The Associated Press reported on July 5 that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France found the Russian authorities responsible for the presumed killing of Ruslan Alikhadzhiev, who was the speaker of Chechnya’s parliament from 1997 to 1999, during Aslan Maskhadov’s presidency, and... MORE

An attack in Ingushetia on July 6 may also have been a type of rebel training exercise. The Russian army’s 503rd motorized rifle regiment, stationed in the settlement of Troitskaya in Ingushetia’s Sunzha district, was shelled by unknown gunmen using small arms and grenade launchers.... MORE

The North Caucasus continues to churn uneasily, despite all of Moscow’s cheerful assurances to the contrary. It is hard to miss how the Russian leadership desperately tries to find a way out of the situation, but as usual, Moscow tries to rely only on its... MORE

Chechnya’s pro-Russian leader Ramzan Kadyrov expressed complete satisfaction with the visit of the foreign diplomats from Islamic countries to Chechnya (Chechnya Weekly, June 28). On July 27, he declared that “the results of the visit have surpassed all expectations.” The diplomats responded with many kind... MORE

“Russian policemen lose their qualifications and professional skills during their duty tours in Chechnya,” said Tatyana Lokshina, head of the Demos human rights center, during a press conference held in Moscow on June 28. The press conference was called to present the results of the... MORE

- Chechen Rights Ombudsman Wants Help Identifying Those in Mass Graves The Chechen presidential press service, citing Chechen human rights ombudsman Nurdi Nukhazhiev, has said that the unidentified remains of over 3,000 people who died between 2000 and 2004 are buried in mass graves in... MORE

Russian officials continued to denounce the appearance of Akhmed Zakaev, the London-based foreign minister of the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI), at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, France, on June 27 (Chechnya Weekly, June 28).... MORE

A deputy in Dagestan’s People’s Assembly, Magomedgusein Nasrutdinov, was shot and seriously wound in the center of the republic’s capital, Makhachkala, on July 2, ITAR-Tass reported. As Newsru.com reported on July 3, Nasrutdinov is also the chairman of the board of directors of Daggaz, a... MORE

Kavkazky Uzel, citing Radio Liberty, reported on July 4 that an observation tower of the border department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) branch in Ingushetia was shot up. Nobody was hurt in the attack in Nazran, the republic’s largest city. RIA Novosti reported on... MORE

Interfax reported on July 3 that a homemade explosive device went off in Grozny’s Oktyabrsky district on the evening of July 2, wounding a policeman. A law-enforcement source told the news agency that the device was detonated by remote control as a three-man police patrol... MORE