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Persoverzicht Tsjetsjenië - augustus 2008

6 augustus 2008


- Ex-Chechen rebel tours Europe for returnees:The former defense minister of Chechnya's separatist government has embarked on a European tour to encourage senior rebel figures to return to the North Caucasus republic. Magomed Khambiyev, who turned himself in 2004 after around 40 of his relatives were abducted by forces loyal to Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, left for Western Europe on Sunday to meet with leading separatists living abroad. According to Timur Aliyev, an adviser to Kadyrov this initiative was not officially endorsed by the Chechen government. (The Moscow Times)


7 augustus 2008


- Vostok battalion commander Sulim Yamadayev put on wanted list: Commander of the Russian Defence Ministry’s Vostok (‘East’) battalion, Hero of Russia Sulim Yamadayev, has been put on a federal wanted list, Chechen Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov said at a meeting yesterday with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov. Alkhanov emphasized that there are files “which prove Yamadayev’s involvement in kidnappings and other grave crimes”. Chechen investigators earlier launched a probe on murder charges against Yamadayev and some of his commandos. (Gazeta, Interfax, Kommersant, VN)


- Chechnya President to head United Russia’s list at regional polls: Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov will head the United Russia’s list of candidates at regional legislative elections in Chechnya scheduled for 12 October. (Gazeta)


8 augustus 2008


- Russian army units enter Tskhinvali to force Georgian troops to cease fire:Units of Russia’s 58th army of the North Caucasus Military District entered the outskirts of Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia region, on Friday. More than 100 armoured combat vehicles, including tanks and infantry combat vehicles, crossed the Russian border to help peacekeepers enforce peace in South Ossetia. The peacekeeping command’s representatives said Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia are in a fierce combat action with Georgia’s regular combat units on the outskirts of Tskhinvali early on Saturday. Commander of the joint peacekeeping forces in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone Kulakhmetov said Friday Tskhinvali had been practically destroyed by Georgia’s heavy artillery shelling.

President Medvedev stated that Russian peacekeepers and units attached to them in South Ossetia had started an operation to force Georgian troops to cease fire. The peacekeepers are also tasked to protect the population, Medvedev said at a meeting on Saturday with Defence Minister Serdyukov and the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Makarov.

Airborne units from various Russian regions are being transferred to the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone, an unnamed source from the Russian Airborne Forces staff told the press.

According to the Georgian side, Russian aircraft bombed a Georgian air base in Marneuli, while Georgian media reported that Russian warplanes bombed Georgia’s Gori and Poti on Friday in the evening. The Georgian Foreign Ministry accused Russia of direct large-scale armed aggression and called on the international community “to give Russia a message that invading the territory of a sovereign state and bombing its territory is unacceptable”.

On Saturday, Georgian media cited Georgian Defence Minister David Kezerashvili who said the Georgian army was still controlling all the earlier captured positions in Tskhinvali. Georgian military officials also claim that Georgian air defence forces have downed six Russian combat planes over the past two days.


11 augustus 2008

- Attack on servicemen in Chechnya; one suspected militant killed in Dagestan: (i) Unidentified assailants opened fire at vehicles carrying military servicemen over the weekend in Chechnya’s Achkhoi-Martan district. A passer-by was reportedly wounded in the attack. (ii) One suspected militant was killed and seven others detained in several special operations on Sunday in Dagestan. (Ekho Moskvy, Interfax, VN)


-Conflict’s price:The scale of destructions in South Ossetia equals that of the federal military operation in Chechnya. The reconstruction of Chechnya did not produce any negative effect on Russia’s economy. Russia’s monthly budgetary earning of petrodollars is roughly $16bn, which is almost twice as much as Georgia’s annual GDP of $10bn. Ossetia had intended to address an $18bn damage claim to Georgia for the 1989-1992 war, but the damage was assessed by an international commission at $275m. (Vedomosti)


12 augustus 2008


- Developments in N. Caucasus: (i) Two road policemen were killed by unidentified gunmen late on Monday in Dagestan. (ii) Ingush Interior Minister Musa Medov is quoted as saying that militants in Ingushetia have intensified their activities recently and pointed to regular attacks on law enforcement officers. (Interfax)


- Abkhaz forces start operation in Kodori Gorge’s upper part: (i) Abkhaz troops began an operation early on Tuesday to push out the Georgian forces from the upper part of Abkhazia’s Kodori Gorge. According to latest media reports, the vanguard of the Abkhaz forces entered the Gorge’s upper part. Abkhaz separatist leader Sergey Bagapsh stressed that the operation is being carried out “exclusively by the Abkhaz armed forces”. (ii) An additional Russian contingent of 9,000 servicemen was transferred to Abkhazia on Sunday to support Russian peacekeepers. Vladimir Shamanov, the former commander of federal troops in Chechnya, is now in charge of the Russian forces in Abkhazia.


- Ex-Vostok battalion commander fighting in South Ossetia?: Gazeta reports that despite the refutation by the deputy head of the Russian General Staff, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, that the Defence Ministry’s Vostok (‘East’) and Zapad (‘West’) battalions have been dispatched to South Ossetia from Chechnya, the former commander of the Vostok battalion, Sulim Yamadayev, who earlier was put on a federal wanted list, is currently near Tskhinvali.


13 augustus 2008


- Russia wins first two gold medals at Beijing Olympics:Russia’s Islambek Albiev (a Chechen native) and Nazir Mankiev (an Ingush native), won the Greco-Roman wrestling finals Tuesday, clinching Russia’s first two gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games. (Gazeta, Izvestia, Kommersant, Novye Izvestia, RG, VN)


14 augustus 2008


- Turkish PM on a visit to Moscow:Press mentions a unexpected visit yesterday to Moscow of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his meetings with President Medvedev and PM Putin to discuss the latest situation in the Caucasus. No details of the talks were provided.


15 augustus 2008


- Ex-Ichkerian/Chechen minister returns to Russia:According to media reports, former minister of Ichkeria/Chechnya, Umar Khambiyev, has returned to Russia from Italy. Chechnya’s envoy to Moscow, Ziad Sabsabi, said in comments that “one of Ichkeria’s well-known former politicians has returned to Chechnya”.


18 augustus 2008


- Russian Defence Ministry warning:Russia’s Defence Ministry said yesterday that Georgia was planning a “major provocative act” in the Georgian town of Gori.

A ministry spokesman said Georgia was forming bands of mercenaries, including Georgians, Ukrainians and Chechens, who would be given Russian uniforms and let loose to loot in the Georgian town of Gori. (Vremya Novostei, RIA Novosti)



27 augustus 2008


- Russia Recognises Independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia:Russian Preisdent Dmitri Medvedev addressed the Russian nation declaring he has signed a Presidential Decree to this effect. This was done following appeals by the Abkhaz and South Ossetian Parliaments and approval by both Chambers of the Russian Parliament. Dailies report that Medevedev announced his decision following a working meeting with Prime Minister Putin "to discuss foreign policy questions". The Decree permits the Russian MFA to open diplomatic relations with the 2 republics as well as to prepare relevant agreements and friendship and co-operation. Russian media reports that the Russian Ministry of Defence was tasked with the fulfilment of functions for maintaining peace". Medvedev underlined that the process was in line with international law and urged other nations to follow Russia's example. At the moment of signing, only Chechen President Ramzan Kadyirov, Ukrainian Party of Regions Leader Viktor Yanukovitch, and Hamas's representation in Moscow has voiced support for Medvedev's decision. All Russian dailies take note of the strong reactions of the West in support of Georgia's territorial integrity. Several dailies question the future of the Medvedev-Sarkozy 6-point peace plan, underlining that Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia places Russia's position as conflict mediator in jeopardy and, therefore, its peacekeeping presence in Georgian territory. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS, Izvestia, Kommersant, MT, NG, Novye Izvestia, RG, VN)


- North Korea Accuses US of Violating Nuclear Agreement: Several Russian dailies report that Pyongyang announced yesterday its intention to suspend the disablement of its nuclear facilities and possibility reconstructed ones that North Korea has previously destroyed. The Russian media speculates that North Korea has opened a "second front" against the West against the backdrop of the crisis in the Caucasus. (Kommersant, Itar-TASS, RG, VN, RBK Daily)


29 augustus 2008


- CoE HR Commissioner Hammarberg met Federation Council Speaker Mironov: CoE Commissioner for Human Right returned from a 10-day trip to the Caucasus. Commissioner said that the Georgian-S. Ossetian conflict led to a humanitarian disaster.



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