Russian special forces on September 3 took control of Middle School No. 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, which was seized by gunmen on September 1. Fighting broke out in the early hours of September 3 after the hostage-takers agreed to allow the removal of the... MORE

Two leading Russian journalists have apparently become victims of the events in North Ossetia. Novaya gazeta correspondent Anna Politkovskaya became seriously ill following a flight on the evening of September 1 from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don. From there, she had planned to travel together with Leonid... MORE

In August, a group of international analysts and journalists led by the Jamestown Foundation visited the Georgian-South Ossetian "conflict zone" at the height of tensions fueled by Russian military activities there. The OSCE Mission contributed to the visit's success by graciously providing briefings, transport, and... MORE

An armed gang of around 17 militants burst into a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, on September 1 seizing children and parents as hostages. The incident has plunged Russia into a hostage crisis reminiscent of the seizure of a Moscow theater in October 2002. Early... MORE

Over the last two days of August, Georgian senior officials, including Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and National Security Council Secretary Gela Bezhuashvili, have vehemently denied media speculation about an impending reorganization of the leadership of the power ministries. "Such reshuffle is not planned," Bezhuashvili told... MORE

Led by the Jamestown Foundation, a group of international analysts and journalists recently held in-depth talks in Tskhinvali with South Ossetian representatives Boris Chochiev and Murad Jioev. The discussion was held at the height of tensions fueled by overt and covert Russian activities in South... MORE

As the Eurasia Daily Monitor went to press, Russian media were reporting that a group of terrorists, including several female suicide bombers, had taken more than 400 people hostage, among them 200 children, in a school in the North Ossetian city of Beslan.

On August 25, Saakashvili fired the Chief of Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Givi Iukuridze, and replaced him with his Western-educated deputy, Maj. Vakhtang Kapanadze. Saakashvili explained the move as consistent with the desire to build "a new structure, which will meet NATO standards."... MORE

Alu Alkhanov, Chechnya's former interior minister, has been elected president of Chechnya with 74% of the vote. The chairman of the republican election commission, Abdul-Kerim Arsakhanov, said that the turnout was around 80% and that there were no reports of serious violations over the course... MORE

Armed clashes between Georgian and South Ossetian forces have resumed after a 14-year lull. On August 13, overnight gunfire began around 3:00 a.m. and left three Georgian civilians wounded. Three Georgian soldiers were killed and several others injured as a result of shelling in South... MORE