Latest Articles about The Caucasus
Lessons Learned About Turkey and Azerbaijan After Erdogan’s Washington Visit
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s December 7-8 visit to Washington (EDM, December 9) underscored the decline in Washington’s ability to influence Turkish foreign policy decisions. It is within this broader context, Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu turned down Washington’s demands for Turkey to... MORE
Insurgent Violence Reported in Dagestan, Ingushetia and Karachaevo-Cherkessia
Dagestan’s acting Interior Minister, Aleksandr Trofimov, told reporters in the republic’s capital Makhachkala yesterday (December 10), that six terrorist groups totaling up to 150 members are operating in Dagestan. He said the six groups are operating in Makhachkala,Khasavyurt and Kizilyurt, Gubden, Gimry, Balakhani and southern... MORE
Train Bombing Part of North Caucasus Rebels’ Bid to Widen Insurgency
A series of terrorist attacks on Russian railroads in November, including the bombing of the Nevsky Express, which killed 27 people, made many wonder who would take such bold actions in different parts of Russia. The incidents were officially characterized as terrorist attacks, which in... MORE
Ankara Links Karabakh Settlement to Rapprochement with Yerevan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has clearly reaffirmed the linkage between normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations and early substantial progress toward resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Ankara defines such progress as withdrawal of Armenian troops from occupied districts of Azerbaijan beyond Upper Karabakh, pending a... MORE
Fresh Attacks on Policemen in Dagestan
Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Aleksandr Bortnikov yesterday (December 8) told a session of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which he chairs, that security forces have detained nearly 800 militants and their accomplices in the North Caucasus since the start of the year, but that the... MORE
Kadyrov Requests Additional Funding From Moscow Amid Accusations of Rights Abuses
On December 7 the independent Chechen magazine Dosh (Word) reported that its website was attacked by hackers, who destroyed its news section and part of its archive (www.doshdu.ru, December 7). The attack came days after the magazine received a prestigious award from the Reporters Without... MORE
The Security Situation in Dagestan Continues to Deteriorate
The situation in Dagestan, one of the largest republics in North Caucasus, has remained markedly tense. Along with the problem of armed resistance, there are several other burning issues, inter-ethnic tensions being one of them. This issue becomes especially sensitive for the people of Dagestan... MORE
Local Court Rules Against United Russia Electoral Victory in Dagestani City
On December 3, the Derbent city court in Dagestan annulled the mayoral elections that took place on October 11. The decision was astonishing news, given that Felix Kaziahmedov the incumbent mayor of Derbent and a member of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, had been announced... MORE
Support for Circassian Nationalism Grows in the North Caucasus
Rising tensions in Kabardino-Balkaria (KBR) involving two neighbouring republics Karachaevo-Cherkessia (KChR) and Adygeya (EDM, November 25) have led to violence. On December 1, the headquarters of the “Khasa” Circassian in Nalchik was attacked by a group of 50 people described as well-built sportsmen. The attack... MORE
Deadly Crash of Nevsky Express Revives Fears of Past Bombing Campaigns
On November 27, the Nevsky Express, a train that shuttles between Moscow and St. Petersburg, derailed, killing 25 people. Over 90 people received injuries of varying degree of gravity, and one of them later died, raising the death toll in the crash to 26. Two... MORE