In an interview with Sobesednik magazine, Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov was asked whether he has “presidential ambitions.” Kadyrov responded: “And why not? Until recently, [I didn’t have] any, but now I’m thinking about it. If the people say, ‘We want to see you as... MORE

--KULAEV FOUND GUILTY Nur-Pashi Kulaev, said by the Russian authorities to be the soul surviving hostage-taker in the September 2004 attack on Beslan School No. 1, was declared guilty on May 16 for his role in the terrorist raid, in which 331 people, over half... MORE

The Chechen factor is one of the controversial issues in the modern history of Azerbaijan. Since the first Russo-Chechen war, Azerbaijan did not pursue a consistent policy concerning the conflict in the North Caucasus. While officially the authorities denied any help to the Chechen mujahideen,... MORE

Kommersant published an article on May 6 confirming that the Kremlin had sided with Chechen President Alu Alkhanov following the reported shoot-out between members of his security service and members of security forces loyal to Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov (see Chechnya Weekly, May 4).... MORE

Ramzan Kadyrov has repeated his claim that the assassination of his father was financed from abroad. "Yes, I believe this terrorist act was paid for from abroad, those who carried out the attack have already been punished, and the same fate awaits those who ordered... MORE

The family of the late Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has requested political asylum in Finland. The Associated Press on May 9 quoted officials in the office of Finnish President Tarja Halonen as confirming that it had received a letter from Maskhadov's widow, Kusama, their... MORE

A Russian jury on May 5 acquitted two Chechen men, Kazbek Dukuzov and Musa Vakhaev, who were accused of murdering Paul Klebnikov, the editor of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, in July 2004. Prosecutors had argued that the two defendants carried out a contract... MORE

--SWEDISH AUTHORITIES SEIZE KAVKAZCENTER SERVERS Swedish authorities shut down the Chechen separatist Kavkazcenter website on May 5 at the request of the Russian authorities. The SR International - Radio Sweden website reported on May 8 that the website was closed down after police with a... MORE

On May 10, Putin delivered his long-awaited address to the Russian Federal Assembly. A significant part of the address was a response to the last week's speech by U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney at the summit in Vilnius. Cheney criticized Putin's foreign policy, the use of... MORE

Developments over the past week involving the restructuring of Chechnya’s security forces and the aftermath of a reported shootout between security personnel loyal to Chechen President Alu Alkhanov and Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov (see Chechnya Weekly, April 27), have led some observers to speculate... MORE