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Persoverzicht Tsjetsjenië - augustus 2007

1 augustus 2007

- Policeman killed in Ingushetia; serviceman wounded in Chechnya: (i) One police officer was killed and three others sustained wounds in an attack on a police unit’s bus yesterday in Ingushetia. (ii) An Interior Troops serviceman was wounded in an attack yesterday in Chechnya. (Gazeta, Interfax, Kommersant, RG, RIAN, VN)

3 augustus 2007

- Chechen President’s proposal to humanitarian aid NGOs: Kommersant reports that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov yesterday proposed representatives of international humanitarian aid NGOs operating in Chechnya to move within two weeks their offices to Grozny from the neighbouring republics of the Northern Caucasus. (Kommersant)

- Military exercise in N. Caucasus: Nezavisimaya gazeta reports on Russian command and staff military exercises in the Northern Caucasus, which will last until 9 August. The exercises are being held on the territory of North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Chechnya and the Stavropol territory and involve Ground Forces, Air Defence Forces, the Air Force, Interior Troops, Border Troops and the Caspian Flotilla. (NG)

6 augustus 2007

- Three killed in militant attack in Chechnya: (i) According to media reports, three civilians, including a child, were killed and several houses were set on fire in a militant attack on Saturday in Chechnya. (ii) Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov is quoted as pledging at an opening ceremony of a cadet corps in Tsentoroi that “the problem of the remnants of illegal armed units [in Chechnya] will be fully resolved by the end of the year”. (Gazeta, Interfax, Kommersant, NG, RG, VN)

7 augustus 2007

- NGOs concerned over Chechen Government’s proposal: International humanitarian organisations operating in Chechnya have expressed concern over the Chechen authorities’ proposal to move their offices to Grozny. Novye Izvestia writes that some human rights activists are concerned that the move could lead to tighter control over their activities. (Interfax, Novye Izvestia, VN)

- Representation of N. Caucasus Republics in next Duma could change: Vedomosti reports on possible changes in the representation in the next Duma of the North Caucasus Republics due to the new electoral system. According to the daily, the number of deputies from Chechnya and Dagestan could increase, while Adygeya, Karachayevo-Cherkessia and Ingushetia could be left without their deputies in the Duma. (Vedomosti)

8 augustus 2007

- Chechen folk musicians asks for asylum in Finland?: Press reports that members of the Chechen folk group called ‘Zhovkhar’ have asked for political asylum in Finland after arriving in Helsinki. Chechen officials said it was not the whole group, but several former performers who went. (Gazeta, Interfax, Kommersant, MT, RG, VN)

9 augustus 2007

- Chechen public complain over military prosecution: Kommersant reports on an appeal by Chechen public organisations to the Prosecutor General’s Office, complaining over the activities of military prosecutors of the Joint Grouping of Troops in the Northern Caucasus and asking to enquire whether the military prosecutor, Maxim Toporikov, is fit for his office. (Kommersant)

- Two Interior Troops servicemen killed in Chechnya: Two servicemen from the Interior Troops’ Sever (‘North’) battalion were killed in a militant attack yesterday in Grozny. (Interfax, Novye Izvestia, RIAN)

14 augustus 2007

- Developments in Northern Caucasus: (i) Two policemen were wounded in an attack yesterday in Ingushetia. (ii) Novye Izvestia reports that representatives of the committee ‘Mothers of Dagestan’ yesterday sent a letter to prosecutors over actions of law enforcement agencies’ officials. The committee’s representatives are protesting against abductions of their relatives by suspected members of secret services. The authorities, meanwhile, say a majority of those who disappeared are involved in illegal armed groups. (iii) Some dailies report on Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov’s visit to Saudi Arabia for a pilgrimage. (Interfax, Kommersant, VN, Novye Izvestia, Gazeta, MT)

- Strasbourg Court rules in case of soldier killed in Chechnya: The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to pay 2,000 euros in moral compensation to Mariya Vershinina, whose son, Sergey Vershinin, was killed in Chechnya in 1999 “through the fault of the command of a unit”. (Interfax, Kommersant)

16 augustus 2007

- Investigation into train derailment: A spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s Office told the press yesterday that all theories are being considered regarding the derailment of a Moscow-St. Petersburg train, including possible involvement in the attack of North Caucasus militants. Commenting on some media reports that a group of Islamist militants called ‘Riad Salakhin’ had claimed responsibility for the attack, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said there are no terrorist groups in Chechnya capable of staging large-scale terrorist acts. Media report, with a reference to a source close to the investigation, that the involvement in the train derailment of Russian radical nationalist groups also is being explored by investigators. The leader of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI), Alexander Belov, has been interrogated in connection with the case. Izvestia mentions the interrogation of representatives in the Novgorod district of a Chechen-Ingush diaspora organisation. (Gazeta, Interfax, Izvestia, Kommersant, MT, Novye Izvestia, RG, RIAN, Vedomosti, VN)

17 augustus 2007

- Attacks on servicemen in Chechnya, Ingushetia: (i) Electronic media report on an attack on a convoy of trucks carrying servicemen yesterday in Grozny. One serviceman was reportedly wounded. (ii) A base of the Defence Ministry’s 503rd motorized rifle regiment was attacked by militants in Ingushetia. (Interfax, Lenta.ru)

21 augustus 2007

- Budanov not pardoned: Ex. colonel Yuri Budanov, who received 10 years sentence in 2003 for killing a Chechen girl applied for pardon. But the administration of the colony IK-3 did not support his appeal on the grounds that Budanov has an "unbalanced character" and did not accept his guilt. (Kommersant, Vremya)

22 augustus 2007

- New arrests in train blast: A 25 year old Chechen national Hasan Didigov was arrested in connection with the train blast investigation. The detectives are checking the version that Mr. Didigov may have received explosives from two anarchists from St. Petersburg that were detained the day before. (Kommersant, Vremya, The Moscow Times)

23 augustus 2007

- The war in Chechnya is over?: According to a poll conducted by the Levada Centre, only 41% of Russian believe that the war continues in Chechnya. In 2003, for example, 74% of respondents said that there was a war there. The results of the poll show that the majority still thinks that the situation in Northern Caucasus is tense and do not expect an improvement in the years to come. (Vremya Novostey)

28 augustus 2007

- Ten held in Politkovskaya’s killing: Prosecutor General Yury Chaika yesterday announced that investigators have arrested 10 suspects - including one FSB officer, one police major, three former police officers and three Chechen brothers - in connection with the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The group may allegedly have been behind the deaths of the First deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Andrei Kozlov lasy year and US journalist Paul Klebnikov in 2004. He did not identify the suspects but made it clear that the most likely organiser of the killing lives abroad and would like to discredit the Russian government. (All media)

29 augustus 2007

- 11th suspect in Politkovskaya killing: The new suspect is an ex-officer of the Moscow Department to Combat Organized Crime. According to the media reports, he served as a link between the Chechen criminal gang and a number of law-enforcement officials. It remains unclear who ordered Politkovskaya’s killing even though the Russian Prosecutor General has indicated that exiled Russians are behind. (All media)

31 augustus 2007

- Chechnya ready to help Ingushetia eliminate terrorists: Chechnya is ready to help Ingushetia conduct police operations against terrorists and illegal armed groups, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said. The latest reports indicate that the situation in neighbouring Ingushetia has deteriorated. An additional 2,000-strong interior troops contingent has been introduced to Ingushetia to restore stability. This was done in the wake of recent attacks on civilians, police officers and officials. (Interfax)

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