Asked how long the conflict would continue, Yastrzhembsky prophesied: "I think that the reestablishment of peaceful life in Chechnya will be a rather extended process... If we examine the situation in the West, we see that similar operations can go on for decades. In Northern... MORE

Over the past week, President Putin and one of his severest political critics chose to comment on the subject of the events of 1999 that served to spark a second Russian invasion of Chechnya. During a meeting with participants in the "Teacher of the Year"... MORE

On October 10, the website Politcom.ru reported on an interview which Tony Blair, the prime minister of Great Britain, had just granted to the BBC before setting off for Moscow to see President Putin. Blair, the website wrote, "made an important preliminary declaration on Chechnya... MORE

On October 10, census-takers began making a count of the population of the Republic of Chechnya, under conditions of tight security. A total of 979, 633 questionnaires were reportedly delivered to the pro-Moscow authorities, according to a spokeswoman for the Kadyrov administration, Alla Vlazneva (Agence... MORE

On October 8, the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti wrote that Joseph Gyorke, a representative of the administration of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, had informed a Moscow "round table" discussion that he was unaware of single case in which a Chechen IDP... MORE

On October 4, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting noted that, pressured by Russia, the government of Azerbaijan was making it increasingly difficult for Chechen refugees to remain in that country. "With Baku's apparently waning sympathy for the Chechen cause, there have been fears,"... MORE

In an article entitled "Putin Has Introduced Military Rule into Chechnya," written by journalist Vladimir Georgiev for the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta (October 9 issue), it was reported that, as of October 8, a new administrative system had gone into effect in Chechnya. A signed decree... MORE

: * "The Lost War" dialog* Census-taking in Chechnya completed* Federal and republic representatives meet* Is public opinion turning?* Chechen conference held in Moscow* Perspective: Anna Politkovskaya visits Pankisi Gorge NEWS

On October 16, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell published an essay entitled "Russia and the U.S. Are Not Competing for Spheres of Influence" in one of the leading Russian dailies, Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Some of Powell's comments touched upon the conflict in Chechnya and on... MORE