Dagestan is threatening to spin out of control. That, at least, is the claim of a pair of reports -- one in a Russian newspaper and the other on a Chechen separatist website. Nezavisimaya gazeta reported on August 10 that the mayor of the city... MORE

The Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed on August 10 that unnamed "foreign sponsors" have supplied Chechen separatists with funds to disrupt Chechnya's presidential election, scheduled for August 29. Sergei Ignatchenko, head of the FSB's public relations center, said the funds were specifically earmarked for increased... MORE

Martial law was unofficially declared in Karachaevo-Cherkessia early in August. According to Regnum News Agency, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) is bringing additional troops into the Republic from Rostov, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Moscow, and other regions of Russia. The piedmont area of Karachaevo-Cherkessia is isolated... MORE

The head of Dagestan's Novolak district administration, Arsen Khaidakov, was assassinated in Makhachkala on the evening of July 29. His death is the latest in a decade of political violence that has claimed many Dagestani officials and politicians. Khaidakov, 39, was shot on the doorsteps... MORE

Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov, who in the past consistently stressed his readiness for political negotiations with the Kremlin, has delivered a message promising stepped up attacks in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and beyond, and that rebel forces will kill the winner of the next Chechen presidential... MORE

Late on the evening of July 28, martial law was declared in Kabardino-Balkaria. According to Radio Liberty, all security forces, police, and internal troops were put on alert. Police stations, hospitals, and public transportation facilities were placed under heavy guard. A correspondent from a radio... MORE

A new videotape showing Chechen and Ingush insurgents led by warlord Shamil Basaev in a Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) warehouse in Ingushetia has become topic number one in the Russian media (kavkazcenter.com, July 26). This tape was made in June, when between 200 and... MORE

Recent developments suggest that, after nearly ten years, the Kremlin still is unable to respond to attacks by separatists bent on an independent Chechnya. First, Chechen rebels staged a raid in neighboring Ingushetia on June 21. Several hundred rebels, joined by Ingush gunmen, essentially seized... MORE

Russia has prepared a new combat regiment for deployment in Ingushetia. The regiment consists of 600 servicemen, who joined under a contract after completing their military training in the North Caucasus Internal Troops District. The 126th Regiment of the Interior Troops (MVD) has been specifically... MORE

In an interview published by two separatist websites on July 5-6, Chechen separatist president Aslan Maskhadov reiterated that he is ready for negotiations with the federal authorities, while claiming that his forces have the means to fight on for years, should the Kremlin choose to... MORE