? The answer to this question appears unambiguously to be yes. After the Russian State Duma--which is de facto dominated by pro-Putin forces--decided not to conduct an investigation into the handling of the hostagetaking incident, the pro-democracy Union of Right Forces faction in the Duma... MORE

? Apparently not. One well-known Russian military correspondent, Pavel Felgenhauer, has commented: "It is completely surprising that not one of the suicide-terrorists set off a single explosive, although they did shoot very accurately at the armor-clad special forces (they wounded several of them) but not... MORE

? This is a question that must be looked into. The October 29 issue of Moskovsky Komsomolets reported that "agents of the [Russian] special services were in [Movsar] Baraev's band." A man who claimed to be a representative of Russian military intelligence told a reporter... MORE

If one asks the inevitable question, "To whom was the hostagetaking incident profitable?" the answer seems clear: to President Putin and his power ministers. A Russia-wide public opinion poll taken by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOIM) immediately after the storming... MORE

:* Not enough evidence* Zakaev safe in Britain* "Not one tent will be left standing"* Part of the truth, much of the blame

new constitution, new president* Perspective: A brazen war crime NEWS

On December 3, Denmark released Chechen separatist deputy premier Akhmed Zakaev, formerly Aslan Maskhadov's top negotiator with the Russian authorities, from custody. "After having been through the Russian extradition request," Jakob Scharf, the head of the Danish Justice Ministry's international department, stated, "the Justice Ministry... MORE

Following his release from a Danish prison, Zakaev flew to London's Heathrow Airport on December 5, where British police took him into custody immediately. He was later, after having been questioned, released on bail, London's Scotland Yard reported the following day. British actress and leading... MORE

On December 6, the weekly Moskvovskie Novosti reported: "The first deputy head of the Federal Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Igor Yunash, announced that it is planned fully to disassemble the tent camps in Ingushetia where presently more than 18,000 refugees are... MORE

On December 5, the website Polit.ru reported the results of a Russia-wide survey conducted by the polling organization The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) during the period November 22-25. Asked whether the authorities were telling the truth about the hostage crisis,... MORE