Latest North Caucasus Weekly Articles

Fsb Death Squad Operating In Ingushetia?

The May 27 issue of Novaya Gazeta includes a document that claims to be a letter from an FSB officer in southern Russia’s Stavropol region. If authentic, the letter sheds additional light on the mysterious kidnapping in March of Rashid Ozdoyev, an investigator for the... MORE

Security Services Censor Interview With Yandarbiev’s Widow

A verdict in the case of two Russian intelligence operatives charged with assassinating Chechen extremist Zelimkhan Yandarbiev in Qatar is now expected on June 8. According to a May 27 report on Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite television network, a lawyer for the two defendants said... MORE

Eldest Son Of Akhmad Kadyrov Dies

The prevailing opinion among independent observers seems to be that Zelimkhan Kadyrov died of natural causes, despite inconsistent reports from Chechnya’s pro-Moscow administration. Russian news agencies reported mid-evening on May 31 that the elder son of the late Akhmad Kadyrov had been found dead earlier... MORE

Georgia Also Makes Life Difficult For Chechen Refugees

The desire of Georgia’s new president Mikheil Saakashvili to improve relations with Russia, especially to relax Moscow’s travel restrictions on visitors from Georgia, increasingly seems to spell bad news for Chechen separatists who have taken refuge on the Georgian side of the border. Radio Liberty... MORE

Briefs

--MILITARY REINFORCEMENTS REPORTEDLY SENT TO CHECHNYA Is the number of new Russian reinforcements in Chechnya even greater than acknowledged by the Kremlin? In addition to new Chechen gunmen for the Kadyrov family’s private army, it would seem that substantial new forces of Russian troops are... MORE

Dagestan Bans Sale Of Russian Translations Of The Qur’an

In a heavy-handed crackdown on Islamic extremism similar to those which have inflamed tensions in Uzbekistan, Dagestan has forbidden the sale or distribution of Russian translations of the Qur'an. Since the overwhelming majority of Muslims in the Caucasus do not read or speak Arabic, the... MORE

Little Mourning For Kadyrov In North Caucasus

In the mostly Muslim provinces of southern Russia neighboring Chechnya, the reaction to Akhmad Kadyrov's death has been lukewarm. Public statements by officials, memorial services and the like have focused mainly on condemning yet another act of terrorism rather than on commemorating Kadyrov himself, according... MORE

Ramzan Kadyrov Says He Knows Who Killed His Father

In an obscure aside during an interview with the popular weekly Argumenty i Fakty, Ramzan Kadyrov said that he knows who it was who killed his father. He chose not to be more precise except to say that the mastermind of the May 9 assassination... MORE

Chechen Children Increasingly Targets Of Kidnapping

Pro-Moscow forces in Chechnya are increasingly now capturing children and adolescents. Though it cannot be excluded that older male adolescents may be participants in separatist guerrilla units, the usual practice is not to arrest them as criminal suspects but simply to kidnap them without providing... MORE