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Persoverzicht Tsjetsjenië - december 2007

4 december 2007


- United Russia’s, Communist Party’s results in regions: The press reports on very high voter turnout in the Northern Caucasus: in Chechnya, turnout exceeded 99%, and more than 99% of ballots were cast for United Russia. In Ingushetia, United Russia gained more than 98% of the vote. Commentators, however, highlight that in some regions (e.g. Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Kirov, the Samara, the Arkhangelskregions) United Russia’sresults were below 60%. The Communist Party has shown the best results in the Voronezh(19%), the Tambov(18.1%), the Novosibirsk(17.6%), the Oryol (17.5%) and the Omsk(17%) regions. In Moscow, the Communists gained 14.4% of the vote. The Communist Party leader, Gennady Zyuganov, insisted that the polls had been rigged. Nezavisimaya Gazeta mentions that Zyuganov has rejected an offer by Sergey Mironov, the leader of the pro-Kremlin Fair Russia party, that leftist forces may unite in the new Duma. (Interfrax, MT, NG, Vedomosti, VN)


11 december 2007


-Serviceman may go to Strasbourg Court: Kommersant reports on the hearings in the North Caucasus District Military Court of the case of two Interior Troops officers who were accused of murdering three civilians in Chechnyain 2002. One of the defendants, Sergey Arakcheyev who faces 18 years in prison, pleaded not guilty and said he would go to the European Court of Human Rights over the case. (Kommersant)


17 december 2007


The Moscow Times reports briefly that a group of international politicians and statesmen have called for more intensive engagement by the EU to resolve conflicts in the Caucasus-Caspian region (Reuters report).


-Operations in Chechnya, Dagestan: (i) Four suspected militants and a police officer were killed in an operation over the weekend in Grozny. Police said the killed militants had been involved in a series of attacks on policemen. (ii) Several people were reportedly detained in a large-scale counter-terrorism operation over the weekend in Dagestan. Kommersant writes that more than 700 law enforcement officers have been dispatched to the villageof Gimryto carry out the operation. Gazeta, Interfax, Kommersant, NG, Novye Izvestia, RG, VN)


19 december 2007


- One policeman killed, several wounded in Chechnyablast: One policeman was reportedly killed and several others wounded in an explosion of a vehicle which was transporting prisoners yesterday in Grozny. (Interfax, Kommersant, Novye Izvestia)


- Chechen-manned battalions sent to Abkhazia, S. Ossetia?: In a front-page article, Nezavisimaya Gazeta argues that servicemen from the Russian Defence Ministry’s battalions Zapad (‘West’) and Vostok (‘East’) manned with Chechens have been dispatched to Abkhazia and South Ossetiaas part of the peacekeeping forces in the area. (NG)


24 december 2007


- Chechen-manned units are not part of peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia, S. Ossetia – military: The deputy commander of the Russian Ground Forces, Valery Yevnevich, has dismissed reports claiming that the peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia and South Ossetia include units manned by Chechen residents [from the Vostok (‘East’) and Zapad (‘West’) battalions]. (Interfax)


27 december 2007

- Programme of Chechnya’s socio-economic development: Trud reports that a programme of the social and economic development of Chechnyain 2008-2011 is expected to be submitted to the Russian Government in January. The concept of the programme has been approved by the Russian Government. Under the programme, Chechnyawill receive RUR 110.8 billion (around $4.48 billion) from the federal budget. (Trud)


28 december 2007


- Officer charged with killings in Chechnyafail to turn up in court: The North Caucasus District Military Courtyesterday sentenced to 15 and 17 years in prison two Interior Troops servicemen, Sergey Arakcheyev and Yevgeny Khudyakov, for killing three civilians in Chechnya. One of the defendants, Yevgeny Khudyakov, did not show up in the courtroom. His lawyer said she did not know her client’s whereabouts. The press recalls that three out of the four defendants in the ‘Ulman case’ [four special force servicemen led by Cap. Eduard Ulman were accused of killing six civilians in Chechnya] failed to attend hearings in the same Court in April. (Gazeta, Interfax, RIAN, VN)

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