The September 5 issue of the weekly Moskovskie Novosti featured an interview with the official Russian human rights ombudsman, Oleg Mironov. Mironov is one of only three Russian federal officials appointed directly by the Russian parliament, the State Duma; the other two are the heads... MORE

On the evening of September 3, the newspaper Izvestia reported, Lord Judd of Britain, co-chair of the Joint Working Group for Chechnya of the State Duma and the Council of Europe, arrived in Moscow. "While still in the airport's VIP lounge, Lord Judd affirmed that... MORE

Throughout August and into early September, the Russian and Georgian governments continued to exchange sharp words over the murky situation in the Pankisi Gorge region of northern Georgia. "The United States," the White House press secretary stated on August 24, "is deeply concerned about credible... MORE

During meetings held in the Duchy of Liechtenstein between August 16-19, key discussions took place between two former speakers of the Russian parliament, Ivan Rybkin and Ruslan Khasbulatov, and two elected deputies to the Russian State Duma, journalist Yury Shchekochikhin of Novaya Gazeta and Aslambek... MORE

The offices of Chechnya Weekly will be closed for the remainder of the month. The next issue will appear on 9 September.

* Russia's citizens weigh in* The Chechen factor* Did Itum-Kale incident happen?* Moscow happy to conduct special operaton* Washington backs Georgia* Choosing between evils* Nothing has changed* Budanov witness admits lying* Perspective: Significance of 1999 bombings NEWS

On July 31, the website Polit.ru reported the results of an "express poll" recently conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VCIOM). Asked whether Russia should continue the war in Chechnya or begin peace negotiations, 29 percent of respondents favored continuing... MORE

The Chechen issue seriously intruded into relations between Russia and Georgia over the past week, and the U.S. State Department was required once again to issue a warning to Russia to respect Georgian sovereignty. In a piece entitled "Artillery Diplomacy," Kommersant reported on August 1:... MORE

There was some doubt as to whether the sharp clashes with rebels coming from Georgia that Moscow claimed had taken place in Itum-Kale District had in fact occurred, at least in the way in which they had been described. When correspondent Said Bitsoev of Novye... MORE