While the Russian president was talking up Chechnya's upcoming parliamentary elections, the republic's low-intensity war continued. Kavkazky Uzel, citing an anonymous source in the Chechen Interior Ministry, reported that seven Russian servicemen and Interior Ministry officers had died and fifteen had been wounded when a... MORE

Memorial has published what Kavkazky Uzel on September 21 described as "shocking details" of a special operation conducted by forces loyal to Ramzan Kadyrov earlier in September in the town of Argun and the settlement of Tsotsin-Yurt. Citing local residents, the human rights group reported... MORE

Chechen First Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov claimed on September 22 that Chechnya's religious establishment bears "moral responsibility" for what is going on in the republic, Interfax reported. "The clergy to a significant degree is guilty for the fact young people are dying" on both... MORE

The Chechen separatist government has taken the governments of Jordan and Syria to task for meeting with Chechen President Alum Alkhanov during his trip to the two Middle Eastern countries earlier this month (see Chechnya Weekly, September 22). In a statement posted on the separatist... MORE

The authorities in Ingushetia on September 27 announced an official three-day mourning period for the murder that day of a prominent Islamic faith healer, Maksharip Belkhoroev, Itar-Tass reported. Acting Ingushetian Interior Minister Beslan Khamkhoev said the 67-year-old cleric's murderers "aimed to destabilize the situation and... MORE

--ETHNIC BRAWL IN NALCHIKIHI Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel announced on September 24 that a criminal case had been launched in connection with clashes that took place in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, on September 22–23. According to Russian news reports, the violence began as... MORE

After the death of Aslan Maskhadov on March 8, 2005, experts have noted a number of reasons behind the radicalization of the Chechen resistance. First, Shamil Basaev attained significant influence over power ministries with his appointment as the leading figure of the Islamist struggle in... MORE

An officer in Chechnya's Anti-Terrorist Center was killed and three Chechen policemen were wounded on September 20 when rebels fired on three police vehicles outside the Shelkovsky district village of Krasny Voskhod, Interfax and Kavkazky Uzel reported on September 21. Rebels also severely wounded a... MORE

Chechen Interior Ministry personnel in Shali on September 19 seized a videocassette from a Vesti-Chechnya television crew containing footage that they had shot of a demonstration in the village of Novye Atagi, Kavkazky Uzel reported. According to the website, some 20 demonstrators, most of them... MORE

The Chechen separatist movement confirmed on September 17 that Akhmad Avdorkhanov, commander of the rebel armed forces' eastern front, presidential security chief, and head of the presidential guards, had been killed. The separatists, however, denied comments by Chechen First Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov and... MORE