Actual News from Chechnya

News update

Police have detained two active members of the Wahhabi movement in Ingushetias village of Ekashevo, a spokesman for the regional Interior Ministry told Itar-Tass. Police raided on Saturday houses of the two activists of Wahhabi, a radical Islamic sect, who were on the federal wanted lists for banditry. The search of the houses of one of them has turned up two tents, four sleeping-bags 50 headscarves with quotations from the Koran, which female suicide bombers wear, and abundant Wahhabi literature. The two were placed in a detention prison. Also operatives of one of interior departments of the Chechen capital Grozny established the identity of one of two gunmen who were killed in a special operation on December 31. He proved to be a so-called emir, or commander, of a Goita jamaat, 30-year-old Imran Sabiyev, who was on the police wanted list. His body was turned over to his relatives. The identity of the other bandit killed in a shootout with police is being ascertained.
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The Chechen Supreme Court on Monday begins trial of those involved in the preparation of an explosion at the Government House of the republic on December 27, 2002. This terrorist act took the lives of 78 people and more than 200 were wounded. Three accused: Akhmed Ismailov, Valid Suleimanov and Yusup Yunusov will stand trial. Investigation has established that they had prepared and stuffed with explosive two trucks that were blown up afterwards by suicide bombers at the Chechen Government House. The accused will also be charged with staging other acts of terror, Deputy Chairman of the Chechen Supreme Court Isa Edilov told Itar-Tass. (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 economics

The Russian Kraftway computer company expands operations in Chechnya

Kraftway assembles and markets computers and networking equipment. It has supplied heaps and heaps of all this to regional agencies in Chechnya. Under a three-year agreement with Kraftway, Grozny's KomTi has established a service centre for repairing and upgrading Kraftway hardware in the Chechen capital. Repair services include the supplier's guarantees. All orders are performed within two days. Consultation, expendables and latest software are available. Kraftway's deputy CEO for regional operations Mr Igor Murashkintsev says the presence of a top-notch Kraftway service centre on Chechen territory should help his company dramatically expand business in Chechnya. He pins great hopes on all-round normalization in the republic.
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Issue 155
05.01.04

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

05 January 2004  Chechens supported United Russia in the Duma elections
Deputy of the State Duma of the 4th convocation, Secretary of the Political Council of the United Russia party Franz Klintsevich feels that United Russias impressive victory in Chechnya (United Russia polled 80.90% of the votes) is quite logical. United Russia has long been saying it adheres to the Russian Presidents policy. At present the partys regional branch in Chechnya boasts the membership of 30,000. It is very often that primary party organizations have the strength of 100 to 150 people. Objectively United Russia is the only party that has been active in the efforts to restore the Chechen Republic and offer practical assistance to the population in settling their economic and social problems. United Russia will help the Chechen authorities to set up a system of control over the way the federal budget funds are used to restore the republic. Also, United Russia remains centred on the young people. The party has reached agreement with the president of the Russian Olympic committee on building more sports facilities, specialized sports schools and stadiums in Chechnya. Emphasis is laid on restoring the system of education and training more teachers.
(more News from Chechnya...)

04 January 2004  Economic crimes in Chechnya will be halted
Since the start of 2003, economic crimes in Chechnya, amounting to 143 million rubles have been uncovered. The Chechen prosecutor's office says that in the last one and a half years such crimes have increased by 21 per cent. There is massive fraud in the agriculture, construction, finance and budget areas. There is also stealing on the consumer market. Several government employees and officials in local administrations are also light fingered. The situation in the oil industry, which until recently was notorious for massive fraud, is gradually improving. The positive changes are due to regular raids carried out under the "Chechen oil" operation and as well as changes in the management level in the oil sector police unit. According to the Grozneft company, now, only 0,4 per cent of crude oil is stolen in Chechnya. The figure falls within the accepted inevitable loss in the oil industry in the republic. However, a large scale stealing of crude is taking place involving the use of private oil tankers. The republic's interior ministry will wage war against the evil, using all the legal methods allowed, including a confiscation of the vehicle used, under a court's ruling. Also a forcible destruction of illegal oil holes, home based refineries as well as equipment, is a possibility. Old women and young boys offering for sale tins of home refined oil are not those to be dealt with, explained the Chechen deputy interior minister in charge of economic and tax crimes, Hamzat Guseinov. The big fish defrauding the republic of huge amounts of revenue are the ones to face the music, he said. Another important task facing Chechen law enforcers is preventing abuse during the payment of compensation to citizens for loss of house. At the present time the interior ministry has cross checked over 5,5 thousand applications for compensation and as a result, about 1300 false applications have been detected. Thus, the defrauding of the government has been nipped in the bud with the saving of more than 150 million rubles.
(more News from Chechnya...)

03 January 2004  The Russian Kraftway computer company expands operations in Chechnya
Kraftway assembles and markets computers and networking equipment. It has supplied heaps and heaps of all this to regional agencies in Chechnya. Under a three-year agreement with Kraftway, Grozny's KomTi has established a service centre for repairing and upgrading Kraftway hardware in the Chechen capital. Repair services include the supplier's guarantees. All orders are performed within two days. Consultation, expendables and latest software are available. Kraftway's deputy CEO for regional operations Mr Igor Murashkintsev says the presence of a top-notch Kraftway service centre on Chechen territory should help his company dramatically expand business in Chechnya. He pins great hopes on all-round normalization in the republic.

02 January 2004  Weather for Chechens
They say that there exist 3 things understood by everyone: the weather, sport and politics. Meteorology is the science of the weather phenomenon precluding the amateur. Employees of the Chechen Center of hydro-meteorology and the monitoring of the environment are firmly convinced about this. The republican weather forecasting service that suffered greatly in the period of the armed conflict reopened on January 23 1998 and has since done a lot. Meteorological, hydro-meteorological and agro-meteorological centers have been created in virtually all the regions in the republic. In the regions of Naursky, Shatoisky and Gudermes, full-fledged hydro-meteo-stations are operating. The restoration of the production base of the hydrometeo center being funded under the Federal purpose programme, is proceeding at full speed. Hence Chechen weathermen are hoping that in 2004 they will be having complete information about weather phenomenon on the territory of Chechnya. The importance of this cannot be over stretched. The event of June 2002 remains fresh in the minds of the people when Chechnya and other regions in Southern Russia were submerged under raging flood. Of course weather forecasters cannot prevent natural disasters but they can give advance warning about impending natural calamity enabling the taking of preventive measures and at least, minimizing the scale of the catastrophe. For Chechnya, which per force of its natural peculiarities is a region of heightened danger, from the angle of natural abnormalities, early warning is of tremendous value. Republican leaders understand the importance of meteorology and are doing everything possible to ensure that the Chechen hydro meteorological center starts work as soon as possible and at full capacity. The agreement signed in 2003 between the Chechen government and the Russian hydro meteorological center is to help achieve that goal. Under that agreement, the Chechen government undertook to allocate the necessary funds for a full restoration of the infrastructure of the local hydro meteorological center but in2003, no money was given to the service. A promise has been made to allocate funds for the center next year. Chechen weathermen are not grumbling and are prepared to wait since they are convinced that the government is anxious to help them.
(more News from Chechnya)

Russia - Chechnya

The history of the Cossack community of Chechnya

The everyday life of Cossacks formed under the influence of the traditions of the local mountain people: Chechens, Ingushes, Kabardians, Kumyks. In rural areas Cossacks built izbas (peasants log huts), saklyas (mountain huts) and store-huts, so-called khatkas. In villages bordering on Grozny, Vladikavkaz or railways Cossack houses approached the city type. The interiour lay-out of the houses of Cossacks and mountaineers differed very slightly. Saklyas were normally divided into two parts and Cossack izbas had two rooms. Furniture in the rooms was similar too. Leo Tolstoi, who lived in Chechnya when he was young, wrote that Greben Cossacks arranged their houses according to Chechen traditions. Traditionally every Cossack, just as mountaineers house, had an arsenal of weapons. Hanging on one of the walls were a holster and a dagger in a leather or silver sheath, near them a sword adorned with silver, a revolver, a Berdan rifle or double-barrelled gun and several daggers in simple sheaths. For Cossacks, just as for Chechens, Ingushes, Kumyks and Kabardians, weapons were an integral part of everyday life. Cossacks thought much of the skills of Chechen weapon-makers, even old Cossack songs tell about famous Atagi swords. Clothes, suitable for life in the mountains, were taken on by Cossacks, both men and women. Men wore Caucasian felt cloaks, beshmets (quilted coats), papakhas (tall astrakhan hats), bashlyk or hoods and Circassian coats (long-waisted outer garments). For decoration they used Caucasian belt, dagger and metal or silver-tipped cartridge-holders on the breast. Clothes for special occasions were hanging at a prominent place: several Circassian coats of different colour adorned with simple and silver cartridge-holders and soft footwear high boots, slippers with stockings trimmed with lace or velvet. Chechens, Ingushes, Kumyks, Circassians and Nogaitsy took much of their clothing from the Russians. The result of closer ties with Russians, - wrote a contemporary in 1859, - was evident. Children began to wear shirts. And later on adults too began to put on European-styled clothes. Terek Cossacks enriched their cuisine with a number of Chechen dishes: flat cakes stuffed with cheese and vegetables, unleavened pasta bread, dat-kodar a mixture of curds with melted butter etc. Mountaineers came to like some of purely Russian food, including Caspian roach and sour cabbage, so good in winter months. Music instruments and dances traditional for mountaineers found their way naturally into the life of Terek Cossacks. Men played zurna, reed-pipe and pondura and women played accordion. And the circular dance Naura lezghinka, so full of vigour, became a national dance of Terek Cossacks. Trick-riding contests too became popular among the Cossacks, who got a chance to show off their courage and riding skills. And Cossack women, just like mountaineer women, looked after the horses with love and care. The multi-ethnic nature of the area inevitably told on language borrowings. Both Cossacks and mountaineers expanded their vocabularies. Its due to that process that we can now describe Chechen clothes and customs. For information on Russian borrowings click here .
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Chechen tarditions

The book “Vainakh Ethics” by Edi Isaev is an utmost important work at a time when the life in Chechnya is returning to normal. Edi Isaev is a historian, Professor at the Chechen State University, writer and publicist directs his book to youth. In introduction he emphasizes: “ The norm of Vainakh ethics is the code of wise truths of people that reflects their ideals.” The book is educational. It contains the ideas on ethics by thinkers of various people and various times from Epicurus and Confucius A.S. Makarenko and L.N.Toltoi. The second chapter is devoted to ethic norms of Chechens. The third chapter considers in detail traditional family ethic code. The final chapter is devoted to Islamic ethic norms. Materials from the book Vainakh Ethics by Edi Isaev is devoted to customs and traditions of Chechens.
(more about chechen traditions...)

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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