According to a Voice of America report aired on February 4, a Russian official has confirmed that nearly 40,000 of the Russian troops now stationed in Chechnya will be eligible to vote in the March 23 constitutional referendum. Abdul-Khakim Sultygov, Moscow's human rights envoy for... MORE

THE CONSTITUTION: "BROAD AUTONOMY" FOR CHECHNYA? While there has been much discussion of the procedure for adopting the proposed new constitution for Chechnya, such as the timing of the constitutional referendum, the actual text of that document has received relatively little attention. But the text... MORE

THE NEWEST PRIME MINISTER, "A MODERN MAN OF AFFAIRS" When push comes to shove, Akhmad Kadyrov is now more indispensable to Russia's policies in Chechnya than any other one political figure in Grozny. But he is not so much so as to be able simply... MORE

THE REFUGEES: "A PATTERN OF INTIMIDATION" A major report by a New York-based international human rights organization provides the most detailed, authoritative study yet of how the Russian authorities are forcing Chechen refugees to return to a war zone where they face pervasive violence, persecution,... MORE

:* News briefs* Lord Judd's resignation: English spin, Russian duck* Zakaev: will he be extradited?* Is Moscow subsidizing Chechen rebels?

Georgi Ekhov reported in a January 31 article on the website Politcom.ru that at a Kremlin meeting of the Security Council--a top advisory body to Russian President Vladimir Putin on military and foreign policy affairs--the president's national security adviser Vladimir Rushailo acknowledged that the military,... MORE

An antiwar demonstration in Moscow attracted about 1,000 participants on February 1. The protesters, led by veteran human rights activist Lev Ponomarev, adopted a statement that singled out the referendum planned for March, saying that it would inevitably lead to a new outburst of violence... MORE

Radio Liberty broadcast on harassment of Chechens who live in Moscow included an interview with Svetlana Gannyshkina, head of the committee Za grazhdanskoe sodeistvie (For civic assistance). She said that every day her organization gets appeals from people whose relatives have been arrested, sometimes because... MORE

Lord Judd's recent report to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe included some reflections on the anti-Moscow forces in Chechnya: "I detect at least three elements amongst the fighters in the Chechen Republic.... There are the extremists, largely indistinguishable in their motivation, if... MORE

An opinion poll released on January 31 by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion found that more than 60 percent of Russians polled now favor negotiations with the rebels in Chechnya. Only 30 percent are for continued military operations. Thus public opinion... MORE