The trial of Nur-Pashi Kulaev, the sole participant in last September's Beslan terrorist act to be captured and put on trial, has yielded fresh testimony that raises questions about the actions of the local and federal authorities. Answering questions from victims of the incident, Kulaev... MORE

Fighting between rebel forces and federal troops and their pro-Chechen allies continues unabated. Seven officers of the Tver regional department of the Interior Ministry were shot to death on the border between Chechnya's Kurchaloi and Shali districts on June 9. Kommersant reported the following day... MORE

Valentina Melnikova, head of the Committee of Soldiers Mothers of Russia and chairwoman of the United People's Party of Soldiers' Mothers, said that more than 25,000 Russian servicemen have been killed in Chechnya since the second war there began in 1999, Kavkazky Uzel reported on... MORE

The Memorial human rights center reported on June 15 that the beating of detainees has become endemic in the North Caucasus, Kavazky Uzel reported on June 15. "What is going on in the North Caucasus with those detained on suspicion of terrorism – strange deaths,... MORE

Chechnya's State Council held a session on June 15 devoted to the issue of combating kidnappings and searching for missing citizens during which it was stated that 63 criminal cases arising from 70 abductions have been opened in the republic since the beginning of the... MORE

Kavkazky Uzel reported on June 13 that there have recently been a number of abductions of relatives of rebels, but that the relatives of those kidnapped are afraid to discuss the cases. "Taking hostage the relatives of Chechen militants has already become the norm," a... MORE

Pro-Kremlin Chechen President Alu Alkhanov said during a June 6 press conference in Moscow that abductions in Chechnya were declining, with only 23 people kidnapped since the beginning of the year, compared with 168 people abducted during the same period last year. Alkhanov said that... MORE

More than 5,000 children in Chechnya need prostheses, Kavkazky Uzel reported on June 7. According to the newspaper Groznensky rabochy, more than a half million explosive devices have been scattered around the republic and that more than 10,000 people have been killed or maimed by... MORE

Chechen separatist leader Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev said in a June 4 interview with Radio Liberty's Chechen service that rebels would continue attacks on military and economic targets but not harm civilians. "It is inadmissible to carry out attacks on peaceful unarmed people not participating in military... MORE

On May 28, Bislan Gantamirov, the former Grozny mayor and Chechen vice-premier, sent a letter to the federal authorities asking for protection for his family from what he characterized as illegal actions by forces loyal to First Deputy Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov. Gantamirov claimed... MORE