New York Times, 14 July 1996, excerpts
by Michael Specter

...Eager to explain his views and counter what he regards as a false impression of his motives, Lebed asked through leaders of the Jewish community in Moscow to speak on Saturday with a reporter from The New York Times. ...

He was flatly apologetic about the fact that he omitted to mention Judaism when he was asked to give a list of legitimate religions in Russia. He was sharply criticized for the omission, here and abroad, as well as for saying that a question from a reporter sounded as if it came more from a "Jew" than a "Cossack."

"I am sorry about how it sounded but there was never any anti-Semitism in my comments," he said, discussing what for him was the central reason he arranged the interview. "I have so many friends and colleagues who are Jewish. I have never divided people on the basis of their nationalities." In Russia, Judaism is a national background, not just a religious one.

"It was just that I was asked to list all the traditional religions in Russia and I went too fast," he continued, in his steady rumble that makes a baritone seem like a soprano. "I did not mention Jews, and that was wrong."