Kavkazky Uzel reported that on July 5, a group of officials of the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI) held a press conference in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg. One of the participants, Seilam Bechaev, who is deputy chairman of the ChRI parliament, told... MORE

Shamil Basaev recently weighed in on the Olympic Games, warning that the security of athletes participating in the 2012 games could not be guaranteed were Moscow chosen as the Olympic venue. Asked by the Kavkazcenter to comment on Moscow's bid to host the 2012 Olympics,... MORE

The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya (ACPC) on June 30 called on Western governments and observers "to continue to speak with moral clarity on Chechnya during their talks with the Russian Federation," notably on the eve of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The... MORE

Chechen Prime Minister Sergei Abramov announced on July 4 that the "Phoenix: Return to Life" rock concert that had been scheduled to take place the following day in Gudermes, the republic's second-biggest city, would be postponed until September because the concert's organizers said military officials... MORE

The Sharia Jamaat on July 12 officially confirmed the death of its leader Rasul Makasharipov. "Praise Allah, on July 6 in the city of Shamilkal (formerly Makhachkala), during the defense of a mujahideen base in the course of a violent battle, the Emir of the... MORE

The killing of Rasul Makasharipov came after a series of terrorist attacks in Dagestan, including the July 1 bombing of a public bathhouse in Makhachkala that killed eleven Russian Interior Ministry commandos (see Chechnya Weekly, July 7). The upsurge in violence and instability has clearly... MORE

Against this backdrop, it is no surprise that the situation in Dagestan is becoming a focus of attention in Russia's parliament. Gennady Gudkov, a member of the State Duma Security Committee and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, said the government should send a commission to... MORE

President Vladimir Putin on July 7 offered his condolences over the terrorist bombings in London and used the occasion to inveigh once again about what he sees as double standards in the international community's attitude toward terrorism. "What happened today demonstrates yet again that we... MORE

Interfax reported on July 12 that two people were abducted in the Leninsky district of Grozny. According to the news agency, unknown people in camouflage uniforms burst into the home of Beslan Abdulaev and took him away to an unknown destination. Adlan Aliev, a 35-year-old... MORE

Russian military sources reported on July 13 that four servicemen and a police officer were injured when a blast hit an armored column in Chechnya's Shali district, RIA Novosti reported. The incident reportedly took place as five armored personnel carriers and two Ural trucks ferrying... MORE