Latest North Caucasus Weekly Articles
Kadyrov Holds Forth on Wedding Attire, Celebratory Gunfire and Hitler
Newsru.com on November 16 reported that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov touched on a variety of issues during a press conference, including the issue of Chechen weddings – at which, he said, it is necessary to wear national costumes and limit celebratory gunfire. “Today I am... MORE
Zakaev Resigns as ChRI Foreign Minister
The separatist Chechenpress news agency on November 20 quoted the Foreign Ministry of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI) as saying that ChRI Foreign Minister Akhmed Zakaev had submitted his resignation to the Chairman of the ChRI Parliament, Zhalauddin Saralyapov. The ChRI parliament's press service... MORE
The War on Terror in the North Caucasus Provokes Public Protests
The armed standoff between the security officials and the insurgency in the North Caucasus is destabilizing the region and provoking new civic protests by the local population. The continuing arrests and rebel attacks are aggravating old simmering conflicts while the war on terror itself is... MORE
“Chechen Reconstruction”: The Facade of Normalcy
The elections Moscow organized for the Chechen Republic’s President and Parliament in 2004 and 2005, respectively, gave the facade of political legitimacy to its power over Chechnya, and Moscow also tried to give its control over the republic the appearance of legality (Neue Zürcher Zeitung,... MORE
Briefs
- Organizers Postpone Protest Planned for November 24 in Ingushetia The independent Ingushetiya.ru website on November 19 posted an announcement by the organizers of a demonstration that was scheduled to take place in Nazran on November 24 stating they had decided to postpone the protest,... MORE
Newspaper: At Least 150 Servicemen and Police Killed in Chechnya So Far This Year
The deputy prosecutor general for Southern Federal District, Ivan Sydoruk, told the Federation Council's committee for judicial-legal issues on November 19 that terrorists in the North Caucasus have received more than $1.5 million to finance attacks and that law-enforcement bodies, despite their best efforts, have... MORE
The Kremlin Calls on Shamanov Again
On November 12, the Interfax news agency reported that General Vladimir Shamanov had been appointed head of the Russian Armed Forces' Main Directorate for Combat Training and Service. According to Interfax, Shamanov will be responsible for “organizing combat and operational training in all branches of... MORE
Weaknesses in Moscow’s Chechnya Policy
The current situation in Chechnya is causing controversies and misunderstandings and, consequently, leading those who follow this region to draw incorrect conclusions. First off, it must be noted that nothing extraordinary is happening there. The situation is the same as in other regions experiencing long... MORE
Rebels and Security Forces Battle in Makhachkala
Unidentified gunmen fired at a car with police officers on the outskirts of the village of Pokrovskoye in Dagestan’s Khasavyurt region on November 15, killing the driver and injuring another person, Itar-Tass reported. According to Dagestan’s Interior Ministry, the incident was the second attack on... MORE
Kadyrov Offers Umarov Medical Care
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov on November 14 called on Chechen rebel leader Dokka Umarov to emerge from the underground and confess before the people. Kommersant on November 15 quoted Kadyrov as saying that if the “seriously ill Umarov” agrees to do so, he can count... MORE