"The current hunt for Maskhadov began immediately after he announced that he plans to bring Basaev to judgment for his crimes and that if negotiations take place he is prepared to accept any Russian conditions for the sake of peace. Maskhadov is not demanding the... MORE

The federal government has no visible long-term strategy for handling the crisis in the North Caucasus, one of Russia's leading specialists in the region told correspondent Dmitry Taratorin of Novye izvestia in an interview published on October 15. "The federal center's policy for the Caucasus... MORE

Shamil Basaev has achieved the goal of his Beslan operation, concluded Sanobar Shermatova in an October 15 article for the weekly Moskovskie novosti. "After Beslan the peoples of the Caucasus have not united in a fight against terror, but on the contrary have once again... MORE

Belying the authorities' denials of continuing human-rights abuses in Chechnya, a massive zachistka security sweep paralyzed the town of Novye Atagi southeast of Grozny last week. According to an October 16 report on the Newsru.com website, the town's mayor Abdula Datsaev said that its 8,000... MORE

Chechen refugees now constitute the largest national group seeking asylum in the European Union, according to an October 15 report in the Irish Times—far outstripping those fleeing wars in more populous places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. Most of these Chechens, wrote Irish Times... MORE

A mysterious arson attack caused minor damage last week to the home of Chechen diplomat Akhmed Zakaev, London representative of the underground Maskhadov government. The Reuters news service reported on October 16 that the Zakaev residence suffered minor fire damage. British police said they were... MORE

Yet more information has emerged contradicting last month's attempts to create the impression that the Beslan terrorists did not have a clear set of negotiating demands. Putin aide Aslanbek Aslakhanov was quoted in an October 13 news broadcast from Channel Four in the United Kingdom... MORE

The official commission charged with investigating the Beslan affair seems to be laying the groundwork to achieve two goals: a cover-up of what really happened, and a slander campaign against the only Russian political leader who behaved decently during the tragedy. According to an article... MORE

The Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, which for years has worked to protect Russian draftees from abuses by their own superiors, announced on October 13 that it will try to mediate between the Russian government and Chechnya's separatists. In a written appeal to the separatists, the... MORE

If Alu Alkhanov, the new president of Chechnya's pro-Moscow administration, plans gradually to squeeze Ramzan Kadyrov out of power, that is not evident from his recent personnel appointments. Alkhanov has now appointed his predecessor's son as first deputy prime minister, according to an October 16... MORE