Latest Articles about The Caucasus

Exclusive Interview with Anzor Astemirov, March 2009

Journalist Fatima Tlisova recently conducted an interview with Anzor Astemirov, who was the leader of Islamic militants in Kabardino-Balkaria and more recently became had of the Sharia courts for the Caucasus Emirate, the radical wing of the North Caucasian insurgency. The Jamestown Foundation believes the... MORE

Ingush Insurgency Approaches Major Crossroads

Militant actions in Ingushetia increasingly are bearing the signs of an uncompromising struggle against the authorities. At times, the news reports from this republic resemble wartime chronicles. The daily news from Ingushetia in the Russian mass media is filled with reports of armed assaults, explosions... MORE

Briefs

Prosecutors in Ingushetia Order New Probe into Yevloev’s DeathProsecutors in Ingushetia have ordered a new investigation into how opposition website founder Magomed Yevloev was shot and killed in police custody last August 31. Reuters on March 16 quoted Musa Pliev, a lawyer for the Yevloev... MORE

General Asks Chechens to Inform on Rebels

The commander of the United Group of Forces in the North Caucasus, Lieutenant General Nikolai Sivak, delivered a message to the Chechen people on March 18, asking them to inform authorities about rebel plans and thereby avert attacks. “Law enforcement officials are hoping to receive... MORE

Militants and Security Forces Battle in Dagestan

RIA Novosti reported on March 19 that a police officer was killed when his patrol car came under fire on the evening of March 18 in Dagestan’s Derbentsky district, near the border with Azerbaijan. Kavkazky Uzel reported on March 19 that four servicemen were wounded... MORE

Four Militants Killed in Kabardino-Balkaria

The Associated Press (AP) reported on March 19 that four gunmen were killed during a three-hour gun battle with police in Kabardino-Balkaria. Kavkazky Uzel reported on March 19 that the shootout took place in the town of Baksan, which is located 24 kilometers northwest of... MORE

World Economic Crisis Drags Armenia into Recession

The global economic crisis is taking an increasingly heavy toll on Armenia, forcing its government to devalue the national currency, cut budgetary spending, and seek hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign assistance. With no end to the worldwide downturn in sight, the Armenian economy... MORE

Azerbaijan Opening Supply Route to Afghanistan

As the United States prepares to increase its military deployment in Afghanistan, attention is being devoted to the question of supply routes for these and other coalition forces. The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) held a conference in Baku on March 9 and 10 aimed at... MORE

Caucasus Emirate: Virtual Myth or Reality?

The second Chechen war, which began in early October 1999, was from the outset colored in the green of Islam. It was immediately preceded by the jihad of radical Muslims in the Dagestani mountains in August-September of the same year. Although in the early years... MORE

Russia No Longer Controls the Situation in Dagestan

The events taking place in the largest North Caucasian republic raise serious questions about the degree of control that the local authorities—and primarily the law enforcement agencies led by Dagestani Interior Minister General Lieutenant Adilgirei Magomedtagirov—have over the situation on the ground. Early on March... MORE