Actual News from Chechnya

News update

The new commander of Chechnya's its riot police force took up his duties. Before his appointment, career policeman Ruslan Alkhanov was the chief bodyguard to the head of the Chechen administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, and simultaneously headed a Chechen Interior Ministry force guarding senior officials. In an interview with Interfax, Alkhanov argued that keeping law and order in Chechnya should primarily be the task of the Chechen police. "OMON (riot police) is a real force, which can make a breakthrough in crime prevention in Chechnya," he said. His predecessor, Musa Gazimagomadov, died early last month after a month of treatment in Moscow for injuries received in a road accident in Chechnya. According to Alkhanov, he is well familiar with any OMONers, and he is sure that they will begin working well from the very start.
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The two Kamaz trucks stopped on the border of Ingushetia and North Ossetia on May, 26 contained explosive devices similar to the ones that destroyed the Chechen government house in Grozny late last year. A source in law enforcement told Interfax-Military News Agency Monday night that a cursory analysis of the traces of explosives in the Kamaz trucks detonated by explosive disposal specialists indicated that they were identical to the ones in the truck that went off outside the government house. In both cases, the bombs were made mainly from saltpeter, the source said. The issue of opening a criminal case is being decided. It is most likely that the case will be opened under two articles of the criminal code: attempted terrorist attack and illegal possession and transportation of explosives. The North Caucasian department of the Prosecutor General's office is in charge of the investigation. "The explosive disposal specialists determined that both vehicles were loaded with explosives. As there had been no information about a remote control device, it was decided to blow them up on site," Sergei Ignatchenko, the spokesman for the service, has told Interfax. "The explosion formed a crater similar to the one left by the recent terrorist attack in the Chechen district center of Znamenskoye," he 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
(in detail ...)

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 95
27.05.03

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

27 May 2003  Chechnya reconnected to the North Caucasus electricity grid
In a sign of normality taking hold, Chechnya raised its electricity consumption to 917 million kilowatt-hours last year from 792 million in 2001. It took almost four years and 62 lives to lift the republic's electricity system from ultimate ruin to a condition in which it can again supply power to all industries and all population centres in Chechnya. As early as November 1999, repair teams from many Russian regions reconnected Chechnya to electricity providers in the region of Stavropol just to the north. By January 2003, they had successfully rebuilt 7,542 kilometres of power lines, 74 high-voltage transformers, 1,810 low-voltage transformers and countless electricity maintenance facilities, including of the companies 'Nurenergo' and 'Energosbyt' and of the district electricity systems in the districts of Urus-Martan, Gudermes, Nadterechny and Nozhai-Yurt. They had also relaunched an electricity-generating unit at the Argun Thermal Power Plant. Reports say a second 6-megawatt unit is coming on stream later this year. The relaunch of the power plant should meet the energy needs of all households and all industries in Argun -- including a sugar refinery, a construction combine and a big meat processing factory. Adequate heat and electricity supply should enable these industries to expand and create at least 3 thousand new jobs. The completion of an over 200-kilometre high-voltage power line from Vladikavkaz to Chiriyurt, by way of the Chechen capital Grozny, finally reconnects Chechnya and Dagestan to the overall electricity grid of the Russian Caucasus. The grid itself resumes operating in the way it did before the outbreak of the first Chechen war in 1994. CEO of 'Nurenergo' PLC Nurdin Usamov says his company plans to acquire reserve distribution capacity and improve the reliability of electricity supply. Plans for this year include the launch of a new 110-kilowatt distribution transformer in Grozny, the resurrection of some 500 smaller local transformers and operations to upgrade to design 154 kilometres of high-voltage power lines. Design work is in progress on a 330-kilowatt distribution transformer for Grozny.
(more News from Chechnya)

27 May 2003  Legislative Council intends to help Chechnya in form parliamentary system
The Legislative Council comprised of heads of the Russian regional legislative assemblies /their total number being 89/ intends to provide comprehensive assistance to Chechnya in forming its parliamentary system. At a meeting of the Council presidium scheduled to take place in Moscow the participants will discuss the issue, Vice Speaker of the Federation Council /the Russian parliament's upper chamber/, executive secretary of the Legislative Council Alexander Torshin informed RIA Novosti. According to Torshin, it is necessary to create a two-chamber parliament in Chechnya. "Such parliamentary structure will allow the republic to develop and adopt the most important laws necessary to set up a power structure in Chechnya as soon as possible," he stressed.
(more News from Chechnya...)

26 May 2003  Employment
In one of his novels the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote that the biggest punishment for a person is forced idleness. Peaceful life is returning to Chechnya and most Chechens are tired of forced unemployment and are in a hurry to find work. Though the problem of employment cannot be solved in a short period of time nonetheless the republican department of labour and employment is actively tackling the problem. Today the focus is on finding jobs for inhabitants of Grozny, the capital. In contrast to other towns and populated areas in Chechnya inhabitants of Grozny are in an advantage since apart from the possibility of finding work through the department of labour and employment they can look for work by themselves because new industries and enterprises are being constantly established in the capital requiring a large number of men and women workers. There are a few vacancies in the construction sector but chiefs of construction firms and organizations usually employ skilled professionals and there are always long lines of people waiting to get a job in a construction site on a competitive basis. In the first quarter of this year city enterprises offered 170 vacancies on a competitive basis. Many inhabitants of Grozny are prepared to accept any job including the menial in order to feed their family and those are the people snapping up available vacancies related to temporary employment for the tidying up of the capital. Such people are engaged in cleaning the streets of rubbish, planting trees, creating public parks and gardens. Shortly there will be a pay rise for all such social workers. Izmail Kerimov chief of the employment and special programmes section in the department of labour and employment in Chechnya believes that public work is a noble endeavor since it goes to improve the features of the republic. Each inhabitant of Grozny can contribute to its rebirth by participating in social works.
(more News from Chechnya)

Russia - Chechnya

Sports and tourism

It was not until the 18th century that the Chechen system of physical education started taking shape. Many sports were meant exclusively for boys. The boys were to be brought up agile, strong and hardy. They were taught to bear arms and ride on horseback. They were subjected to training that made them fit to endure the deprivations and physical strain of a warrior's life. Experienced grownups were entrusted with the upbringing of seven-year-old boys. One tutor took up to 14 boys on week-long hiking expeditions to the mountains, taught them to ride on horseback and bear arms. The children took no food to the mountains: they were supposed to be able to get it themselves. What might be described as physical fitness classes were often held at the bottom of a canyon: the boys practiced sabering, arrow-shooting, wrestling, tree and mountain climbing, swimming, fencing, stone-throwing, weight-lifting and camouflaging techniques. They were taught to ford rivers with heavy munition and all their clothes on. The training sessions were held far from the village: it was undignified for the villagers to watch the trainees. Competitions were then held for the people to see what the boys had learnt. One of the games that the boys were invited to play resembles today's rugby. It is called "cheese game." A head of cheese, put into a leather bag, served for a ball. The boys formed two teams each of which had a cheese bag. The eldest villager played the role of the referee. He gave a signal for the two teams to try to get hold of each other's cheese bag and to carry both its own and the other bag to an appointed place. The players were allowed to do anything in an effort to seize the bag. They were allowed to knock one another off their feet, pin down their adversaries' heads, pinion their arms and legs, lift up and carry away the bag-holder. A cheese ball match could take hours. The onlookers cheered up their favorites with shouts and regular battle cries. Cheese ball was also played on horseback.
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Chechen tarditions

The word "Nokhchallah" does not lend itself to translation . But it may and must be explained. "Nokhcho" stands for Chechen."Nokhchallah" brings together all the specific properties of the Chechen character. It implies a whole gamut of moral and ethical norms. It may be described as the Chechen code of honor. Chivalry, gentility, diplomatic skills, manliness, generosity and reliability are the qualities which a child of a hardline Chechen family imbibes with, as they say, his mother's milk. And the Chechen code of honor is rooted in the remote days of Chechen history. In the severe conditions of bygone years a refusal to open the door to a stranger could lead to lethal frostbites. He could succumb to fatigue or famine, fall prey to a wild beast or highway robbers. The ancestral tradition which has been held sacred, demands that a stranger be welcomed in, seated by the fire, offered food and shelter for the night. Hospitality is, thus, "nokhchallah." The narrow roads and paths of Chechnya zigzag around mountain cliffs and on the brink of precipices. A fight or a heated argument may send one down into the abyss. Politeness and willingness to compromise are "nokhchallah." The strenuous conditions of their life taught the highlanders to help and support one another, which is also "nokhchallah." But "nokhchallah" has nothing to do with the Table of Ranks. There have been neither princes nor serfs among the Chechens. "Nokhchallah" is an ability to deal with people without showing your privileged position. The privileged should be extra polite and accommodating to avert hurting anyone's feelings. If two men meet and one of them is riding on horseback and the other walking, the one who is riding shall be the first to utter words of greeting. If the one who is walking is older that the one who is riding, the rider shall dismount to greet the older man. "Nokhchallah" is friendship that lasts all life: in joy and sorrow. Highlanders hold friendship sacred. Inattentiveness or impoliteness shall be forgiven if they are displayed to a brother, but to a friend - never! "Nokhchallah" is special respect for women. A man dismounts his horse before entering the village where the relatives of his mother or his wife live. And here is a story about a man who asked to spend a night in a house that stood on the outskirts of a Chechen village, without knowing that she was alone. The hostess could not reject his request. She gave him something to eat and made a bed for him. In the morning, the man realized that the woman was alone and that she had spent the night sitting by a lit lantern in the anteroom. As he was hurriedly washing up, he brushed the woman's hand with his small finger by accodent. The man cut the finger off with his knife before leaving that place. Only a man brought up in the spirit of "nokhchallah" will go to such pains to protect a woman's honor. "Nokhchallah" rules out all attempts at subjugation. Male Chechens have, since times immemorial, been brought up as protectors and trained to bear arms. "Come at liberty" is the oldest of the greetings in actual use in Chechnya. The freedom of spirit and readiness to fight to protect it is "nokhchallah." "Nokhchallah" demands that Chechens respect all other men, regardless of their social origins, family background and religious beliefs. The bigger the difference between a Chechen and someone else, the more respect the Chechen shall accord that someone. You have a chance to be forgiven for hurting a Moslem's feelings because, people say, you may meet the person whose feelings you have hurt on Judgement Day. But all is lost if you have hurt the feelings of a person of a different creed, because there is no chance of ever meeting him. The sin will stay with you forever. "Nokhchallah" is no book of do's and don't's. It is of their own free will that the Chechens obey its rules. It is a condensed formula of a Chechen way of life.
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