The most serious incident in Dagestan last week was the murder of Magomed Omarov, the republic's deputy Interior Minister, and three of his bodyguards on February 2. Omarov and his guards died when the two cars in which they were driving came under fire in... MORE

The attacks by Jennet/ Sharia in Dagestan, along with the attacks by other jamaats like "Yarmuk" in Kabardino-Balkaria and "Khalifat" in Ingushetia, have increased concerns that violence by Islamic militants is on the rise in the North Caucasus. Nezavisimaya gazeta wrote on February 4 that... MORE

Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov's ceasefire order has forced the Russian authorities to change their information policy. Almost immediately after the news of the ceasefire order was made public, security officials who usually insist that there has been no war in Chechnya for a long... MORE

Gen.-Major Ilya Shabalkin, spokesman for the Russian military operation in the North Caucasus, claimed on February 14 that Federal Security Service (FSB) and Interior Ministry forces had carried out a special operation to destroy a group of rebels, Interfax reported. Shabalkin said the rebel group... MORE

In an interview with Novaya gazeta published on February 14, former Ingushetian President Ruslan Aushev commented on Maskhadov's ceasefire and call for peace talks. Asked whether he thought the ceasefire was holding, Aushev answered: "I believe that is a secondary issue. First it is necessary... MORE

Akhmed Zakaev wrote an op-ed piece published in the International Herald Tribune on February 16 urging President George W. Bush to reconsider his position vis-à-vis Chechnya prior to his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Bratislava later this month. "Three years ago, the U.S. president... MORE

First Deputy Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov has vowed to sue human rights activists who accused him involvement in kidnappings, including the abduction of relatives of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, RIA Novosti reported on February 13. On January 19, the International Federation for Human... MORE

The separatist Kavkazcenter website reported on February 11 that it had received "confirmation" that former Chechen Vice President Vakha Arsanov had been "taken prisoner." Various Russian media reported in mid-January that Chechen police had detained Arsanov, but the Chechen Interior Ministry denied the reports. Kavkazcenter... MORE

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said in an interview she gave to the Toronto Star while in Moscow, which was published in the paper on February 14, that Russia should do more to investigate allegations of widespread abuse by its forces... MORE

Makhmut Magomadov, the Chechen human rights lawyer who was kidnapped by unknown persons on January 20, has been released, the Kavkazky Uzel website and other information sources reported on February 14. According to the website, Magomadov told Ruslan Badalov, head of the Chechen National Salvation... MORE