An unnamed local government official told Agence France-Presse on December 5 that three Russian soldiers had been killed in recent fighting in Chechnya. The official said that one soldier died and another five were injured in a total of 13 attacks by separatist fighters on... MORE

Russian authorities flew 125 Chechen refugees on December 6 from Tbilisi, Georgia, to Makhachkala, Dagestan, where they were to be taken by bus to Chechnya, the Associated Press reported. The refugees, who were among thousands of Chechens who fled to Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, were being... MORE

A leading Russian newspaper, the Iranian government and a Chechen separatist website have all dismissed a British newspaper report claiming that Iran is training Chechen rebels. Citing "Western intelligence reports" as its source, the Sunday Telegraph reported on November 27 that "teams of Chechen fighters"... MORE

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) sent an open letter on December 5 to Dagestan's prosecutor, Rashidhan Magomedov, expressing concern about the arrest of human rights activist Osma Boliev. According to the Vienna-based human rights group, Boliev is a well-known human rights defender... MORE

--MASKHADOV ASSOCIATES SENTENCED Chechnya's Supreme Court sentenced four associates of the late Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov to prison sentences ranging from five-and-a-half to 15 years, Interfax reported on December 1. Vakhid Murdashev, who was captured on March 8, 2005 in the village of Tolstoi-Yurt,... MORE

The bloody events in Nalchik on October 13-14 this year not only indicated the radicalization of Muslim youth in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria (KBR), but also cast light on the drama of the relationships between the authorities and Muslims that has been developing in the... MORE

Chechnya's parliamentary elections took place on November 27. As predicted, the pro-Kremlin United Russia party swept the contest. Citing Chechnya's election commission, Interfax reported on November 29 that with the votes of 306 of the republic's 430 election precincts counted, United Russia won 60.38 percent... MORE

Chechen President Alu Alkhanov said on November 28 that he would like to meet with supporters of the late rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov. "I plan to go to Brussels, where I wish to meet with leaders of Maskhadov's regime," RIA Novosti quoted Alkhanov as telling... MORE

A leaked version of the North Ossetian parliamentary report on the Beslan hostage crisis was much more critical of federal authorities than the summary presented by the inquiry's chairman, Stanislav Kesaev, to the legislature, victims' relatives and reporters on November 29, the Moscow Times noted... MORE

Russian media on November 30 reported that security forces were conducting a large-scale special operation following the murder of the head of the Avtury village administration, Ibragim Umpashaev, and his son Isa. According to Ren TV, as many as 20 armed people had entered the... MORE