Actual News from Chechnya

News update

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has established the suspects in Monday's terrorist attack in Znamenskoye in Chechnya's Nadterechny district, Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky told Interfax on Tuesday. "We have established several suspects, and investigation to detect and detain them is in progress," he said. Fridinsky refrained from naming the suspects. Asked whether the Monday explosion could have been organized by the same people who committed the terrorist attack near the Chechen government headquarters last December, killing 70 people, Fridinsky replied: "No, these are different people, although there is a certain link between them."
(more...)

The Chechen leadership is proposing increasing the compensation allowance for loss of housing in Chechnya as a result of war from 240,000 rubles to 430,000 rubles per family, the Russian minister for Chechnya said on Monday. "These proposals will be given consideration. The commission members consider them quite realistic," Stanislav Ilyasov told Interfax after a meeting of the commission for state assistance to people who have lost their housing. He said a report on the commission meeting would be put before Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov before May 15. "The government order should come out before the end of May in order to start accepting applications from citizens in August and start payment in September or October," Ilyasov said. He said lists of people whose housing is beyond repair would be finalized by July 1. Today 39,000 families are considered to have housing that is impossible to restore and 9,000 families are listed as having damaged housing. Altogether 280,000 people are considered in need of housing. Ilyasov said it was planned to pay half the compensation allowances before this year and the rest next year. More than 20 billion rubles is needed for the purpose, he said.
(more...)

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
(in detail ...)

Chechen culture

Cultural events

Russias Ministry of Culture does its best to acquire books for Chechen libraries and upgrade the professional level of Librarians. The librarians have been following special courses at the Ministrys academy in the past three years. Last year ten librarians followed a course at the school of contemporary library technology in the city of Belgorod. The experts at the school developed special programmes that made it possible for them to get acquaintance quickly with advanced information technology. According to the chief expert of the libraries department at the Ministry of Culture, Nadezhda Shakhova, Chechen librarians were welcomed warmly in Belgorod. Ministry plans to send Chechen librarians to Belgorod annually. The main task at the moment is to supply libraries with books. Many sources have been engaged in this. Under the Russian government programme of reconstruction of the Chechen economy and social area the republics libraries get books form the central library. To this end the Ministry of Culture in Chechnya spends money too. The Moscow-based fund of humanitarian assistance to Chechnya also makes notable contribution. It organizes the collection of books from private citizens, public organizations and educational and scientific establishments. The requests by the national library for books that are later being distributed among the libraries in cities, districts and departments show that the demand for books on economics, philosophy and literature is high in the republic. This is evidence that the people in the republic are keen on acquiring knowledge.
(more...)

Issue 91
13.05.03

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

13 May 2003  New Houses On the Ruins
More than 21 billion roubles will be allotted from the Russian budget this year for the restoration of Chechnya s economy and social sphere. Part of that money will be used for repair work and for housing construction. As you know, first of all , people need homes for normal life, and during the former hostilities many of the Chechen residents lost their homes. So theres no surprise that today one of the top priorities in rebuilding Chechnya is the revival of the construction industry. Wide-scale construction works started in Chechnya in September of 2001, and now it is clear that the work done is enormous: several dozen municipal apartment houses, schools, medical centres, and agricultural facilities have been built and re-built in Chechnya over a short period of time. In 2003 active construction in Chechnya will continue. Paramount attention will be paid to Grozny since 80 per cent of the destruction is in the Chechen capital. 66 per cent of the city buildings have been destroyed there, and 28 out of these 66 per cent cant be destroyed. One in three of its buildings should be built anew. But first of all it is necessary to do difficult preparatory work: to estimate the damage done and to make the calculations. Buildings that cant be restored are demolished. Later undamaged bricks and concrete blocks will be re-used. Specialists believe that 20 billion roubles are necessary for a complete restoration of the housing sector in Grozny and that it will require not less than 7 years. The federal government allots 600 million roubles every year for these purposes. More than enough building materials are necessary for the restoration and construction work in Chechnya . Today bricks are in high demand. Partially, the Grozny brickworks satisfies the republics needs in bricks. This is not enough but the local brickworks is yet incapable of producing more: most of all operations are now carried out there by hand. Today imported materials, which are several times more expensive than the ones produced in the republic, are actively used in housing construction in Chechnya . But this situation is gradually changing. There are now plans to build a plant producing building materials in Grozny . Construction waste and parts of ruined buildings, which one can meet in large quantities in the Chechen capital, will serve as raw materials. A Spanish firm producing equipment for the production of decoration materials from waste plans to take part in this project. The use of such technology will make it possible to make the construction up to 2 to 3 times faster and cheaper.
(more News from Chechnya)

13 May 2003  U.S. for ending terrorist acts on Chechen territory
The George Bush Administration strongly condemns the terrorist act committed by suicide bombers in Chechnya and expresses profound condolences to the relations of those who died in the explosion, an official spokeswoman of the U.S. State Department told RIA Novosti. It is believed in the U.S. Administration, she said, that the actions of the terrorists were designed to disrupt the peace process started by the referendum in Chechnya. The U.S. is for ending terrorist acts on Chechen territory, State Department spokeswoman said. According to her, the Bush Administration supports the actions to achieve stable peace in Chechnya. A Chechen suicide terrorist blew up a truck loaded with explosives Monday morning. According to the latest information, 47 people died and over 100 were wounded in the explosion.
(more News from Chechnya)

13 May 2003  Council of Europe denounced terrorist act in Znamenskoye
The Council of Europe members have denounced the terrorist act in the Chechen village of Znamenskoye that resulted in numerous casualties, RIA Novosti reports."The civilised world feels only despise towards those who blindly use violence against innocent people to achieve their political goals, " said Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Peter Schieder. "For years the Chechen population has seen only war and destruction. Today it desires nothing but peace and a better, more stable future," he pointed out. The only way to achieve this is to give up violence, to start a political dialog and to respect human rights, Schieder believes. The perpetrators of the terrorist act in Znamenskoye acted against the interests and will of the Chechen people, he announced. Secretary General of the Council of Europe Walter Schwimmer in his turn recalled that it had been in Znamenskoye that the Council's representatives contributed to improving the situation with human rights during the last three years via the bureau of President Putin's special envoy. "Znamenskoye is a place dear to our hearts, as there the Council of Europe experts established both professional and personal links with local population," Schwimmer pointed out. "Organisers of such acts seriously jeopardise aspirations of the Chechen people to build their future in a stable and peaceful atmosphere," Gil-Robles said. At the same time, "this should not stop the political process and lead to disproportionate reaction," he believes.
(more News from Chechnya...)

12 May 2003  Russias State Statistical Committee: The Census Returns Correspond to Reality
Russias State Statistical Committee has made public the results of the census taken in autumn 2002. According to the information obtained, the population of Chechnya makes up 1 million 100,000. 223,000 people, including 120,400 women and 102,600 men, make their home in the capital city Grozny. The census has put it in bold relief that Chechnya is one of Russias nine regions where the female population largely exceeds the male population. The deputy Chairman of the Statistical Committee Sergey Kolesnikov said he knows of no major infringements that would call into question the census results. The State Committee feels that the census returns are quite realistic. From 1993 any statistical data about Chechnya was unavailable, but before that Chechens boasted one of the highest birth rates in Russia. In 1997 the Government of Ichkeria took its own census, but its hard to say whether it was correctly organized in terms of methodology. Following that census the Ichkeria Government said the population made up 981,000. When compared with that figure the results of last years census 1 million 100,000 look natural. This is also born out by the age structure of the republics population. In 1989 the age group under 17 accounted for 43% of the republics population, today the percentage is slightly under 42. According to Kolesnikov, the republican branch of the State Statistical Committee can boast great progress in doing all current routine work, following the process of economic restoration, changes in the consumer price index and the rate of inflation. The Government-approved federal programme of statistical work has been and continues to be carried out in full.
(more News from Chechnya...)

11 May 2003  Chechnyas Electoral Commission Is Improving Its Work
Some time ago Russias Central Electoral Commission held an out session in Nalchik, to sum up the results of the referendum on Chechnyas Constitution. The chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Alexander Veshnyakov has highly praised the work of Chechnyas electoral commission. Veshnyakov said that he shared the opinion of one of the foreign experts, who said on the day of the referendum that all people living in Chechnya are heroes. And that those who organized the referendum are double heroes. The initiative belonged to Chechnyas residents, who contributed immensely to the political settlement in the republic. Of importance today is to seal the former results, fulfilling them with concrete content. It is also important to honour all commitments, given before the referendum, to ensure security and the correct work of the power ministries on the Chechen territory, to pay compensations to those of the Chechen residents, who lost their homes, and to settle amnesty issues. Besides, it is necessary to work out a single stand on the date of governmental and parliamentary elections in Chechnya. Organizationally, the presidential elections will be far more difficult than the referendum: there will be serious rivalry between the candidates. The participants in the session agreed to work out, within the coming 3 to 4 months, a consolidated stand on the date of elections Russias President will be later informed of. Besides, the participants said that it would very good, before the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Chechnya and ahead of the State Duma elections, to restore order in the registration of voters. The preliminary figure before the referendum was 537,000, while the factual number of voters was 577,000, as became clear after the referendum. It is important to find out whether the reason was an inaccurate registration or a large number of voters on Ingushetias territory. That is why analysis should be made and the whole system of registration be amended somewhat. Serious attention should be also paid to the commission membership. The foundations have already been laid down, and what is necessary now are practical lessons. All members of electoral commissions must have a clear idea of their rights and duties. Should the future be combined elections, this will demand much more work. Such were the participants wishes.
(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.
(in detail ...)

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.
(in detail ...)

Copyright © CHECHNYA FREE.RU