Latest North Caucasus Weekly Articles
Chechens Protest in Front of Vostok Battalion’s Base
A protest against the activities of the Vostok battalion of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) was held in front of the battalion’s base near the village of Druzhba in Chechnya’s Gudermes district on June 12. According to Kavkazky Uzel, the demonstrators, numbering... MORE
Kadyrov versus the Yamadaevs Becomes Kadyrov versus the Generals
The conflict between Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and the Yamadaev brothers, who control the Vostok battalion of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), shows few signs of winding down. Kadyrov failed to achieve his goal of disbanding the battalion quickly and kicking the... MORE
Five Rebels Killed in Ingushetia; Opposition Postpones Protest
Security forces in Ingushetia killed five militants during a special operation conducted in the city of Karabulak on June 11. Itar-Tass quoted law-enforcement sources in Ingushetia as saying the militants, who were holed up in a house, were blockaded by security forces, who called on... MORE
Teofil Lapinski: Hero and Leader of the Circassian War for Independence (Part Two)
Another foreign visitor to Cherkessia, James Bell, who also left evidence of his stay in Cherkessia during the national liberation war, characterized the peculiarity of Cherkess statehood in the following manner: “Popular opinion and established customs—this is what, in my view, represents the supreme law... MORE
Soldiers, Rebels Killed in Khasavyurt Shootouts
A large improvised explosive device was discovered on the Khasavyurt-Babayurt road on the outskirts of the Dagestani city of Khasavyurt, Newsru.com reported on June 12. The device, which was defused by bomb disposal experts, consisted of ammonium nitrate that would have exploded with the force... MORE
Chechnya Bombings: Zapad Revenge against the OMON?
Investigators have determined that an explosion which took place in a café in the Chechen capital Grozny on the evening of June 9 was caused by a bomb, Kavkazky Uzel reported on June 10. According to initial reports, the blast in the “Dallas” café was... MORE
Voice of Beslan Asks Prosecutor General’s Office to Probe Putin
Members of the Voice of Belsan human rights group, which represents victims of the September 2004 terrorist act, issued a statement on June 4 demanding that the Prosecutor General’s Office question and launch a criminal case against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in connection with his... MORE
Teofil Lapinski: Hero and Leader of the Circassian War for Independence (Part One)
*Note to Readers: In response to readers’ requests, Chechnya Weekly will occasionally feature articles related to the history of the North Caucasus. Russian expansion on the territory of the Caucasus region, which resulted in a full-scale Russian-Chechen war, continued for more than a century (1763-1864).... MORE
Briefs
Kadyrov’s Order to Move Memorial Sparks Controversy Chechens have criticized the decision of their president, Ramzan Kadyrov, to dismantle a memorial in Grozny to the victims of Soviet repression. Agence France-Presse reported on June 4 that Kadyrov ordered the memorial, which consists of hundreds of... MORE
Influential NGO Issues Report on Dagestan
On June 3, the International Crisis Group (ICG) released a report on the situation in Dagestan, which concludes that an unstable economic situation and corruption are the main reasons for the upsurge in terrorism in the republic. The report’s executive summary states that while Dagestan... MORE