Aslan Maskhadov's assassination will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the overall situation in Chechnya, as the new leadership shifts the tactics and strategy of the Chechen resistance movement. Instead of the liberal Maskhadov, who constantly looked for ways to end the war, there will... MORE

--ALKHANOV RIDICULES MASKHADOV'S SUCCESSOR Chechen President Alu Alkhanov said that he knew nothing about Aslan Maskhadov's successor, Sheikh Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev, and that the Chechen Interior Ministry had no information about him. "I have never heard of this person before, and I am not the only... MORE

Aslan Maskhadov was killed on March 8. Ilya Shabalkin, spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus, reported that members of the Alfa and Vympel special force units of the Federal Security Service (FSB) had killed the rebel leader during a special operation in... MORE

Aslan Maskhadov's London-based emissary, Akhmed Zakaev, told Ekho Moskvy on March 8 (prior to receiving confirmation of Maskhadov's death) that if Maskhadov indeed had been killed, this would lead to an upsurge of terrorism in Chechnya and across Russia. "If it is confirmed, then it... MORE

Russian human rights activists were pessimistic about the effect that Aslan Maskhadov's killing would likely have on the Chechen conflict. Lyudmila Alekseyeva, leader of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said that Maskhadov's death was not "good news," Interfax reported on March 8. "He was a man... MORE

The Russian government and pro-Moscow Chechen officials, along with pro-Kremlin politicians, welcomed Maskhadov's death. State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said that Maskhadov's destruction should be interpreted unambiguously, RIA Novosti reported on March 9. "With this result, there will be much less evil," Gryzlov said. "I... MORE

Aslan Maskhadov's last interview before his death was posted by Chechenpress on March 4. According to the separatist new agency, the questions were submitted to Maskhadov by "correspondents of world news agencies, including Chechen agencies." Radio Liberty said the questions that the Chechen separatist leader... MORE

On March 7, unknown gunmen shot up a police car on the outskirts of the Dagestani town of Kaspiisk, wounding an officer in the head and shoulder, RIA Novosti reported. On March 6, two police officers in Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala, were killed when unidentified persons... MORE

Perhaps the most significant reason why the policy of "Chechenization" - aptly described in the February 23 issue of Chechnya Weekly by Andrei Smirnov as a policy intended "to make Chechens fight Chechens in order to save the lives of Russian soldiers and to transfer... MORE

--BESLAN WOMEN DEMONSTRATE Some 1,000 people, including members of the "Women of Beslan" group, held a demonstration in Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia, on March 8 after the federal Prosecutor General's Office refused to investigate the fact that clothes, other personal effects and body... MORE