Actual News from Chechnya

News update

Chechnyafree.ru Internet-portal took part in the second International festival of non-commercial internet projects, which was held from 2003 by the Web-masters Union of Russia and sponsored by the Federation Union, the State Duma, the Moscow City Government. Taking part in it were state, commercial and public organizations. The festival is aimed at spreading Russias non-commercial internet space and supporting youth initiatives dealing with social problems, reducing extremist tendencies in our society and strengthening international ties. More than 3,000 people representing 468 data resource managers from Russia, the Commonwealth countries, the Baltic states and other foreign countries participated in the festival in 2004. The final program of the festival took place in Moscow from January 18 through January 23, 2005 and it featured seminars, instruction and master-classes with leading IT experts. The festival declared Chechnyafree.ru the winner in the Best Information Regional Project nomination. On January 20 at a ceremony in the Smaller Hall of Russias Federation Union, an official of the information policy committee of the Federation Union presented it with an honorary diploma. Video ...
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A roundtable on Chechen problems organized by the political commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will take place in the Council of Europe's headquarters in Strasbourg on March 21, spokesmen for the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg told RIA Novosti. Representatives of different political parties, public organizations and movements of Chechnya have been invited to attend the roundtable discussion. In compliance with the PACE resolution adopted in October 2004, those attending the roundtable should admit Russia's territorial integrity and condemn terrorism as a means to achieve their goals. Chechen President Alu Alkhanov, Russian ombudsman Vladimir Lukin and Russian President's authorized representative in the Southern Federal District Dmitry Kozak are expected to attend the forum. According to Swiss parliamentarian, cochairman of the temporary working group for the roundtable Andreas Gross, former PACE rapporteur for Chechnya, the purpose of the event is to expand the basis of the dialogue aimed at the political settlement in the Chechen Republic. Earlier it was planned to hold the roundtable in Moscow. (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
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Chechen economics

Rosselkhozbank works successfully in Chechnya

The regional bank of the Rosselkhozbank has been functioning in Grozny since March 2000. The bank opened under the instructions of the Russian President Vladimir Putin and is aimed at reviving national crediting system for the agricultural and industrial complex. According to its chairman, Yuri Trushin, 250 branches have been opened in many Russian regions. Bank plans to set up another 100 branches in rural areas in the country this year. When Rosselkhozbank opened its branch in Grozny it was the only bank in Chechnya. The task before the bank was to serve judicial persons at the earliest and help the reconstruction of the republics economy and social area. The Russian government laid on the bank the task of paying compensation for people who lost their houses. And the Bank has served up to one thousand clients a day. At present there are ten branches of the bank, 2 in Grozny and 8 in other districts. Bank gives loan actively in the sowing and harvesting seasons. From the very beginning it started to give loans to farms. Bank gives short term credits up to 2 million rubles for one year and long-term for five years. The bank received a license for serving natural persons in 2003. Since then Rosselkhozbank has opened accounts for people and carried out transactions. The bank is involved in realizing social programmes in villages and as an agent-bank in the construction of houses in rural areas it gives loans to buy personal town house, subsidiary enterprise and livestock.
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Issue 266
24.02.05

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

24 February 2005  Aslakhanov predicts increase in militant activity in spring
Chechen paramilitaries will build up activity in spring and summer, warns Aslanbek Aslakhanov, President Vladimir Putin's adviser. "We must be ready to prevent terror acts," he said to a news conference in Moscow today. Mr. Aslakhanov, however, does not think the latest North Caucasian armed clashes were due to banditry building up activities or getting new blood-he tracks them down to law enforcement bodies increasing efforts against rebel gangs: "What might be regarded as an exacerbation of tensions is really due to law enforcement agencies getting more active. They have become truly aggressive, in the good sense." The kidnapping rate is sliding down in Chechnya, though the presidential adviser "cannot say kidnaps have stopped altogether, and rights activists have no leg to stand on with their criticisms". To prove the point, Mr. Aslakhanov quoted one of the latest instances as unidentified armed men took away six or even eight people this very morning from his native village, Novye Ataghi in the Shali District. The kidnapped people's whereabouts are unknown. It takes a large-scale federal crime prevention program to fight terrorism, stressed Mr. Aslakhanov. Russia must streamline its legislation for law enforcement to rely on. In particular, this country needs a law to protect officers' families, and ensure their social welfare. There is another top priority-to put an end to local authorities' arbitrary action as they are victimizing the population. President Putin's adviser also called to instill intolerance of terrorists in the younger generation. "We must bring up kids to develop their allergy to, and abhorrence of violence." Mr. Aslakhanov is direly opposed to the idea of getting to the negotiation table with Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov. "I don't think anyone has whatever moral right to call for peace talks with Maskhadov, what with recent terror acts." As the most crying instance, he referred to last autumn's heinous hostage taking in a Beslan school, September 1-3. Shamil Basayev, notorious terrorist chieftain and Maskhadov's right-hand man, has owned up masterminding the North Osset outrage. Aslan Maskhadov claims to be independent Ichkeria's president. If he really has anything in control, he ought to have prevented the appalling violent acts, stressed Aslanbek Aslakhanov.
(more News from Chechnya...)

24 February 2005  Aslakhanov predicts increase in militant activity in spring
Chechen paramilitaries will build up activity in spring and summer, warns Aslanbek Aslakhanov, President Vladimir Putin's adviser. "We must be ready to prevent terror acts," he said to a news conference in Moscow today. Mr. Aslakhanov, however, does not think the latest North Caucasian armed clashes were due to banditry building up activities or getting new blood-he tracks them down to law enforcement bodies increasing efforts against rebel gangs: "What might be regarded as an exacerbation of tensions is really due to law enforcement agencies getting more active. They have become truly aggressive, in the good sense." The kidnapping rate is sliding down in Chechnya, though the presidential adviser "cannot say kidnaps have stopped altogether, and rights activists have no leg to stand on with their criticisms". To prove the point, Mr. Aslakhanov quoted one of the latest instances as unidentified armed men took away six or even eight people this very morning from his native village, Novye Ataghi in the Shali District. The kidnapped people's whereabouts are unknown. It takes a large-scale federal crime prevention program to fight terrorism, stressed Mr. Aslakhanov. Russia must streamline its legislation for law enforcement to rely on. In particular, this country needs a law to protect officers' families, and ensure their social welfare. There is another top priority-to put an end to local authorities' arbitrary action as they are victimizing the population. President Putin's adviser also called to instill intolerance of terrorists in the younger generation. "We must bring up kids to develop their allergy to, and abhorrence of violence." Mr. Aslakhanov is direly opposed to the idea of getting to the negotiation table with Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov. "I don't think anyone has whatever moral right to call for peace talks with Maskhadov, what with recent terror acts." As the most crying instance, he referred to last autumn's heinous hostage taking in a Beslan school, September 1-3. Shamil Basayev, notorious terrorist chieftain and Maskhadov's right-hand man, has owned up masterminding the North Osset outrage. Aslan Maskhadov claims to be independent Ichkeria's president. If he really has anything in control, he ought to have prevented the appalling violent acts, stressed Aslanbek Aslakhanov.
(more News from Chechnya...)

24 February 2004  Terrorist attack prevented in Chechnya
Law enforcers have prevented a major terrorist attack in Chechnya's Kurchaloi district. A landmine was discovered by the side of a highway leading to the village of Tsatsan-Yurt. A special police battalion killed two militants in the Gudermes district, while carrying out a reconnaissance operation, the local police department told Interfax on Thursday. A law enforcement source said one of the dead militants is believed to be an Armenian citizen.
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Russia - Chechnya

Chechen culture

The modern-age Chechen literature started in the 1920s when writers and poets in Chechnya established contacts with colleagues in other parts of the Soviet Union. It was a close concern of such great founding fathers of the Soviet literature as A.Serafimovich, M.Gorky and M.Golodny. A.Serafimovich was a frequent visitor to Chechnya at the time. In 1929, he attended an executive meeting of the Grozny Association of Proletarian Writers. In an address to the gathering, he called on the Chechen writers 'to move as one into real life'. In 1930, he sponsored the publication of a Russian version of the poem 'To the Time of the Tsars' by the Chechen poet Said Baduyev. The poem was published in the opening issue of the NA PODYEME ('On the Rise') literary journal. In the late 1920s and in the opening half of the 1930s, M.Gorky was in overall charge of inter-ethnic literary exchanges within the Soviet Union. His favourite method was dispatching writer support brigades to outlying Soviet republics and regions. Said Baduyev in 1932 responded to this by publishing an essay entitled 'Maxim Gorky is Our Teacher'.
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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.
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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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