Latest North Caucasus Weekly Articles
Uzun Haji’s and Dokka Umarov’s Emirates: a Retrospective
Any present-day event always triggers associations with other episodes already captured by history. Analogies of this sort help to understand the advantages and flaws of current actors, who similarly are most often influenced by the specific personalities and events of the past. Dokka Umarov’s leadership... MORE
Ramzan Kadyrov Targets the Yamadaev Brothers
Some people say that Chechnya’s pro-Russian leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, controls the republic firmly and has no rivals, at least in the Chechen pro-Russian camp. However, secret conflicts inside that camp surface from time to time, demonstrating that Kadyrov still has competitors in Chechnya. Late in... MORE
Dagestan: Bombings, Shootings and an Armed Raid on a Power Company
An improvised explosive device (IED) apparently targeted at a police car went off in Makhachkala, Dagestan's capital, on March 11, RIA Novosti reported. The bomb, which was estimated to contain 1.2 grams of TNT equivalent and was packed with bolts and screws, was detonated as... MORE
North Ossetia’s Anti-Organized Crime Chief Assassinated
The head of North Ossetia's anti-organized crime unit (UBOP, formerly known as RUBOP), Mark Metsaev, was killed in the republican capital Vladikavkaz on March 7. Agence France-Presse reported that Metsaev "died in a hail of automatic gunfire following a minor car accident that appeared to... MORE
Zyazikov Dismisses His Cabinet
Ingushetian President Murat Zyazikov on March 12 dismissed his cabinet, which is chaired by Ibragim Malsagov, as well as the republic’s local administration heads. Newsru.com reported that the dismissed cabinet will remain in place until a new one is formed and that First Vice-Premier Khov... MORE
Kadyrov Joins Union of Journalists—For a Day
Russian news agencies reported on March 5 that the Chechen chapter of the Russian Union of Journalists had conferred membership on Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov for services rendered to Chechen journalism. However, on March 6, following protests from several leading journalists, the union’s leadership in... MORE
Voting in Ingushetia and Chechnya Again Scrutinized
Ingushetia’s election commission reported on March 4 that 92.3 percent of the republic’s eligible voters voted in the Russian presidential and republican legislative elections, both of which were held on March 2, Kavkazky Uzel reported. According to the commission, 91.6 percent of those in Ingushetia... MORE
Briefs
- Dagestani Journalists Assaulted Zaur Gaziev, an opposition journalist who is a political correspondent for the Dagestani weekly Svobodnaya Respublika, and Ruslan Gabibulaev, an anchorman with the Republican State Broadcasting Company (RGVK), were severely beaten in Makhachkala, Dagestan's capital, on February 29. The website of... MORE
Opposition in Ingushetia Plans to Hold a Council and Another Protest
An initiative group consisting of local opposition activists announced on March 6 that it is planning to hold an extraordinary congress of the Ingush people on March 8, Kavkazky Uzel reported. According to organizers, representatives of various teips (clans) and families have been invited, as... MORE