Actual News from Chechnya

News update

The Chechen police have found the car stolen during the attack on the checkpoint of the Chechen president's security service, the Chechen Interior Ministry reported. According to the ministry, the Zhiguli was found between settlements Alleroi and Gansolchu in the republic's eastern district neighboring on Dagestan. It contained a Kalashnikov and 100 7.62-mm rounds. "Nearby the police have found bodies of five camouflaged men with gunshot wounds. They are being identified," the ministry's representative said. On May 1st unknown individuals attacked a checkpoint guarded by the servicemen of President Akhmad Kadyrov's security service, he recalled. "The fire took place on Saturday in the Kurchaloevsky district near Alleroi," the source said. "Policeman Magomadov was wounded in the fire. The retaliatory fire killed one of the attackers, named Iskhanov, we are now checking all information about him," he said. The police found a Kalashnikov on the scene of the incident. Meanwhile two caches with mortar mines have been destroyed in Chechnya in the last 24 hours. On 4 May, checking the information received from local residents, the police found a cache at the entrance to the village of Mesker Yurt, the Shali district, the regional headquarters for supervising the North Caucasus anti-terrorism operation reported. "The cache contained six MON-90 mines. They were taken out in the field and destroyed in compliance with all necessary security measures," the headquarters' spokesman said. Besides, mortar mines were found during investigative work in the mountainous and forest terrain near the village of Dargo, the Vedensky district. They were laying in a mountain split covered by tree branches. The cache contained 11 82-mm mines, the headquarters reported. They were destroyed.
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Units of federal troops operating in Chechnya have killed eight rebels in two armed clashes since April 29. One of the clashes took place near the village of Dyshne-Vedeno, a source at the Joint Military Grouping in the North Caucasus told Tass on April 30. During the clash, the federals killed six extremists and took two others prisoner. Two servicemen were killed and two others, wounded in the action. An OMON crack police group from Russias Kirov Region was attacked by armed militants near the village of Chiri-Yurt. Two gunmen were killed in the attack and two others detained. Two policemen were wounded. (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

Grozny's waterworks are rebuit

Quality potable water is what life depends on. The World Health Organization says, however, that about 2 billion people experience shortages of potable water. The Chechens, of all people, do not go thirsty. And, what sounds even better, they draw clear and sweet water from their mountainous brooks. And yet, some Chechens have a reason to be displeased. People get next to no water from their hissing kitchen faucets in some neighborhoods of Grozny. Frequent repairs are to blame for the absence of water, and it is technically unfeasible to pump water to the upper stories of high-rise projects. Although they are in the habit of lodging complaints against the metropolitan waterworks, people admit that the delivery of potable water has improved. As many as 85 percent of the residents of Grozny, which used to bring all its water from far away, are provided with tap water whose quality is monitored by the Chechen center of the Federal Epidemiological Service. Water is tested twice a week, and the medical workers have lodged no major complaints against the water authority of Grozny. Three water supply stations - Starosunzhensky, Gitinsky, and Checrnorechensky - have, over the past three years, been put in operation in Grozny. The distribution system is being rebuilt (don't forget that the waterworks run for 2,023 kilometers, and the sewage system has 510 kilometers of fifty-year-old and, naturally, worn-out piping!) The mid-90's brought more trouble: as their seams were strained by the bomb blasts, the pipes started leaking. The sewage system presents fewer problems. Occasional obstructions are written off as easy-to-be-eliminated. There are 471 people on the staff of the metropolitan waterworks; there must be three times as many. Over the past few years, the water authority had barely enough money for run-of-the-mill repairs. But major repairs have been scheduled for this and next year. The allocations will come from the federal government. And, more good news for Grozny: all neighborhoods of the Chechen capital will be provided with tap water as soon as the Samashkinsky water supply station is put in operation, sometime this fall.
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Issue 187
05.05.04

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

05 May 2004  Gas will be supplied to foothills and mountain villages in Chechnya
Recently in Tyumen the one eighth final of the competition of the club of the happy and witty was held and on the last day the Chechen trail faced the Yekaterinburg team, the Lipetsk team, the Moscow finance-law academy team, the Bonchester United from St. Petersburg and a team from Nizhny Tagil. The Chechen boys received a warm welcome in Tyumen and a conducive atmosphere was created for them to prepare well for the competition. The team did very well and has qualified for the quarter final with the second best result behind the Yekaterinburg team. Other team members and members of the jury congratulated the Chechen team for an excellent performance. There were many supporters of the Chechen trail team in the hall and their noisy cheering caught the attention of the chairman of the panel of judges- the director of the senior league of KVN, Mikhail Marfin. On returning home to Chechnya, members of the team were met by the Chechen president, Akhmad Kadyrov, who congratulated them on their success presenting each member ten thousand rubles and promising to help solve all their problems. The quarter final match of the first league will take place also in Tyumen either at the end of May or the start of June. The Chechen team has already started preparing a new programme.
(more News from Chechnya...)

04 May 2004  Ekospac helps Chechnya to restore ecology
Life in Chechnya is gradually returning to normal. But there are several problems that have inherited from the years of war. Among them is the cleaning of the territory from oil overflows. Emergency Situation Ministrys team of professional rescuers helps to solve this problem. The team was set up to eliminate the consequences of technological disasters. At the request of the Rosneft Company one of its 20 regional branches is persistently working in Chechnya. This regional team helps the companys branch in Chechnya, Grozneftegaz, to clean polluted soil. In fact the polluted area is very large. Last year Ekospac cleaned 80 hectares and this year it plans to clean all facilities of the Groznyneftegaz and utilize soil taken to special sites. It is now discussing with the Chechen government on re-cultivation of the territory belong to Groznyneftegaz and other oil companies in the republic. The Chechen branch of the Ekospac hands over the area, which is cleaned to a special commission. Chechnya plans to organize a department to monitor the oil pipelines to prevent oil from spilling when the entire territory is cleaned. Only local residents work at the Chechen centre of Ekospac. There are sufficient qualified people. Now they get new jobs. The regional branch also has equipment capable of solving basic tasks. But the head office plans to send advanced machinery and equipment to the Chechen centre. The work is aimed at cleaning the areas, which were polluted during the stealing of oil as soon as possible. The staff of the centre is engaged only in cleaning work. The rest is handled by the law enforcement agencies. Some times the workers have to return to the one and the same oil well more than once. The situation has lately improved since Grozneftegaz Company has stepped up its fight against stealing of oil. The ecological situation is improving as a whole. There is a need to take urgent measures to solve problems linked with warehouses of chlorine, which were belonged to former factories. The Chechen government is seriously engaged in improving the ecological situation in the republic and does its best to help Ekospac.
(more News from Chechnya...)

03 May 2004  Argun is getting ready to celebrate VE-Day
Culturally rich is the life of Argun on the eve of VE-Day. Argun cultural workers did well in the Chechen-wide festival that marked VE-Day. The Argun children's art school could not do better, either: its students sang, danced, played the piano and the guitar for the most appreciative audiences. Contests, festivals, other events that mark VE-Day are held at all schools and libraries of Argun. Unfortunately, - the head of Argun's department of culture Zara Minazayeva says, the local Palace of culture and the local rest and recreation park stand badly damaged. The Palace used to be one of the biggest in the northern Caucasus: two halls with 860 seats, a revolving stage...No other palace of culture, except that of Krasnodar, looked as good as it did. Many promises have been made to earmark federal money for the reconstruction of the Argun palace of culture, but all of them have, so far, remained on paper. The people of Argun hope that federal money will be earmarked next year. Pending this, they are trying to do what they can in a bid to spruce up their palace of culture. The rest and recreation park is what Argun focused on in the course of its keep-clean campaign. Although lack of federal allocations makes it impossible to make it as beautiful as it used to be, the people of Argun are trying to plant new trees and make it look presentable on VE-Day when sports and cultural events will be held on its lawns. Zara Minazayeva believes that life goes on and is getting to be better. The more reason for the joyful congratulation of Argun's seventeen war vets.

Russia - Chechnya

Chechen culture

It was not until the late 19th century that the Chechens started using other than wooden, brass and earthen tableware. Village artisans had polished their skills to perfection in making household utensils. Glazed crockery featured geometric or floral designs. Bowls were usually big. And the shape of a bowl depended on what they would put into it. A pitcher with a narrow neck contained melted butter. A pitcher with a wide neck was meant for milk and sour milk. The neck of a water pitcher was so narrow that only a child's fist could fit in. Water pitchers had big handles and wide circle-shaped bottoms: they would be carried on the shoulder from the river that could flow far enough from home or in a canyon. A special kind of earthenware held grain. Demand was high for the well-made Chechen pottery.Wooden tableware was made with a lathe. The hardest sorts of timber - oak and maple - went for tableware. Some household utensils were also made of wood: barrels, wheel spikes and other parts of wheelcarts. Cradles were made of wood in such a way as to enable a Chechen mother to strap it to her back and carry it out to the field. Its accommodating design and loyalty to the national tradition explain why some Chechen women still put their babies in such cradles. Other things made of wood: trays, mugs, spoons, churns - have also survived till nowadays. 19th century brass washbowls, mugs, tubs and pots are still used by the Chechens. The Chechen home looks traditionally simple, if not ascetic. There was an absolute minimum of furniture: portable wooden beds and small tables. But household utensils that do credit to the village artisans adorned the rooms. There were things made of wood and brass, crockery and, in addition to all that, things made of wool and felt. Felt was indispensable. Chechens used it for mattresses, blankets and wall rugs and as insulation lining. Multicolor Chechen rugs are usually decorated with red and blue fringework.
(in detail ...)

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.
(in detail ...)

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