CRIMINALS IN RUSSIAN UNIFORM.

The recently reestablished Kremlin-controlled Chechen interior ministry told Russian television May 31 that crime is increasingly widespread even in the “liberated” regions of Chechnya. Some of the crimes are committed by Russian soldiers; others by a disparate group of people–Chechens and Russians alike–who dress in Russian army uniforms while they engage in criminal activity. This report both reflects the collapse of discipline in some Russian units and the desire of Moscow to shift the blame to local Chechens for the behavior of Russian troops.

Criminals Out Of Uniform.