Actual News from Chechnya

News update

The counter terrorist operation in Chechnya might be finished, if the leader of Chechen separatists Shamil Basayev is detained, Chechen First Vice Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov said. In this case "the war in Chechnya will be over 99%," he told Western reporters on Wednesday. "This man is very well financed, I will do my best to detain him," Kadyrov said. Kadyrov denied the reports that Maskhadov had been killed by his forces in Khasavyurt and then moved to Tolstoy-yurt, where he was found and identified. "If this man had surrendered, everything would be different," Kadyrov said. "He was my mortal enemy and I regret that I couldn't detain him. If Maskhadov had been killed by my people, I would have declared it straight away," he said.
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Police in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia have detained five militants and killed one in the course of security sweeps carried out on Monday, a source at the headquarters of the federal forces in the North Caucasus region told Tass on Tuesday. He said one of the militants was detained in the village of Engel-Yurt, Chechnyas Gudermes district. According to police information, the man had taken part in the armed attack on police and civilians in the village of Ishkhoi-Yurt. A local resident detained in the Dagestani town of Khasavyurt was a member of a bandit formation and participated in raids in the Novolakskaya district and in neighboring Chechnya, he said. A joint group of Chechen and Ingush police on Monday detained two residents of Grozny in the village of Nesterovskaya on suspicion of robberies of residents in the Chechen capitals Staropromyslovski district. In the course of a sweep carried out in the village Assinovskaya, Chechnyas Sunzha district, police killed a militant who earlier participated in the attack on the Sunzha district police headquarters on March 4. One policeman was killed and 18 others wounded in that attack. During the detention attempt the militant put up armed resistance and was killed, the source said. (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

Chechnyas railway infrastructure is being reconstructed

Russian Railways Company spent 915 million rubles for this purpose last year. A share-holder company in the republic has carried out all reconstruction work in the railway infrastructure since 2004 under an agreement between the two sides on joint work. This means, reconstruction of railway stations and railroads, new communication centeres, food supply enterprises and pharmacies is being carried out according to a plan. The territories of railway stations Alpatevo, Nayrskaya, Solkushino, Chervlennaya-yzlovaya, Gudermes, Dzhalka, Argun and Grozny have been reconstructed. The guarded zones near the bridges over the rivers of Sunzha and Belka are supplied with electricity and the main cable link, Isherskaya-Chervlennaya-Yzlovaya-Khasavyurt is repaired. The Grozny department of the North Caucasian railway infrastructure was restored in September last year by an order of the director of the Russian Railways Company, Gennady Fadeev. It has recruited its staff too. The staff of the locomotive depot Gudermes has been determined and locomotive brigades have been set up to carry out maintenance work of carriages. The reconstruction works includes the restoration of social facilities. In all 22 houses of railway workers have been repaired. The overall area of the buildings is 8 thousand square meters. The start of the direct railway link between Grozny and Moscow after a 5-year break was a significant event. By taking into account the desire of passengers the train passes through Rostov-on Don but not Astrakhan. This shortens the way by one hour. Russian Railways Company plans to invest 82 million rubles this year to reconstruct facilities of the railway infrastructure in Chechnya. This sum will be spent to electrify some sectors and restore communication network.
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Issue 272
17.03.05

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

17 Mart 2005  With Maskhadovs liquidation war in Chechnya ends to 99 percent
Ramzan Kadyrov, the first deputy premier of Chechnya, believes that with the liquidation of the separatists leader Aslan Maskhadov the war in Chechnya has ended to 99 percent. He stated this at a meeting with foreign journalists in Gudermes on Wednesday. Kadyrov believes the situation in Chechnya has stabilized to such an extent that the incidence of crime in the republic is no higher than in any other subject of the Russian Federation. He believes it takes some more effort to cope with the remaining percent for the ultimate settlement.
(more News from Chechnya...)

17 Mart 2005  Alkhanov slams attempts to create negative image of Chechnya
Chechen President Alu Alkhanov has criticized some media groups and politicians for trying to portray the republic's people in a negative light. "We are all deeply outraged at the fact that many media outlets and certain politicians are speaking about the Chechens as a people only capable of committing crimes," Alkhanov told a roundtable in Grozny on Thursday. The session addressed preparations for Chechnya's parliamentary elections.
(more News from Chechnya...)

17 Mart 2004  Germany to cure Beslan kids
330 Beslan children are arriving in Germany for a rest cure and rehabilitation treatment. Seventy parents and teachers accompany them, Aid to Beslan Kids chiefs said to a news conference in Berlin today. The German charity was set up, January last. "I was appalled to see the heinous [school hostage-taking] terror act in Beslan. The German television was broadcasting the horrible scenes day and night. We came quite spontaneously on an idea to invite the surviving children to Germany for recovery," said Heinz Gums, organization founder. The German public snatched at the idea, and Russian authorities offered it support. Close on 250,000 Euro was raised. The kids are expected in Germany, March 21, coming by special flights. As soon as they arrive, they will be delivered to a youth village, eighty kilometers off Berlin. The kids will have accommodations in cozy rooms, each for six. The village offers fine athletic and game facilities, and top-notch doctors and psychological experts. There will be a diverse cultural program with hiking and excursions. The philanthropists pledge to do all they can to help the children forget the tragedy they came through, say foundation activists.
(more News from Chechnya...)

Russia - Chechnya

Chechen culture

The fifth filial of Mikhail Y. Lermontov - the great Russian poets museum opened in an ancient house in the village of Paraboch of the Shelkovki Region in Chechnya . The house is nearly 250 years old and it belonged to a local landlord, retired general Akim Khastatov whose wife Yekaterina Stolypina was a distant relative to Lermontovs grandmother Yelizaveta Arsenyevna. The latter visited Khastatovs estate several times. And she took along young Mikhail, whom she raised after his mothers death. In 1837 during his exile to the Caucasus, Lermontov revisited the home of his relatives. In 1841, he went there for the last time shortly before his death. The building has been well preserved. In 1990 restoration work was begun to make a museum of the great poet. But the events of the past decade postponed all restoration work. Fortunately the building wasnt damaged in the course of hostilities. But it is in need of maintenance. The most important thing that its internal architecture, the living room, window shutters and certain items that the poet may have touched, have all been preserved. In 2004 museum personnel was formed. Svetlana Temirbulatova a learned person and a known philologist in Chechnya was appointed the museums director. The employees will be allocated part of the museum as a working area. The employees will engage in search of items and materials of Lermontovs time and complete the museums exposition. As soon as the building is passed over into the Chechen Culture Ministry care, restoration and maintenance work will get underway. Later on it will receive its first visitors.
(chechen culture ...)

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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