Actual News from Chechnya

News update

The law-enforcement bodies apprehended a female courier who was delivering money to militants in Chechnya. As RIA Novosti was told in the Regional Operative Headquarters in charge of control of the anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, $180,000 was confiscated from the detained - Madina Atabayeva. As a result of the check it was established that $140,000 out of this sum is false, the Operative Headquarters report says. Atabayeva confessed that she was to pass this money to the so-called field commander Makhram Saidov.
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Moscow is doing its best to release the Russians detained in Qatar, the Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said at a conference in RIA Novosti. "As to the situation with the Russians detained in Qatar, the Russian party is doing its best to bring them home," he said. When asked about the role of the Americans in the detention, Yakovenko recalled that Washington had already officially announced what assistance it had rendered. "In this case it was identification of explosives," he added. In the early hours of February 19 the Qatari special services in Doha arrested three Russian citizens. One of them, who had a diplomatic passport, was later released and returned home. The Qatari authorities accuse the Russians of involvement in the murder of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, a leader of Chechen separatists. Yandarbiyev was killed on February 13, in a car explosion in Doha where he had lived for several years. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly announced that the Russian citizens were not involved in the murder and insisted on their being released and returned home. (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

Urus-Martna district prepares for fieldwork in the spring

State farms in the Urus-Martan district have prepared tractors and other agricultural machinery for fieldwork in the spring. Only Gekhinsky, Alkhanyurtovsky and Solnychny farms have sufficient seeds. But the rest have between 50and 60 percents only. The neighbours have helped the farms in the Urus-Martan district to solve this problem. They offered seeds and the directors of the state farms will organize transport to bring them. The state farms in the district will grow grain only because they have no watering systems for growing vegetable. This problem will be solved shortly. According to the head of the agricultural department of the local administration Khodzh-Akhmed Khachukaev believes that the district will gather a good harvest since all farmers are determined to do so. He hopes that many farms will excellently fulfill this years target.
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Issue 180
08.04.04

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

08 April 2004  Chechnya President to intercede for Maskhadov if he gives himself up
Akhmad Kadyrov, President of Chechnya, is ready to intercede for leader of militants Aslan Maskhadov in case he gives himself up, said the Kadyrov press service. "At the meeting with high officials of the Chechen Interior Ministry and public figures in Gudermes, the Chechen president said that he is ready for talks with Maskhadov if they intend the ending of resistance and voluntary surrender", said the press service. In Kadyrov's opinion, Maskhadov will not take the initiative while terrorist Shamil Basaev is at large. The Chechen president said that Maskhadov is afraid of Basaev and cannot decide on talks, the press service said. Rudnik Dudaev, secretary of the Chechen Security Council, told RIA Novosti that during his trip to Gudermes Kadyrov met with 15 former deputies of the so-called parliament of Ichkeria (self-name for Chechnya). "The Chechen president told them that they should no longer doubt that the present power in Chechnya has come to stay", Rudnik Dudaev said. Kadyrov stressed that it is very important for the deputies voluntarily to surrender their powers and cease making political declarations.
(more News from Chechnya...)

08 Mart 2004  Freight train explodes in Chechnya
An explosive device exploded on a railroad in Chechnya as a freight train passed, a source at the Chechen Interior Ministry told RIA Novosti. "On Wednesday at 8:27 p.m., at the 97th kilometer of the North-Caucasian railway, a freight train carrying oil tanks exploded as it was passing the village of Ishcherskaya [Naursky district]," the source said. According to the source, there were no victims, however the train was damaged. Rail traffic has not been halted, the source added.
(more News from Chechnya...)

08 April 2004  Elections to Chechnyas parliament may be held this fall
Hussein Isayev, head of the State Council of the Chechen Republic, hopes that elections to the parliament of Chechnya will be held in autumn of 2004. The State Council of the Chechen Republic will put forward an initiative of holding elections to the parliament," he said. "I think that this autumn - in October or November - we'll hold parliamentary elections," he said. He recalled at that, that, according to the law, it is the President of the Russian Federation who sets the date of the first elections to the parliament of the Chechen Republic. After the election of the two chambers of the Chechen parliament, the State Council, which is the transitional higher representative body of power, will resign. The State Council of the Chechen Republic was formed on June 21, 2003. It includes all heads of cities and districts, as well elected representatives (one from each district). The delegation of the Chechen State Council with Hussein Isayev at the head arrived in St Petersburg on Wednesday. Here Isayev met with Vadim Tyulpanov, chairman of the city legislative assembly, and addressed the session of legislators. Within the framework of the visit the delegation of the Chechen State Council is to meet with chairmen of some committees of the St Petersburg legislative assembly.

Russia - Chechnya

Chechen traditions

A legend says that the ancestor of all Chechens - Nokhchuo - was born with a piece of iron in one hand and a piece of cheese in the other. "Grace seldom rests on places unfrequented by guests," "a guest brings joy,""the longer the guest's way to your house, the more respect you owe him..." Many sayings, legends and fables focus on the sacred law of hospitality. The villagers are most hospitable. Every coutryside family has a special guest room that is always kept clean, with clean bed linen, in a word, ready for a visitor. No one makes use of this room. Even the children are forbidden to play or do anything else in this room. Every family must be ever ready to serve the guest a meal. Chechens used to set aside a special stock of food supplies for this purpose. No questions are to be asked of a guest in the first three days of his visit... He is considered a privileged member of the family. In the olden day, the daughter or daughter-in-law of the head of the family would even help him to take off his shoes and overcoat. The guest enjoys the warmest reception at meal times. A Chechen must risk his own life to protect the life, honor and property of his guest. This is one of the basic rules of Chechen hospitality. The Chechen code of conduct says guests should offer no payment to the family they stayed with. A guest may only make a present to the children of that family. The ancient rules of hospitality were obeyed regardless of circumstances. Any good man, regardless of his ethnic roots, merited a warm reception. There is a direct connection between hospitality and greetings. To greet someone, Chechens open up their arms, that is bare their heart for us to see that they neither hide mean intentions nor plan any evil.
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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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