Latest Articles about The Caucasus
Conflict Intensifies Between Ingushetia’s President and Republican Judiciary
On March 23, the Supreme Court of Ingushetia issued a statement complaining about President Yunus-bek Yevkurov’s attacks on the judiciary. According to the statement, Yevkurov had without basis accused the republic’s judges of corruption and supporting terrorism. The Supreme Court judges also alleged that Yevkurov... MORE
Azerbaijan Seeks New Partners to Diversify its Economy
On March 19, during the launch of construction works for the large shipbuilding factory in the outskirts of Baku, President Ilham Aliyev announced: “At the moment, in Azerbaijan, we are conducting a policy of large-scale industrialization” (Azertaj news agency). As he made the statement, he... MORE
North Caucasus Attacks Continue Despite Deaths of Rebel Commanders
The commander of the Russian interior ministry’s internal troops, General Nikolai Rogozhkin, told journalists today (March 26) that up to 500 militants are currently operating in the North Caucasus, most of them aged 25 to 28. However, Rogozhkin added that it is impossible to say... MORE
Circassians Look to Georgia for International Support
On March 21, participants in a landmark conference “Hidden Nations, Enduring Crimes: The Circassians and the Peoples of the North Caucasus Between Past and Future” was held in Tbilisi. Participants at the conference appealed to the Georgian parliament to recognize Russian actions in the northwestern... MORE
Armenia: Key Beneficiary of Russian-Georgian Border Opening
Russia and Georgia have reopened their main land border crossing less than 18 months after fighting their brief, but bitter war and severing diplomatic relations. Armenia appears to have been the main driving force behind the development, and will likely become the key beneficiary of... MORE
Kadyrov Refuses Police Units From Regions Beyond Chechnya
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has refused the services of policemen assigned to Chechnya (www.kp.ru, March 14). It is his first truly significant move since the counter-terrorist operation (CTO) in Chechnya officially ended on April 16, 2009 (www.rosbalt.ru, April 16, 2009). Kadyrov would not have announced... MORE
Top Arab Militants and Police Reportedly Killed in Vedeno Battle
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov reported on March 18 that one of six suspected militants killed in a special operation in the village of Khazhi-Yurt in Chechnya’s Vedeno district was the Arab militant Abu Khaled, who was in charge of providing security for Doku Umarov, the... MORE
Moscow Exploits TV Invasion Hoax to Isolate Georgia
On March 13, the pro-government, Imedi TV broadcasted what appeared to be a documentary report about a new Russian invasion that led to President Mikheil Saakashvili’s assassination. The program caused widespread public panic despite the Imedi anchor’s announcement (immediately after reporting Saakashvili’s death) that the... MORE
Murder of Circassian Activist Unsettles Multi-Ethnic Karachaevo-Cherkessia
On March 15, the funeral of a Circassian activist killed the previous day turned into an impromptu protest rally. An estimated 200 Circassian demonstrators gathered at the central square, next to the republican government building in Cherkessk, the capital of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, to protest against the... MORE
Russian Government and Public View North Caucasians With Suspicion
On March 10, the independent union of the Dagestani police and prosecutors petitioned President Dmitry Medvedev, asking him to dismiss the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin. The union members accused Bastrykin of inciting ethnic hatred and undermining basic human rights as described by... MORE