Actual News from Chechnya

News update

Al Qaeda operational centers can move to Chechnya and Georgia from Afghanistan, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said. The French minister took part in a meeting of G-8 interior ministers in Paris, Itar-Tass reports. "The threat of terrorism is high and we are convinced that we should not weaken precautions," he said. Sarkozy said the Al Qaeda terrorist network "is disorganized because of actions in Afghanistan and its operational centers can move to Chechnya or Georgia". Commenting on a possible influence of the diplomatic crisis between Paris and Washington on anti-terrorist cooperation between special services, the French minister said it "has not ceased because this regards security of our citizens". Special services continue to exchange information, he added.
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Prime Minister Anatoly Popov of Chechnya welcomes the idea of rewarding anyone who informs the police of rebels, RIA Novosti reports. He made this clear Monday as he commented on the proposal to set up a special fund for the purpose, which had been put forward by Ahmar Zavgayev, a Chechen delegate to the Federation Council, or Russia's upper house of parliament. The establishment of such a fund would help stabilise the situation in Chechnya, Premier Popov believes. "Those who have funds and who are tired and sick of instability in the republic are willing to sponsor the fund," he says. But the Chechen prime minister takes a cautious attitude to the idea of buying unregistered weapons from local inhabitants. In his opinion, each such case should be considered separately as there is a possibility that money received for old arms will be used to buy new ones.
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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

Cultural events

Preservation of peoples cultural traditions and encouragement of talents, abundant on Chechnyas soil, goes a long way in the restoration of normal life in Chechnya. Nozhai-Yurt district is an illustration for this. There are 24 culture halls and 10 club-houses in the district. Promotion of amateur art activities is a priority. Revival of these activities started in 2000 with the concert dedicated to the Victory Day and opening of the monument for fellow countrymen who perished in the Great Patriotic War. The concert brought together a meager of 18 amateur artists. Now, there are 4 to 5 study groups in each culture hall that handle various trends of amateur art. Nozhai-Yurt is particularly rich with singers. It gave birth to such distinguished artists of the Chechen stage as I. Usmanov, T. Dadasheva, B. Elmurzaev and M. Chakaraeva. They are giving way to hopefuls like M. Abasova, G. Telebitova, brothers Anasov and sisters Dartsuev. Teachers of the four schools of the district are backup for culture authorities. Schools regularly arrange reviews of amateur artists to reveal talented youths. The locals love their artists and gladly visit their concerts. They express their love for art by following Chechen tradition of mutual aid and taking vigorous part in the restoration of ruined culture halls, club-houses and libraries.
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Issue 89
06.05.03

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

05 May 2003  For Grozny's school students, an exciting summer ahead
Last summer, Grozny's Education Department arranged for 8 thousand free vacations - mostly for elementary students - at resorts in Kabardino-Balkaria and on the coast of the Black Sea. Department head Vera Umalatova tells us that this summer the figure should be significantly higher. Each schoolkid remaining in town will be getting free meals at his or her school canteen. Each will also be welcome to join a variety of entertainment, cultural and sporting events. The students at Grozny's schools number 23 and a half thousand. This spells over 2 thousand regular school-leavers plus dozens or even hundreds who pass graduation exams after completing extramural courses. On request from the Chechen government head Anatoli Popov, the federal Education Ministers reserves 500 student places for them in Russian colleges and universities outside Chechnya. In line with the practice last year, the applicants will stand their admission exams in Grozny. The Ministry also expands higher education in Chechnya itself. Many Chechen colleges and universities will have more student places beginning with September and will probably open new campuses as well. Colleges and universities in neighbouring North Caucasian regions plan campuses in several Chechen district seats. The federal Education Ministry plans to supply Chechen schools with 10 million roubles worth of laboratory equipment (biology, chemistry, physics). Some 300 hundred schools are expected to receive some 900 kits before the end of this year. Schools in remote mountain districts will be served by up-to-date labs on wheels. Each school library gets hundreds of new books in time for the opening of the next academic year in September. The public school board of Grozny employs 1,345 teachers. One hundred and twenty enjoyed free holidays in rest homes last year. This year, 4 to 5 hundred can look forward to such vacations.
(more News from Chechnya)

05 May 2003  Former Chechen Interior Minister dies
Chechnya's former interior minister, Ruslan Tsakayev has died of a heart attack. He was 46. He was buried in his home village of Terskoye near Stavropol, Chechnya's Security Council Secretary Rudnik Dudayev said to Itar-Tass. Tsakayev was appointed Chechnya's interior minister last December. Under his guidance the Chechen police maintained law and order during preparations for Chechnya's constitutional referendum and on the polling day. Early last month Tsakayev tendered his resignation to be succeeded by Alu Alkhanov. Chechen government, Interior Ministry and Security Council officials arrived in Terskoye to offer their condolences to Tsakayev's family.
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05 May 2003  Sultygov denies federal support for his election as Chechen president
Human Rights Ombudsman for Chechnya Abdul-Khakim Sultygov has described press reports alleging federal support for his future election as Chechen president as provocations. "Obviously provocative judgments of anonymous Moscow sources are aimed at a conflict between the two envoys of the Russian president in the Chechen republic and discrediting federal policy," Sultygov told Interfax on Monday. He said he had never aspired to be an elected official in any part of the Russian Federation. "What really matters today is not the person to win the Chechen presidential election. It is the ability of the authorities, primarily the republic's Interior Ministry, to justify the vote of confidence the people of Chechnya gave in the referendum and to contain the crime rate, first and foremost abductions and murders," Sultygov said.
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05 May 2003  ase hearings on kidnapping of member of Doctors without Borders mission starts
The Rostov Regional Court (the south of Russia) starts hearings of the case of the kidnapping of Kenneth Cluck, a member of the Doctors without Borders mission in the territory of the Chechen Republic in 2001. The RIA Novosti correspondent was told about it by press secretary of the court Konstantin Miroshnichenko. According to him, Magomed Gakayev and Ayub Katayev appear before the court. They are accused of complicity in the kidnapping. According to the materials of the investigation, the crime was organised and carried out by a group, which was headed by Abubakar Zhumayev, who was eliminated in the course of the anti-terrorist operation in February of 2002. Kenneth Cluck was kidnapped on January 9th, 2001 and was kept for a month.
(more News from Chechnya...)

02 May 2003  Residents of Siberia To Take Part in Chechnyas Restoration
Naturally, troubles suffered by a Russian region affect other regions as well. According to the Russian Presidents envoy to the Siberian Federal District Leonid Drachevsky, Chechnyas conflict and its revival are not only Chechnyas domestic problems. These should be settled by concerted effort. Residents of Siberia continue to pool every effort to help restoring Chechnya. They have been focussing on childrens problems. A humanitarian campaign to help Chechen kids has aided to collect and send to the republic about 25 tons of humanitarian cargo, including over 86.000 textbooks and notebooks, paper and school items. The Siberians have also pushed an initiative to build there two schools to receive 220 and 320 schoolchildren correspondingly and supply them with all necessary equipment. About 30 million rubles are required to this end. Following the decision by the Siberian Federal Districts Council, every Russian region is ready to contribute to this noble gesture. The schools will be set up in Nozhai-Urt and Itum-Kalinsky regions where officers of the Omsk and Krasnoyarsk interior departments have been serving. The projects customers will be Siberian representatives who will control the construction whereupon the contractors - local building companies. This will supply many Chechens with jobs. The construction of the schools is expected to wrap up by the start of a new academic year. The Siberians realize the Chechen children and youth must be provided with education and profession and live a life of peace.
(more News from Chechnya)

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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