Actual News from Chechnya

News update

Pleni-potential envoy of the Russian president in the Southern Federal District Viktor Kazantsev is displeased with the way the money allocated for Chechnya arrive in the republic. He said this at a session of the collegium of territorial bodies of the federal executive branch. According to Viktor Kazantsev, money inflows should arrive directly in the republic bypassing the so-called "construction boards" which are, as a rule, far from the facilities for which the money was allocated. He gave as an example the fact 20 million roubles collected by several entities of the Russian Federation three months ago are still somewhere in Moscow. He threatened his deputy Viktor Krokhmal with resignation if by the 15th of the next month the money is not channelled into the restoration of Chechnya's social and cultural facilities.
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According to RIA news agency, the Chechen government has formed a new winery committee. A spokesman for the administration of the republic says that the final decision has been taken during the government session. Nurdin Chalaev has been put in charge of the newborn committee. According to the spokesman, Anatoli Popov, the head of the Chechen government, has said that Chechnya has always been producing exquisite sorts of wine, so the national tradition should be resumed. Besides, Popov has reported that in the near future Chechnya is planning to sign an agreement with Daghestan to establish bilateral cooperation. The project of the agreement is already prepared and will be discussed on May 21 during the meeting of the republics envoys.
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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 economics

The Restoration of Transport System in Chechnya

Transport system in Chechnya is being restored promptly and gradually becomes part of Russia's transport network. Normal highway and railway communication between the republic and the country's other regions is being adjusted. In the middle of April a central bus terminal was opened in the Zavodskoi district of Grozny.It serves as the terminal for the capital's buses and buses which travel to other towns. From there Chechnya's residents can travel to western areas of the republic, neighbouring republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Daghestan, Russia's Stavropol region and Moscow. Only recently fixed-route buses travelled from Grozny once a week. In addition, there was no permanent place for their departure which caused much trouble for passengers. From now on buses will travel every day in keeping with a fixed schedule. What is also important for passengers and drivers is to have highways repaired. The restoration of highways and bridges has been stepped up in the republic.In March a car bridge across the River Argun was put in exploitation, it is the biggest in Chechnya--some 150 metres long. The cost of the reconstruction work was some 3 million roubles, they were allocated from the federal budget for the goal-oriented programme of Chechnya's restoration. The bridge is of great importance not only for Chechnya but also for Russia as a whole since it is part of the "Kavkaz" highway connecting cities of Roston-on-the Don and Baku. Involved in the reconstruction and construction of highways in the republic are Chechen workers and builders from other parts of Russia, as well as army railwaymen and army engineers. Three army engineer batallions of Russia's various military districts have restored 60 kilometres of highways, mainly,in Chechnya's mountain regions since February. Those roads were destroyed in last summer's flood. At present army engineers of the Defense Ministry are involved in the reconstruction and construction of highways in the Achkhoi-Martan and Grozny regions. Army railwaymen have restored over 20 kilometres of railways and 14 bridges. In addition , they clear off mines at railways and give them technical service.Railway terminals are operating again in Grozny and Gudermes, suburb trains go in keeping with the schedule, and a fast train bound from Grozny to Moscow carries passengers once in 6 days. Therefore, residents of the republic do not fell themselves isolated from the rest of Russia any longer.
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Issue 93
20.05.03

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

20 May 2003  The administration of the Achkhoi-Martan district helps the residents quickly
It is no secret that any request to an official is almost always caught up with bureaucratic red tape and rigmarole. The administration of the Achkhoi-Martan district reduced its 12 departments to four to make their work more efficient. The deputy head of the administration Magomed Askhabov considers that this will help to respond to residents requests quickly. The main department was set up by joining several others and all its workers are being accommodated in one wing of the administration building. Now these workers must help residents to solve their various problems concerning business, trade agriculture, economics and experts. The inter-department will also engage in the search for missing people. Residents can make requests to the department around the clock. Many residents of the district have made appeals to the sub-department on business. This is no mare chance. There is an acute shortage of work force in Chechnya . The residents of the district have no desire to stay idle and try to earn money themselves. This is the reason why about one thousand mini-enterprises and companies have been registered in the district.
(more News from Chechnya)

20 May 2003  Strengthened Safeguarding of Russian-Georgian Borders Chechen Section
The protection of the Chechen section of the border between Russia and the republic of Georgia has been strengthened. According to the press-service of the Russian Frontier Services North Caucasian department quoted by the news agency RIA NOVOSTI, the first unit of the newly-formed riot troop has launched safeguarding the Russian-Georgian border in the Arghun border detachments zone of responsibility on a mountain Chechen section. Well-trained border guards will control possible routes of militants along which they can attempt to cross a cordon or into the Russian territory after snow melts at mountain tops. They will use technical equipment, including infra-red imager, special communication means and mountain equipment.
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20 May 2003  State Duma Due to Consider Amnesty Issue in Chechnya on May 21st
The Parliaments Lower House, State Duma, will consider the Russian Presidents project on amnesty in view of the adoption of the Chechen Constitution at a plenary session on May 21st. According to the Chairman of the State Dumas legislation committee Pavel Krasheninnikov, the decision has been reached at a meeting of the State Duma Council.
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19 May 2003  Chechnyas ecological situation remains complicated
Chechnya is facing many ecological problems owing to the protracted fighting in the republic. As a result of the fighting top-soil is spoiled, forests are damaged and many reservoirs are polluted. The number of wild animals, including those on the Red Book has sharply reduced owing to the damage caused to environment. Illegal felling of trees has seriously damaged the forests too. 579 such incidents have been reported this year alone. The primitive extraction and refining of oil in mini-installations have led to spilling and this poses a serious threat to ecology. The polluted area is more than 3 000 hectares. The carcinogens contain in evaporated oil are hazardous to peoples health too. Since it takes a long time for the nature to clean oil- polluted areas itself the situation will hardly improve in the near future. According to the head of Russian Natural Resources Ministrys republican department on natural resources and environmental protection Timerlan Dokhtukaev, biological methods must be used to speed up this process. Another problem is the advance of deserts in Naur, Shelkovsky and Nadterechny districts. About 190 000 hectares, including 33000 hectares of fertile land have been affected by soil erosion. Under an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture forest protection facilities carried out land improvement work in more than 1 000 hectares a year in the seventies and eighties. But in the past ten years no work has been done to protect soil owing to lack of financing by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, which is responsible for the bow-waved lands. The experts at the Russian Natural Resources Ministry insists on taking urgent measures to stop advancing of deserts. Unless, the northern districts of Chechnya, they warn, might turn into a lifeless desert in 20 or 30 years. The question of radiation situation remains open since there is neither a radiological service nor appropriate laboratories to study the soil, water and food products in Chechnya. The places where radioactive by-products are being stored-the chemical factory in Grozny, special facility of Radion and store of radioactive waste in Chiri-yurt-are under consistent control.
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18 May 2003  Who Helps the Shali Childrens Library?
The central childrens library in Shali is making preparations for marking its 45th anniversary. Showing real courage, the members of its personnel did their utmost in order to save the librarys stock from looting in the years of the Dudayev and Maskhadov regimes and worked hard later in order to salvage the books from complete destruction during the recent hostilities. They hid many times the most precious books and boarded up windows in order to protect them against explosions Deplorably, not all books were salvaged. Today there are 9,000 volumes in the childrens library in Shali approximately, one-third of its stock of the late 80s. And as you know, there are 8 schools, 2 high schools, several branches of the Grozny and Krasnodar higher educational establishments, and an orphanage in the Shali district centre. There are many readers and not so many books there, and almost all of them are old, as they were published 20 to 30 years ago. The librarys stock should be renewed. Besides, the library needs fresh periodicals, since among its readers are not only children but also adults. So what has the library received in recent years? In 2001 600 new books through the Russian Ministry of Culture. Some time ago the United Russia Party gave it 20 newly-published books Chechen fairy-tales as a present. This was a real holiday for the young readers, as the librarys director Zina Zangayeva noted. She speaks with gratitude about her countryman Kanty Ibragimov, a writer from Shali, who lives in Moscow now. His books, The Snow-Covered Caucasus and The Past Wars, were published some time ago. Kanty Ibragimov has brought to Shali several copies of his books as a present to the local library. We are very proud of him, says Zina Zangayeva. The librarys workers are hopeful that they will get some of those books that the residents of the Southern Federal District are collecting for the Chechen population. There will be sufficient room for the new books last year the Shali library underwent capital repairs, and now it is clean , cozy and beautiful. The only thing it needs today are books.
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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.
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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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