Actual News from Chechnya

News update

Over 150 people were found guilty of terrorist activity in the southern federal district in 2002- 2003, Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky said on Friday. Considerable progress has been made in eradicating terrorism in the area, Fridinsky noted. "Regional law enforcement agencies detained a large number of criminals," he said. The Stavropol territory, Dagestan and Chechnya "advanced further than other areas," he said. "Certain improvements have been made in investigating these crimes in the republic of North Ossetia-Alanya," he said. Prosecutors in the southern federal district "are focusing on extremist organizations, which have worked for years without registration," he said. Such organizations present a huge problem and further "work with them is doubtless necessary," he said. "In the course of criminal investigations, numerous details on the organization of bandit formations in the southern federal district were clarified," he said. Inrefax reports.
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Several odious terrorists hide in the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, the senior spokesman for the Georgian Security Ministry, Nika Laliashvili, said. According to Itar-Tass, he said on Rustavi-2 television on Friday that the terrorist include "Achimez Gochiyaev, an organizer of blasts at apartment blocks in Moscow and Volgodonsk in the autumn of 1999". Laliashvili said the "Georgian Security Ministry had earlier informed that other two-three odious figures were still staying in the Pankisi Gorge, and we are confirming this information today". "Georgian security services actively cooperate and exchange operational information with colleagues from Russia and Western countries with the aim of revealing and detaining persons who are suspected of committing grave crimes and terrorist acts," Laliashvili said. He said "as a result of such cooperation of Georgian and Russian security series, an accomplice of Gochiyev, Adam Dekkushev, who previously hided in the Pankisi Gorge, was detained on the Black Coast of Georgia in the in summer of 2002". "In December of the last year, the Georgian side carried out an operation to liquidate several terrorists in the Lagodekhi district; another terrorist, Kryshmakhalov, was then turned over to Russia," Laliashvili said.
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Chechen history

Chechnya | Questions and answers

This pamphlet is about Chechnya , a Russian territory which has witnessed the most tragic events over the past decade. The book is the latest update on the Chechen Republic . And this is very important, since a lack of fresh and accurate information about events in Chechnya generates many distorted conceptions and rumours - both within and outside Russia . For example, that Chechen society is allegedly inherently alien to Russia , that pro-Russian elements in the republic are marginalised; and lastly, that Russian power structures are fighting the Chechen people, rather than armed bandit groups. The reality, however, is that only with the return of the legitimate authorities are villages and towns being restored, children going to school for the first time in many years, and pensioners receiving long-forgotten pensions, i.e. a social rebirth is underway. Lying ahead are a referendum on a new Chechen constitution, and parliamentary and presidential elections. These votes will be held, despite continued attempts by bandit groups and their leaders to scupper the process of normalisation in the republic, the latest terrorist act being the bombing of the republican government building. The war being waged by Chechen separatists against federal forces and more often than not against their own co-citizens is by no means a "national liberation struggle of the Chechen people", but an episode in the overall offensive by international terrorism on the fundamental principles of modern civilisation. The facts show that being a part of the Russian Federation in no way threatens the Chechen Republic 's cultural identity, the free use of its own language, and preaching Islam. On the contrary, it was during de facto "independence" from Russia that the Chechen people suffered a humanitarian tragedy on an unprecedented scale. Hostage-taking, the slave trade and plundering came to form the economic basis of the new regime, while chaos and war became the form of its political existence. We want to emphasise once more: Chechnya is part of Russia , geographically, politically and civilisation-wise. So a hypothetical triumph of radical Islamism on its territory would be anti-historical. Such a development would signify the establishment in the midst of Europe of a Taliban-like regime, with all ensuing consequences for the international community. The corporate author - journalists of the Russian Information Agency Novosti - have attempted to be as brief as possible on providing answers to the most-often aked questions (above all posed by a foreign audience) about the Chechen issue. Hence the book's title: " Chechnya : Questions and Answers". It draws heavily on information provided by various Russian ministries and departments that in one or another way are involved in normalising life in the republic.
Russian Information Agency Novosti
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Chechen culture

Music

The modern school of professional music draws inspiration from the richest heritage of folk singing and musical tradition. Melodies, composed by unknown authors who lived a long time ago, are still loved by the people. But the 20th century left us a long list of folk musicians, creators of popular pieces of music.20th century creations are usually named after those who composed and played them. Music sheets exist thanks to professional musicians. The Bisirkhoyev family, Yusup Gadayev, Sesikat Dudayeva, Ibraghim Batayev, Baudin Suleimanov are the best known of the folk musicians. Highly talented accordeon player Magomayev composed the well known "Shamil's Prayer." One day, a legend says, Imam Shamil's forces were trapped. The situation was hopeless. But Shamil got an idea. At first he knelt in prayer, then gave orders to his musicians and, loath as he was of any kind of entertainment, started dancing. His fiery dancing aroused his men. And, in the midst of the dancing, Shamil gave orders for fighting. His men fought like lions and broke the circle of siege. "Shamil's Prayer" consists of two parts: the first is sad and slow-moving, the second makes you want to dance. Composer G.Kh.Melpurnov (1900-1957) did much for the development of professional music in Chechnya. It was on his initiative that a band of folk instruments was formed in 1936. The bandmen played the traditional dechik-pondur, harmonica, zurna, and percussion instruments, as well as the more modern balalaika counterbass and updated adkhoku-pondury. While collecting and polishing Chechen and Ingush folk tunes, G.Kh.Melpurnov produced his own arrangements and original pieces of music.
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Issue 88
26.04.03

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

26 April 2003  Grozneft Company Sums up the Results of Its Activity in the First Quarter of 2003
Grozneft, subsidiary company of Rosneft, has summed up the results of its activity in the first quarter of 2003.Figures are impressive. Since the beginning of the year 425,000 tonnes of oil have been extracted, this exceeds the plan targets by 6,000 tonnes. The volume of extracted gas is 92 million cubic metres: the target have been beaten by 15 million cubic metres. At present oil extraction in Chechnya is conducted at 724 oil bores. Since the beginning of the year 5 new bores have been put into operation, and 5 bores have been restored. A trend toward increasing oil and gas extraction have become stable in the republic since 2002 when efficient measures were taken to restore oil and gas industry. Within 10 months the restoration work was done to the tune of over 1.73 billion roubles. Repair work to restore high-pressure pipelines and gas distributing stations was conducted in the Nadtechny, Shelkovski, Shalinsk, Argun and Gudermes regions. As a result, a greater number of administrative and communal facilities were provided with gas. At oil facilities 33 oil fountains, including 6 burning ones, have been liquidated since early 2002. Five new oil fields and 29 oil bores were put into exploitation,122 kilometres of oil pipelines and 29 kilometres of gas pipelines were restored. All in all some 1.5 million tonnes of oil were extracted in the republic last year, this is twice as much as in the previous year. This year 1.75 million tonnes of oil are expected to be produced in Chechnya. One of the most complicated problems of the Chechen oil and gas industry is misappropriation of oil. True, some success have been reached in the struggle against this evil.Since 2000 when Grozneft began operating the number of cases have been reduced markedly. According to the republic's Interior Ministry, some 15 mini-plants for illegal oil processing are liquidated in Chechnya daily. Shortly oil refineries in Chechnya will be equipped with electronic security system. The measure stipulates that experts of the "Okhrana" research centre will install special sensors capable of spotting any unsanctioned oil leakages. This home-made system has no analogues in the world. Revenues from the Grozneft activity and federal subsidies are the main source of replenishing the republic's budget. Part of Grozneft revenues is re-invested to promote the production.
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25 April 2003  Alu Alkhanov appointed Chechnyas new interior minister
The role of the interior agencies in the normalization of life in Chechnya is in all likelihood defining. Head of the Chechen government Anatoly Popov said this introducing new Chechen interior minister Alu Alkhanov to the ministry officials. According to Mr. Popov, if peoples security is not ensured, they wont be able to live normally, work and raise children. Congratulating the news minister, he emphasized that along with a news office, he assumes great responsibility before the republic and all of its people. The Chechen prime minister extended congratulations from head of the Chechen administration Ahmad Kadyrov to minister Alkhanov and a sword as a present with the words may this sword rest in your hands as long as there is just a militant in the republic.
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25 April 2003  Stanislav Ilyasov: Over 22 bln rbls envisaged for restoration of Chechnya in 2003
22 billion and 505 million roubles have been preliminary envisaged for restoring the socio-economic sphere of Chechnya in 2003, Russian Minister Stanislav Ilyasov said, opening a meeting of the governmental commission on restoration of Chechnya on Friday. Stanislav Ilyasov also said that, according to the results of 2002, the financing of a series of measures on restoring the republic was covered by 96.2 percent. The financing of the targeted program amounted to 4.76 billion roubles, covered by about 90 percent. Besides, in 2002, the consolidated budget of Chechnya was fulfilled by 104 percent (7.39 billion roubles). At the same time, budget revenues increased 3.7 fold, including their federal share. Itar-Tass reports.
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25 April 2003  Chechen Security Council chief denies attack on Kadyrov
The Chechen civil administration has categorically denied reports circulated by a separatist website claiming that head of the administration Akhmad Kadyrov was gravely wounded on Thursday evening. "There have been no incidents involving Akhmad Kadyrov in the past 24 hours," Secretary of the Chechen Security Council Rudnik Dudayev told Interfax. According to Dudayev, Kadyrov left for one of the regions in Chechnya on Friday morning to attend a session with Russian federal government representatives. Falsified information claiming that Kadyrov was wounded or attacked "is regularly spread by those websites," Dudayev said. The authors of the latest report claimed that "Kadyrov's car was blasted, and scouts saw him lying near the car," after which, it said, "Kadyrov was taken to the hospital in Khankala".
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24 April 2003  A new bus station opens in Grozny
A new bus station has replaced the old and totally destroyed one, in Grozny. Until recently, people who took a bus out of Chechnya never knew where exactly they should board the bus. Comfortable buses will, from now on, be taking off from the handsome station. They are routed in almost 100 directions and will take people to various parts of Chechnya and all major cities of the Southern Federal District, i.e. Volgograd, Cherkessk, Minvody and Astrakhan, as well as to Moscow. The opening of the bus station benefits those who live in Chechnya and Chechens who happen to live in other places. People engaged in the Chechen reconstruction effort will also be likely to take a bus.
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Chechen History

Chechen History: Politics, Economics, Culture a new book by a young historian Zarema Ibragimova

The Moscow publishing house PRAVDA has just released a book by a graduate of the Faculty of History of Chechen State University, Candidate of History, currently working on her doctors degree at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Zarema Ibragimova. The book is entitled Chechen History: Politics, Economics, Culture and focuses on Chechnyas history in the second half of the 19th century. It features facts that are based on hitherto inaccessible archive materials, kept stored in Moscow, St. Petersbourg and Vladikavkaz. The author of the 500-page book with numerous illustrations and coloured supplementary sheets describes all aspects of the Chechen peoples life during the involved period in Chechen history, with efforts being made to reach a social and political settlement in Chechnya in the wake of the Caucasus war, as well as to carry out a military, judicial and land reform in Chechnya. The author also speaks at length about agricultural and industrial production and trade, as well as about efforts to promote Muslim and secular education.
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History of Russian-Chechen relations

The current conflict in Chechnya is largely rooted in the history of Russian-Chechen relations, which include six stages.

The first stage
The first stage, which started in the middle of the 16th century and lasted until the end of the 17th century, was marked by a peaceful colonization of the region. That period is characterized by vassal-allied forms of relations between Moscow tsars and elders of Chechen communities. Moscow was trying to expand its influence in the region by political and economic means mainly. The policy was a success and Chechen communities voluntarily (by signing agreements) announced recognition of the supreme power of the Moscow state.
The second stage
The second stage, which lasted almost throughout the 18th century, marks the beginning of Russia's open military expansion to the North Caucasus. Under Peter I and then Catherine II the doctrine of colonizing the mountain areas prevalent.
Though in 1781 oaths of allegiance were officially registered the voluntary submission of Chechen communities bordering on Russian fortresses, the year 1785 marked the beginning of a powerful movement in Chechnya under the leadership of Sheikh Mansur. That was when Chechen people launched an armed struggle for freedom and independence. Sheikh Mansur was the first to make an attempt (still popular nowadays) to unite peoples of the North Caucasus into a single Islamic state. But he failed to do so.
The anti-colonial movement started in Chechnya by highlanders spread to other regions of the North Caucasus. Taking part in the resistance were mainly the lower strata . As for the rich, at first they tried to use the peasants movement to consolidate their power in the mountain communities and restore freedom of choice in relations with Moscow. Soon afterwards, they got scared of the growing anti-feudal movement of Sheikh Mansur and in a number of cases even joined Russian troops to suppress the mutinous peasants. The first imam of North Caucasian highlanders fought tsarist troops for about six years, but suffered defeat. Sheikh Mansur was captured in 1791 and died in the Schlusselburg Fortress.
The third stage
The third stage of Russian-Chechen relations falls on the first half of the 19th century. During General A.P.Yermolov's term as Commander of the Russian army in the Caucasus (1816-1827) military pressure intensifies as Russian troops continue to advance deep into Chechnya. Chechnya responds by stepping up its resistance movement, which, for more than 30 years, was headed by Beibulat Teimiev. Teimiev for the first time managed to unite most of Chechen communities. And he made an attempt to unite mountain people too by concluding an alliance between free Chechnya and feudal principalities of the North Caucasus. Beibulat Taimiev called for a peaceful solution to the conflict and wanted to avoid a big war with Russia. His treacherous murder led to the escalation of military operations.
(more about chechen history...)

Chechen cuisine

"The Chechens, like the rest of the highlanders, avoid extremes in their eating and drinking habits. What they usually eat is chureks or corn bread with mutton lard spread on it, and wheat stew with lard in it; water is their basic refreshment." "...Unleavend wheat or barley bread baked on charcoal, milk and cheese constitute their daily menu; meat is eaten, very rarely, by the richest of the Chechens." That was written about the Chechen eating habits in the 19th century. And it was not until the late 19th century that many vegetables grown in Europe - tomatoes, cabbage, radish - had found their way to the kitchen gardens of mountainous Chechnya. Chechen farming units have, since times immemorial, been self-sufficient, with only spices and sweetmeats being bought at the market. And, although they have become familiar with the cuisines of many other ethnic communities, the Chechen women cherish the very special culinary traditions of their own.
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