1 november 2004
- One killed, 15 wounded in two car blasts in Grozny: One person was killed and 15 others
wounded as a result of two car blasts in the Chechen capital yesterday. According to Kommersant, the militants’
action was targeted against the personnel of the Chechen presidential security service (Kommersant, Interfax,
Nezavisimaya gazeta).
2 november 2004
- Chechen President supports
proposal on terrorists’ relatives detention: Kommersant reports that Chechen President Alu Alkhanov yesterday
supported the idea put forward by Prosecutor General Ustinov to detain extremists’ relatives for the period of
terrorist attacks that involve the taking of hostages, if such a measure is legalised. The daily notes, however,
that Chairman of the Chechen State Council Taus Dzhabrailov spoke out against the proposal stressing that such
practices will make “extreme Wahhabis” even more aggressive (Kommersant).
3 november 2004
- Human rights NGO asks EU to influence Russian policy on Chechnya: Interfax reports that the
International Helsinki Federation has called on EU countries to influence Russian policy on Chechnya. “We are
deeply concerned that Chechnya itself is becoming a forgotten conflict zone”, the NGO’s statement says
(Interfax, Novye Izvestia).
4 november 2004
- EU-Russia relations
addressed at Putin-Berlusconi summit: In yesterday’s meeting at the Kremlin that highlighted close ties between
Russia and Italy, President Putin and PM Berlusconi called for a unified front against terrorism, discussed the
crisis in Iraq and a range of other international issues. Official government newspaper Rossiyskaya gazeta
stresses that although Russia and Italy disagree on some issues and Moscow continues to consider US actions in
Iraq “erroneous”, “this did not prevent Putin and Berlusconi from supporting each other on other issues” – Italy
continues to show “understanding” in relation to Russia’s actions in Chechnya, and Berlusconi does not miss any
opportunity to publicly discuss the possibility of Russia’s accession to the EU. According to Interfax, a joint
statement adopted at yesterday’s talks stresses the importance of the EU fulfilling its promises on the
Kaliningrad transit and on the protection of the rights of Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltic states
(Rossiyskaya gazeta, Kommersant).
- Russians convicted in Qatar over Yandarbiyev’s murder to
return to Russia: Kommersant (front page) quotes Secretary of the Security Council Igor Ivanov as saying that
that the two Russians recently sentenced to life in Qatar for their involvement in the murder of Chechen
separatist leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiev “will return to Russia in the near future”. The paper interprets Ivanov’s
statement as an indication that Moscow has already reached an agreement with the Qatar authorities over the
convicts’ transfer. The paper adds, however, that it has not been coordinated so far whether the convicts will
serve their sentences in a Russian prison or will be set free (Kommersant).
5 november
2004
- Foreign Ministry protests against publication of Basayev’s interview in Canadian
daily: Interfax reports that the Russian Foreign Ministry sent an official letter of protest to the head of the
Moscow bureau of the Canadian daily Globe and Mail over the publication of an interview with “one of the most
odious leaders of Chechen bandit groups”, Shamil Basayev, who is on the sanctions list of the UN SC Anti-Taliban
Sanctions Committee (Interfax, Itar-Tass).
- Opposition voices scepticism over Bush’s second
term
According to Vedomosti, the Russian opposition does not share the official optimism over Bush’s
re-election. The daily quotes Yabloko party leader Grigory Yavlinski as saying that “nothing is going to change
in the Russia-US relations”. In his view, the problems of democracy in Russia and human rights in Chechnya will
not be in the centre of the White House’s attention. Independent Duma deputy Ryzhkov, also quoted by the daily,
believes that Washington may step up its human rights activities, but, in Ryzhkov’s view, this will not
influence the policies of the Russian leadership.
Communist leader Zyuganov has painted a gloomy
picture of Bush’s second term by saying that the American pressure on Russian foreign policy will increase, and
the Kremlin might in the future give in to this pressure, which, in Zyuganov’s view, is “extremely dangerous for
Russia” (Interfax).
9 november 2004
- Soldiers’ Mothers Party created: A
constituent congress of the United People’s Party of Soldiers’ Mothers was held in Moscow during the weekend.
The new party, set up on the basis of the Committees of Soldiers’ Mothers, is planning “to continually monitor
draft laws concerning human rights protection” and also carry out a “democratic military reform” and “support
peacekeeping movements”. Interfax quotes the findings of a public opinion poll held by Yury Levada’s pollster,
according to which 72% of Russian women support the Soldiers’ Mothers activities saying that they help to
protect the civil rights of recruits and benefit the country in general. Recalling a recent initiative of the
Soldiers’ Mothers to hold talks with Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, Gazeta’s experts voice
scepticism over the new party’s prospects of being registered by the Justice Ministry, “as Vladimir Putin has
repeatedly spoken out against any talks with terrorists” (All media).
- Chief perpetrator in
Akhmat Kadyrov’s murder killed: Kommersant (front page) reports that the Chechen presidential security service
yesterday killed about 20 militants, including four field commanders close to Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev.
The paper stresses that one of the killed militants, Suleiman Ilmurzayev, was the perpetrator of the 9 May
murder of Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov (Kommersant, Izvestia).
- Alu Alkhanov re-appoints
Akhmat Kadyrov’s cabinet: Kommersant reports that Chechen President Alu Alkhanov on 8 November signed an
instruction appointing ten ministers of the Republic’s cabinet. The paper stresses that nearly all the appointed
ministers used to hold their posts under the late Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov (Kommersant).
12 november 2004
- Acquittal in Chechen civilian murder overturned: The military board
of the Russian Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal verdict issued to two officers of the Interior Forces,
Khudyakov and Arakcheyev, who were accused of murdering three civilians in Chechnya. The court sent the case for
a new trial (Interfax, Kommersant).
15 november 2004
- DM Ivanov announces
army reduction in Chechnya by 1,000: Whilst on a visit to North Caucasus, DM Ivanov announced the reduction of
army in Chechnya by 1,000 servicemen. He also said that one half of soldiers and sergeants serving in the North
Caucasus military district are expected to serve on a contractual basis by the end of 2007. Nezavisimaya gazeta
adds that the district will be strengthened by two mountain-infantry brigades that will be deployed in Dagestan
and Karachayevo-Cherkesia – two the regions where Islamic extremism is reported to have spread (Nezavisimaya
gazeta, Interfax, Izvestia).
17 november 2004
- FM Lavrov objects to
Chechen separatists’ contacts in Europe: Interfax quotes FM Lavrov as saying yesterday that Moscow has no
objections to meetings between representatives of the Soldiers Mothers’ Committees and the European authorities
in Brussels to discuss the human rights situation in Russia, but thinks that contacts between the Committees’
representatives and Chechen separatists are unjustified (Interfax).
18 november 2004
- DM Ivanov presents figures on army casualties in North Caucasus: In an hour-long speech at
yesterday’s annual conference of top military officials, Defence Minister Ivanov said that 1,270 servicemen were
killed in the North Caucasus in 2001-2003. The Minister noted, however, that this number is decreasing every
year. In Nezavisimaya gazeta’s view, Ivanov’s statement followed the aim of demonstrating to the world, and
primarily to united Europe and its structures, the high price Russia is paying for the fight against
international terrorism. Several dailies highlight Ivanov’s remark that there are 150-200 foreign mercenaries
from over 50 countries in Chechnya, which provoked a scathing comment from Kommersant saying that “we can
therefore conclude with certainty that Russia is waging a world war in Chechnya” (All media).
- Chechen Supreme Court hears kidnapping case: Izvestia reports that the Chechen Supreme Court yesterday
began the hearing of a kidnapping and torture case. Policeman Sergey Lapin is facing charges of kidnapping
Zelimkhan Murdalov, a resident of Grozny, in January 2001 (Izvestia).
19 november 2004
- Russia insists that Sweden close down Chechen separatist website: The Russian Foreign Ministry
said yesterday that Russia expects Sweden to close down the Kavkaz-Centre, a Chechen separatist website
re-launched by a Sweden-based provider several days ago, after being shut down in Lithuania and Finland
(Interfax).
22 november 2004
- Cherkessia prosecutor resigns:
Karachayevo-Cherkessia’s chief prosecutor, Vladimir Gannochka, submitted his resignation last Friday after weeks
of regional unrest over the multiple murder linked to the son-in-law of the republic’s president. Commenting on
the situation in Karachayevo–Cherkessia, Kommersant (Sat) notes that an additional 2,500 Interior Troops have
been transferred to the republic from other regions, and Chechen President Alu Alkhanov, who arrived in
Karachayevo-Cherkessia on a visit, called on the republic’s population “not to repeat the Chechen mistakes”
(Izvestia, Kommersant, The Moscow Times).
- Belgium not to allow Soldiers’ Mothers meet
Chechen emissary?: Nezavisimaya gazeta reports that the meeting between Soldiers’ Mothers representatives and
Chechen separatist emissary Akhmed Zakayev, which was to begin yesterday in Brussels, may not take place, as the
Belgian authorities refuse to guarantee immunity to Zakayev and have not issued visas to the Mothers’ delegation
so far. The daily publishes a front-page interview with Valentina Melnikova, head of the Soldiers’ Mothers
Union, entitled “Europe behaves in a strange way” (Nezavisimaya gazeta, Vremya novostei).
-
Chechen arrested in Khlebnikov case: Musa Vakhayev, a native of the Chechen town of Urus Martan, was detained in
Moscow in connection with the murder of Paul Khalebnikov, the editor of Forbes Russia, who was shot outside his
office in July (All media).
23 november 2004
- Nezavisimaya gazeta
publishes a commentary by Thomas Gomart (Institut français des relations internationales) entitled “Russia and
the EU should grow up – the Russia-EU partnership is likely to continue to be used for mutual ignoring”. In the
author’s view, the EU and Russia are unlikely to move towards rapprochement in the coming years. The author
points to “fundamental disagreements” between Russia and the EU, which include the EU understanding of its laws
as “the only model”, different views on the visa regime, the situation of Russia-speaking minorities in Latvia
and Estonia, the situation in Chechnya and in the Caucasus, instability in Moldova and the power struggle in
Ukraine.
25 november 2004
- Kidnapped Czech aid worker released in
Chechnya: Miriam Jevikova, a Czech aid worker, was released in Chechnya after seven months in captivity.
According to Gazeta, the Russian special services claim that no ransom was paid (the kidnappers had demanded $1
million for Jevikova’s release) (Gazeta, Interfax, Kommersant).
30 november 2004
- Suspected murderers of Paul Khlebnikov detained in Belarus: The Belarus Interior Ministry has
confirmed that it has detained four people, including ethnic Chechens Dukuzov and Vakhayev, suspected by the
Russian police of involvement in the murder of Russian Forbes editor-in-chief Paul Khlebnikov. Kommersant (front
page) comments that investigators tend to stick to a new theory of the crime – the journalist could be murdered
for an attempt to write a book on the embezzlement of state funds allocated for the Chechen restoration.
Khlebnikov was murdered when leaving his office in Moscow in July (All media).
- Chechen
separatist web site resumes work in Lithuania: According to Interfax, the Kavkaz-Centre Chechen separatist web
site began operating again on Monday and the website’s administrators claim they are working on Lithuanian
territory.