
Latest Articles about The Caucasus

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
Rebels and Pro-Moscow Forces in Shoot-Out near Chechen Village
Russian news agencies reported on February 9 that one Chechen Interior Ministry officer was killed and two wounded in a battle that took place that day between Chechen law-enforcement personnel and members of “illegal armed formations” in southeastern Chechnya. Citing Chechnya Interior Ministry, Interfax reported... MORE

Zakaev Rejects Kadyrov’s Invitation
Akhmed Zakaev, the London-based prime minister of the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI) government-in-exile, responded to Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov’s claim in an interview published the previous day that he had spoken to Zakaev about conditions for his return to Chechnya. Zakaev told the... MORE

Austrian Prosecutors Were Investigating Israilov’s Charges against Kadyrov
Austrian prosecutors said on February 10 that they have investigated Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov for alleged torture and other abuses in Chechnya based on a criminal complaint filed in Austria by Umar Israilov, the former rebel-turned-Kadyrov-bodyguard who was shot to death in Vienna on January... MORE

Russia’s Coming War with Georgia
Six months after the French-brokered agreement ended the Russo-Georgia war on August 12, 2008 the ceasefire continues to be fragile with constant incidents that both sides describe as "provocations." Last month the Defense Ministry of the separatist South Ossetia said Georgia was moving troops towards... MORE
Deep Concern in Baku after CSTO News
The summit of the heads of states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on February 4 in Moscow brought unexpected, yet alarming news for Baku. The members of the organization have decided to create collective rapid reaction forces: the first ever joint military forces... MORE

Turkey and Armenia Move Closer to a Deal on Formal Diplomatic Relations
In light of recent events surrounding Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's harsh denunciation of Israeli policies in Gaza, one of the emerging concerns of Turkish diplomats is that there may be "a possible attempt in the U.S. Congress to recognize the events of 1915 as... MORE