizing Factor precisely because it is torn by the same problems As civil society a she said. A there is great dissatisfaction of Junior officers with High ranking officers and of High ranking officers with mid level officers and of mid level officers with the  russians Are fond of apocalyptic visions. Weeks of speculation in the soviet press about Arother military coup cold and hunger have been greeted with concern but without panic. None of the analysts interviewed is worried enough to flee the country or advise others to do so. Both Arbatova and Karpinsky View the Commonwealth agreement As a step toward political stability. But Kosyagina said economic frustration and animosity toward president Mikhail s. Gorbachev could spawn a popular revolt like the one led by Cossack Yemelyan Pugachev against Catherine the great in 1773. Kosyagina added that she foresaw a aimless riots accompanied by the creation of bandits Semi guerrilla formations which will join  feeling the foot of the Law a a Johh Ember ukrainian special militia took special Steps this week to aspect a Dnepropetrovsk. The suspect was kicked after the officers to m,l1legdly Yin to a a it Netrol the flow of goods into the local marketplace. The militia stage spot raids on the markets to Stop such racketeering