Persoverzicht Tsjetsjenië - augustus 2011

• 2011-09-08
• Europa in de wereld

1 augustus 2011

Counter-extremism commission set up in Russia: President Medvedev has signed a decree to set up an interdepartmental commission to coordinate the activities of federal and regional bodies in the fight against extremism. The commission will be led by Interior Minister Nurgaliyev. Commenting on the formation of the new commission, some observers voiced concern that authorities "would try to suppress any kind of protest sentiment in society…under the guise of fighting against extremism." Nezavisimaya Gazeta, meanwhile, reports on the deterioration of the situation in the Northern Caucasus. According to the daily, 812 people have become victims of armed clashes and terrorist attacks in the region in the seven months of this year. (Gazeta.ru, Izvestia, Kommersant, MT, NG)

Economic plan for Northern Caucasus – disagreements remain: Today, the Ministry of Regional Development is submitting for Government approval a draft plan on 'The development of the North Caucasus Federal District'. The Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance continue to disagree with the authors of the plan which calls for spending of RUR2.6 trillion from the federal budget on various business projects in the region until 2020. Meanwhile, the Government's existing budgetary projections and federal targeted programmes could cover only 5% of the proposed fund allocations on the plan. The major fund receivers will be Dagestan (RUR721bn), Chechnya (RUR423.4bn) and Ingushetia (RUR365.5bn). The largely populated Stavropol territory will get only RUR63bn (2.6% of the total). (Vedomosti)

4 augustus 2011

Putin visits 'Mashuk 2011' youth camp in North Caucasus:After his meeting with participants with the 'Seliger 2011' youth forum in the Tver region on Monday, PM Vladimir Putin met with participants of the 'Mashuk 2011' youth forum yesterday in Kislovodsk. Putin warned against radicalization of society and called for consolidation of people of different ethnic groups and confessions. Saying that about 2,000 potential territorial disputes in Russia could become 'Pandora's Box', Putin noted that it would be easier to build a multicultural society in Russia than in Europe and called to abandon false stereotypes about people from the Caucasus. Moskovskie Novosti addresses a draft state programme for the North Caucasus development through 2025 and cites the Russian Finance Ministry's negative attitude towards a request by the Regional Development Ministry to allocate RUR2.7 trillion from the federal budget for the programme. (Gazeta,ru, Izvestia, Kommersant, MK, MN; see also economic headlines)

District head dies after attack in Dagestan:The head of Dagestan's Untsukulsky district Magomedgadzhi Tagirov, his driver and bodyguard died of wounds they sustained in a car explosion on 2 August in Dagestan. Tagirov's son was killed in the explosion on spot. (Gazeta.ru, Lenta.ru)

Development of Northern Caucasus:Deputy Finance Minister Nesterenko said that the Ministry of Finance disagreed with the proposed allocation of RUR 3.9 trillion, including RUR 2.7 trillion from the federal budget, for the development of the Northern Caucasus up to 2025. The amount was proposed by the Ministry of Regional Development. "The Ministry of Finance cannot agree with these amounts of financing, everything has to be within the budget limits", Nesterenko said at a meeting on the North Caucasus development in Kislovodsk. (Interfax)

8 augustus 2011

Spartak football fan murder case: A trial of the murder case of Spartak Moscow football fan Yegor Sviridov began on Friday in the Moscow City Court. A jury will try the case. There are six defendants in the case. Sviridov's murder in a brawl with natives of the Northern Caucasus in December 2010 and the investigators' handling of the case sparked ethnically motivated riots on Moscow's Manezhnaya square on 11 December 2010. (Izvestia, Kommersant)

12 augustus 2011

Policeman, nine militants killed in Dagestan:Six militants were killed in an operation on 10-11 August in Makhachkala. One of the militants killed has been identified as Abdulla Magomedaliyev (known as 'Daud'), who was suspected of involvement in a series of terrorist attacks, including in Buinaksk in September 2010 and Gubden in February 2011. In a clash in Dagestan's Tsuntinsky district on Thursday, one police officer was killed and two others were wounded. Three militants were killed in the clash. (Gazeta.ru, Interfax, Kommersant)

15 augustus 2011

Major terrorist attack prevented on railway: Kommersantreports in a front-pager article that law enforcement agencies have prevented a major terrorist attack this summer. The daily writes that the Federal Security Service (FSB) has exposed a group which planned to blow up the Sapsan high-speed train running between Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to Kommersant, the suspected organiser of the attack is resident of Kabardino-Balkaria Islam Khamuzhev, who moved to Dagestan last year. Other members of the group included Murad Edilbiyev from Chechnya, Murad Umayev from Ingushetia and Fyarit Nevlyutov from Mordovia. (Kommersant)

Northern Caucasus: (i) As a result of a number of attacks against policemen and officials in Dagestan over the weekend, two police officers and a local fire chief were killed in the Khasavyurt district. (ii) The press reports on the killing in last week's operation in Makhachkala of Abdulla Magomedaliyev (known as 'Daud'), who had been suspected of involvement in a series of high-profile terrorist attacks in Dagestan. The National Antiterrorism Committee argued that Magomedaliyev had maintained contacts with the Georgian special services. (iii) Resident of Kabardino-Balkaria Azamat Unashkhotlov, who is considered as a suspected accomplice of 'Russian Wahhabi' Viktor Dvorakovsky, was detained on 12 August in Pyatigorsk. (Gazeta.ru, Kommersant, Lenta.ru, MK, RG)

16 augustus 2011

Seven injured in ambush on Chechen-Ingush administrative border: Seven servicemen were injured in an attack on a convoy of the Interior Troops yesterday on the administrative border between Ingushetia and Chechnya. Earlier reports that four servicemen were killed in the attack have been dismissed. (Interfax, Lenta.ru)

18 augustus 2011

Two servicemen, six militants killed in Dagestan; 11 militants killed in Chechnya:(i) Two Interior Troops servicemen and six militants were killed in a clash in Dagestan's Khasavyurt district yesterday. In a separate incident yesterday in Dagestan, police defused a powerful bomb planted in a car outside a shop in Khasavyurt. Kommersant recalls that the security situation in the Khasavyurt district has remained tense in the past weeks. (ii) Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced on Wednesday that seven militants, including Mairbek Abdusalamov, have been killed in an operation in southern Chechnya. Abdusalamov was considered as a close associate to militant leader Muslim Gakayev and had been involved in training of potential suicide bombers. Early on Thursday, four militants were killed in an operation in Grozny, Kadyrov said. (Gazeta.ru, Kommersant, Lenta.ru, RG)

24 augustus 2011

Putin’s interview to Chechen media:In his interview to Chechen media Russian Prime Minister recommended the authorities of Chechnya and other republics of North Caucasus to focus on fighting against corruption and providing justice for ordinary people. He said those are key problems all over Russia but in the Caucasus they create a breeding ground for radical elements. Meanwhile, experts say that Russian security forces contribute greatly to corruption in the Northern Caucasus because they profit from the uncontrolled circulation of money in the region. (Kommersant, The voice of Russia)

25 augustus 2011

Silicon Valley in North Caucasus: Yesterday representatives of North Caucasian regions discussed a launch of the new project "Caucasian Silicon Valley". The project foresees an establishment of several plants producing hi-tech silicon products for the alternative energy sector. The project's preliminary costs are estimated to total 32 billion roubles. (Kommersant)

29 augustus 2011

Suspect in Budanov’s murder arrested: Police have arrested a suspect in the recent murder of Yury Budanov, the former army colonel who served prison time for murdering a Chechen teenager. The suspect, Chechen native Magomed Suleimanov, 41, was charged with murder and illegal firearms possession. A Moscow court on Friday ordered him to be kept in custody until October 26. (All media)

30 augustus 2011

Grozny blast: Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has called an emergency session following two suicide attacks in the republic's capital Grozny on Tuesday evening, during celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The latest reports put the death toll from the attacks at seven, including five policemen, one Emergency Situations Ministry officer and one civilian. Eighteen more people, among them officers of law enforcement services and civilians, were rushed to hospitals after the incident. (Interfax)