Six federal soldiers were killed and seven wounded on August 7 when their convoy was ambushed in Ingushetia, near the Chechen border, sources in the Russian military told the Associated Press. On the same day rebels shot down an MI-8 military helicopter. --THE TOTAL DEATH... MORE

Pressure against Chechen refugees in Ingushetia has intensified further in recent days, Aleksandr Podrabinek of the newspaper Russky kurier reported on August 18. Hooligans are throwing rocks at the tents during the night, he wrote, and the tents are also being besieged at night by... MORE

By Michaela Pohl It is difficult to muster any faith in Chechnya's October presidential elections, considering how the recent census and the referendum were carried out. According to phone calls from an anti-Kadyrov observer in Chechnya, the situation in the republic is tense, with campaign... MORE

The election authorities were still predicting that none of the candidates would get an absolute majority of the votes on October 5, the Kremlin-controlled website Strana.ru reported on August 15--and that it would therefore take a second round to produce a final victor. If Kadyrov... MORE

In an August 18 article for the newspaper Russky kurier, Zoya Svetova suggested that it may be no accident that Ruslan Khasbulatov's decision to drop out of the race coincided with that of Aslan Aslakhanov--and his high poll rating--to enter it. Aslakhanov will have the... MORE

Zoya Svetova of Russky kurier suggested on August 18 that the election's outcome, which until recently seemed to be a guaranteed victory for Kadyrov, is now uncertain. The most shocking new development, in her view, was Bislan Gantemirov's declaration of support for Dzhabrailov. She noted... MORE

The Russian media are publishing stories claiming that about 150 international observers will monitor the October election--uncritically repeating a statement made by Anatoly Popov, the Moscow-recognized administration's prime minister and acting president, at an August 14 press conference in Moscow. Popov specifically mentioned the Organization... MORE

One of the most visible moderates in Aslan Maskhadov's separatist government has resigned, and at least one veteran observer of the war in Chechnya is interpreting this as a victory for the extremists among the rebels. Salambek Maigov released a statement on August 14 announcing... MORE

The influence of Islamic extremism is growing among the rebel guerrillas, one of the most seasoned journalists specializing in the Chechen wars has concluded from a recent visit to rebel strongholds in Chechnya's southern highlands. Andrei Babitsky of Radio Liberty spent five days with the... MORE

Two weeks after the August 1 terrorist bombing of the Mozdok military hospital, there is still only one person who has been formally arrested. He is Dr. Artur Arakelyan, the hospital's chief doctor, who has been accused of criminal negligence. However, most of Arakelyan's colleagues... MORE