In an interview appearing in the no. 31 (September 13-20) issue of the weekly Vek, retired MVD General Aslambek Aslakhanov, the elected deputy from Chechnya to the Russian State Duma, underlined the pressing need to conduct negotiations with the Chechen separatists. "Otherwise," he said, "we... MORE

On September 12, Reuters reported the fate of one Chechen family that had left a refugee camp in Russia's south to return to their native republic. "Officials ushering them onto trucks promised them rebuilt homes, food and a peaceful life. Instead, with most of the... MORE

The Chekists [FSB] Are Controlling Humanitarian Aid Workers and Journalists" read a headline in the September 7 issue of Kommersant. The day before, the newspaper had reported, "in Chechnya new rules concerning the presence in the republic of representatives of humanitarian organizations went into effect.... MORE

Fifteen bodies have been unearthed on the border of Nadterechnyi and Sunzhinsky Districts. Seven of the deceased have been identified: "All of them had been taken into custody by Russian soldiers" (Hro.org, September 10).

The current month marked the third anniversary of the September 1999 Moscow and Volgodonsk "terror bombings" that served to precipitate a second Russian invasion of Chechnya. The September 10 issue of the government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta featured an interview with FSB Lieutenant General Ivan Mironov,... MORE

In a report entitled "Pankisi: How It Is Done," three special correspondents for the pro-democracy daily Novye Izvestia, Sergei Agafonov, Besik Urigashvili and Valery Yakov, wrote in the September 11 issue of that newspaper concerning what they had seen and heard during a recent visit... MORE

On September 20, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov met in the White House in Washington with President George W. Bush. One of the issues briefly discussed during the meeting, which was heavily covered by both the Western and Russian... MORE

Also on September 20, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell replied to a question asked by a reporter: "Mr. Secretary, [your] Russian guests provided you with proof of a connection between the Georgian leadership and terrorists. Do they look convincing to you?" by responding, "They... MORE

On September 19, the speaker of the Georgian parliament, Nino Burdzhanadze, reacted sharply to recent statements by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and General Anatoly Kvashnin, chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, concerning the foreign and domestic policies of Georgia. "Kvashnin... MORE