Federal Security Service Director Nikolai Patrushev put forward an offer of amnesty to Chechnya’s separatist rebels on July 15. “We urge the members of illegal armed groups to ... acknowledge the truth,” Western news agencies quoted Patrushev as saying. “We offer [them] to start talks... MORE

The rebel leadership, for its part, unequivocally rejected the amnesty offer. In a statement posted on the separatist Chechenpress.com, Chechenpress and Daymohk websites on July 19, the administration of the president of the ChRI (Chechen Republic of Ichkeria) said, “The Administration of the President of... MORE

With the plethora of contradictory versions of Shamil Basaev’s death in the press, and with some observers even questioning whether he was really killed (Chechnya Weekly, July 14), separatist Foreign Minister Akhmed Zakaev confirmed the rebel warlord’s death in an interview with Profil-Ukraina published on... MORE

A poll conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), the results of which were released on July 19 and posted on the center’s website, Wciom.ru, found that following Shamil Basaev’s death, 72 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement... MORE

There was contradictory information about a shootout that reportedly took place in the Chechen capital on the afternoon of July 17. The Kavkazky Uzel website reported that a shootout between “representatives of Chechen power structures” in Grozny had killed one person and wounded two, one... MORE

The unexpected death of the Chechen warlord Shamil Basaev, who was responsible for organizing ruthless terrorist attacks in Russia, has again initiated discussions about a possible dialogue between the Russian authorities and the rebels in the North Caucasus. On the eve of the G8 summit... MORE

For the president of the Russian Federation, the past month has been full of good news from Chechnya. It was only on June 17 that information about the death of Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev, leader of the Chechen separatists, had come to light and now, just a... MORE

The death of Chechen rebel warlord Shamil Basaev (Chechnya Weekly, July 14) and Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev’s offer of amnesty to Chechnya’s rebels (Chechnya Weekly, July 20) have been followed by a number of optimistic statements from federal and Chechen officials about... MORE

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office announced on July 26 that it has launched a new criminal case against Akhmed Zakaev, the London-based foreign minister of the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). “In June-July 2006, Zakaev, who resides in the United Kingdom, gave several interviews,... MORE

The separatist Daymohk news agency published an interview with ChRI Foreign Minister Akhmed Zakaev on July 22 in which he was asked about the peace “manifesto” that he put forward earlier in July, which was criticized by the administration of ChRI President Dokku Umarov (Chechnya... MORE