On June 27, the Chechen separatist Daymohk published two decrees by Dokku Umarov, the new leader of the separatist movement and president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). One decree removed Abdallakh Shamil Abu-Idris, a.k.a. Shamil Basaev, from the post of first deputy chairman... MORE

Interfax reported on June 29 that during a broadcast of the program “Kriminalnaya khronika” (Criminal Chronicle) on the Chechen state television channel Grozny, Arbi Zakriev, a senior officer with the criminal investigation department of the Urus-Martan police, said that Shamil Basaev and Dokku Umarov were... MORE

Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov said on June 28 that the declaration of “the known terrorists Dokku Umarov and Shamil Basaev” as “the president and vice-president of Ichkeria” once again shows that it is impossible to negotiate with the leaders of the separatists. “Umarov and... MORE

Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov condemned the murder of four Russian diplomats in Iraq. Itar-Tass on June 27 quoted Kadyrov as telling journalists, “We know from our own experience what terrorism is in all its manifestations. Using the name of Allah as cover, the international... MORE

--FOUR SERVICEMEN KILLED IN CHECHNYA Radio Liberty’s Russian-language service reported on June 28 that four Russian servicemen were killed fighting in Chechnya. The radio station reported that two servicemen died and four were wounded in a battle with militants in the Achkoi-Martan district. Another serviceman... MORE

To the surprise of many, the independent government of Chechnya made an orderly transition of power after the killing of former President Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev earlier this month. Succeeding the charismatic Islamic scholar as president is a no-nonsense veteran of two wars against Russia, Dokku Umarov.... MORE

The death of Chechen separatist leader Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev was first announced by Chechen government officials on June 17. Interfax quoted Chechen government minister Muslim Khuchiev as saying that Sadulaev was killed in a special operation in the city of Argun—Sadulaev's hometown— when members of the... MORE

The unofficial version of the events surrounding the death of Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev, reported by the newspaper Kommersant and the Memorial Human Rights Center, varies significantly from the one presented by the Chechen government. Kommersant on June 19 quoted unnamed Chechen policemen as telling it "unofficially"... MORE

Independent observers and politicians had widely varying assessments of the significance of Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev's death. Gazeta, on June 17, quoted Aleksei Malashenko of the Moscow Carnegie Center as saying that while Sadulaev was not a particularly significant figure, his death would seriously affect the actions... MORE

An al-Qaeda-linked group in Iraq claimed in a statement released on June 19 that it was holding the four Russian diplomats who were kidnapped in Baghdad on June 3 and demanded that Moscow withdraw its troops from Chechnya and "release all our brothers and sisters"... MORE