Late in 2002, the third year of the second Chechen military campaign, the Kremlin started to implement its policy of "Chechenization." The idea was to make Chechens fight Chechens in order to save the lives of Russian soldiers and to transfer the burden of war... MORE

On February 23, Chechens and Ingush across the political spectrum marked the 61st anniversary of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's mass deportation of members of both groups to Kyrgyzstan. Chechnya's pro-Moscow president, Alu Alkhanov, declared that the "repressions against the entire nation cannot be treated as... MORE

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on February 24 handed down rulings on claims brought by six Chechens who blame the Russian government for the deaths of relatives. The court ruled that the Russian Federation had violated the right to life, the prohibition... MORE

Aslan Maskhadov's unilateral ceasefire last month evoked an initial reaction of skepticism from Russian authorities over the possibility of putting this order into practice – but ultimately officials seemed surprised by its effectiveness. On February 22, Arkady Baskaev, a State Duma deputy who specializes in... MORE

Following unsuccessful attempts late last year to meet with Chechen separatist representatives in Belgium, Union of Soldiers' Mothers Committees (SKSMR) delegation met with representatives of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov in London on February 24 and 25. The SKSMR delegation was led by the organization's... MORE

Reporting from Ingushetia in the February 28 issue of the weekly magazine Profil, Irina Kostyuchenko and Natalya Shiryeva wrote that while special anti-terrorist operations are currently being conducted across the North Caucasus, "behind the noise of a big war, people are disappearing without a trace;... MORE

President Vladimir Putin praised staff members of the Federal Security Service (FSB) on February 28 for "successful special operations" in the North Caucasus this year, stating that that more than 200 rebels have been killed so far in 2005, RIA Novosti reported. "The operational capabilities... MORE

On March 1, the Prava Cheloveka v Rossii (Human Rights in Russia) website, Hro.org, citing the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations, reported that the bodies of Rezvan and Zina Arsamemruev were discovered in the village of Goiti in the Urus-Martan district on February 27. The couple... MORE

"Years ago, [Akhmad] Kadyrov preached that Muslims should not worship human beings or animals when he protested the nomination of a wolf as the national emblem of an independent Chechnya. Now, he is becoming a deity himself. If this goes any further, I would not... MORE

Aslan Maskhadov was killed on March 8. Ilya Shabalkin, spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus, reported that members of the Alfa and Vympel special force units of the Federal Security Service (FSB) had killed the rebel leader during a special operation in... MORE