Latest North Caucasus Weekly Articles
Russian Forces Face Serious Problems Hunting Rebels in Dagestan’s Mountains
Russian security forces continue to comb the mountain areas of Dagestan looking for insurgent groups. Russian security officials believe that the severe cold in the mountains, which is in the minus 15-20 degrees Celsius—unusual for the North Caucasus—and heavy snowfall would make it impossible for... MORE
Growing Numbers of Chechens Reportedly Seek Refuge in Europe
The head of the International Committee on Problems of the North Caucasus, Ruslan Kutaev, said late last month that a large number of Chechens are fleeing the republic for Europe. The Turkish website Ajans Kafkas on December 27 quoted Kutaev as saying that "Chechens are... MORE
Briefs
- Six Rebels Reportedly Killed in Dagestan Fighting A spokesman for Russia's Interior Ministry said on January 10 that Russian troops killed six rebels during a special forces operation in the Tabasaransky district of southern Dagestan, Reuters reported. Itar-Tass reported on January 8 that a... MORE
Rival Rebel Groups Exchange Accusations, Issue Decrees
The Kavkaz-Center website on December 24 posted the text of what it said was an “official statement of the Vakil (head) of the Vekalat of the Caucasian Emirate (the official representation of the Caucasian Emirate abroad) in connection with recent events in the Caucasus and... MORE
Chernokozovo Prison Inmates Allege Beatings and Torture
The head of the International Committee on Problems of the North Caucasus, Ruslan Kutaev, has said that a group of prisoners in Chechnya's notorious Chernokozovo remand prison colony claim they have been the victims of beatings and torture at the hands of their jailers, Kavkazky... MORE
Kadyrov Threatens to Close TV Stations that Fail to Propagate Islam
During a meeting on January 9 with district administration heads, district and city imams and television company chiefs, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov threatened to close local television stations that do not devote time to explaining the foundations of Islam in order to prevent young people... MORE
Zyazikov Denounces the Jamestown Foundation
In an interview published on December 17 in the weekly magazine Kommersant-Vlast, Ingushetian President Murat Zyazikov said that the recent series of murders of ethnic Russians living in the republic was a "blow" aimed at the leadership of both Russia and Ingushetia, and specifically aimed... MORE
The Dagestani Jamaat (Part 2)
Following the events of summer and fall of 1999, the realities of Dagestan’s life suggested a whole new attitude toward Salafi adherents was emerging. Dagestan is generally considered a region with age-old, well-established Muslim traditions, but the republic was not ready for the demands made... MORE
Russian Forces Carry Out a Large-Scale Security Sweep in the North Caucasus
Winter is traditionally the time when Russian security officials intensify their counter-insurgency activities in the North Caucasus. Cold weather forces many Caucasian insurgents to come down from the mountains to hide in settlements in the lowlands. Seasonal factors, however, are not the only reason that... MORE