Latest Articles about The Caucasus
Georgia Prepares to Repel Russian Aggression
The Georgian army, defeated in the five-day war with Russia, is recovering and preparing to ward off potential Russian aggression. "Our defenses should be ready to repel potential Russian aggression. All the military programs and priorities for 2009 will be developed based on the experience... MORE
The Changing Landscape of Islam in North Ossetia
One of the militants who participated in the September 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis—Vladimir Khodov—was a resident of the North Ossetian village of Elkhotovo. He was an ethnic Russian who converted to Islam and later worked as a cook in the detachment of Chechen militants... MORE
Ingush Authorities Blame Insurgency on Arabs and U.S. Intelligence
Yunus-bek Yevkurov marked his first 100 days as president of the Republic of Ingushetia in a somber atmosphere. During the past week, the authorities in Ingushetia, including the president, searched for three possible suicide bombers who allegedly arrived in Ingushetia from outside the republic to... MORE
Chechen Rebel Representative Reportedly Switches Sides
The press office of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov reported on February 16 that Bukhari Baraev, brother of the notorious Chechen rebel field commander Arbi Baraev, who was killed in 2001, and father of Movsar Baraev, who led the militants that seized hostages at Moscow’s Dubrovka... MORE
Ingushetia’s Violence Continues as Yevkurov Calls for Blood Feuds to End
RIA Novosti reported on February 19 that three suspected militants were killed during a special operation carried out by police in the village of Sagopshi, in Ingushetia’s Malgobek district. Newsru.com reported on February 18 that snipers had begun targeting policemen and servicemen in Ingushetia the... MORE
Armenia and Turkey Make Progress on Delicate Task of Restoring Relations
After months of intensive negotiations, Armenia and Turkey appear to be heading toward a full normalization of their historically strained relations that could redraw the region's geopolitical map. Such a possibility has become even more likely after the latest flurry of face-to-face contacts between Turkish... MORE
Ethnic-Based Governing System is Increasing Tensions in Dagestan
On February 2, following a series of highly unusual events, the newly appointed head of the Dagestani branch of the Russian federal tax service was prevented from taking his position. Vladimir Radchenko and his superior Pyotr Kovalev were not even allowed to cross the administrative... MORE
Dagestan’s Sharia Jamaat Suffers Series of Setbacks
Events in the Republic of Dagestan—one of the most unstable republics in the North Caucasus region—are again demanding attention. This time, however, what is noteworthy are not the usual reports of daily armed clashes, but the news propagated by the Russian mass media concerning the... MORE
Briefs
Chechen Prosecutors Reopen Investigation of Budanov for KidnappingThe Chechen Investigation Department under the Investigative Committee of the federal Prosecutor General’s Office reopened a probe into alleged kidnappings by Yuri Budanov, the Russian army colonel and tank commander jailed in 2000 for the murder of an... MORE
Ingush President Accuses U.S. of Seeking to “Undermine the Caucasus”
In an interview published February 9 in the bi-weekly Novaya Gazeta, Ingushetia’s President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov accused U.S. and British intelligence of attempting to “destroy Russia” by sending terrorists to “Russia’s south.” In another interview published on February 9, with the weekly magazine Kommersant-Vlast, Yevkurov charged... MORE