Actual News from Chechnya

News update

More than 40 militants were killed during sweep operations in Chechnya on May 5-10, spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus Maj. Gen. Ilya Shabalkin told Interfax on Thursday. Some of the guerrillas died as a result of an artillery barrage fired against their hideout in the mountains, Shabalkin said. Five militants surrendered and another ten were detained over the same period, the spokesman said.
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A base of Chechen gunmen was destroyed on Wednesday in the republics Itum-Kale region. Police acted on a tip from an arrested gunman, sources from the regional headquarters for control over the anti-terrorist operation told Itar-Tass. The base consisted of four dugouts situated in the forest of a mountainous area, which made the base difficult to locate. A self-made explosive device, two rounds for a grenade-launcher, a detonator as well as 1,200 grams of TNT were found there. Besides, police and security forces found eight grenades, a big amount of cartridges and Wahhabi literature. The explosive device was blasted at the site. (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. An Entrepreneurs Table Book Published in Chechnya

An Entrpreneurs Table Book with a circulation of 5,000 copies has been released in the Chechen Republic. Its appearance comes in the nick of time, as according to specialists, there about 5,000 small businesses, including farming collectives. This sector of the economy employes nearly 100,000 farmers. Over the next five years the Chechen leadership is targeting to double the number of small business and increase the number of employees up to 250-300 thousand people. The Republic has set up a modern support infrastructure for small business and developed programs of development and support of small entrepreneurship. And the most important thing is that there are dynamic people, ready to undertake small business. It is precisely for those people that An Entrepreneurs Table Book has been released. Its compilers include Shaarani Shuaipov Committee Chairman on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Chechen government, and Magomed Shovkhalov -- Fund Director in support of small entrepreneurship of the Chechen Republic.
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Issue 288
14.05.05

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

14 May 2005  Natural Gas Supplies Delivered to Nozhai-Urt
Major gas supplies are now being delivered to Nozhai-Urt, which is welcome news here. Two pipe-lines have been laid from the village of Gilyany to Simsir and Dattakh. 6 settlements are already receiving gas supplies. The gas is being delivered from the main pipeline from Dagestan at a normal functional pressure. It is now only needed to lay 2.5 kilometers of gas pipelines to the village of Zandak-Ara and the gas will be available in 16 other villages. This work is expected to be completed by this autumn and from then on 80 percent of settlements of the region will be gasified. Vakha Magmgaziyev chief of the Nozhai-Urt regional administration underscores that gasification of the region would have a great social and moral significance, because we are talking of the more remote villages from Grozny. And now they will soon be all gasified. And the villagers do no longer feel neglected and see for themselves how life in the Republic is coming back to normal. Moreover, gasification of the region would finally be able to preserve the main wealth of the region the mountainous forests with valuable varieties of trees. Previously, they were ruthlessly felled for fire-wood and heating and for other economic needs. Now it becomes possible not only to preserve them but also to increase their growth. Thus it would be possible to prevent mudslides , which threatened many villages. The decision on the gasification of the region was originally adopted by the first President of Chechnya Akhmad Kadyrov. His successor Alu Alkhanov and the current Chechen Republican government actively supported the idea, and provided all necessary help for gasification work. The local construction company Baitarki did all the work at the expense of the Republican budget. An inspection commission seemed satisfied with the quality of work of the Nozhai-Urt builders. Their plans, however, will not end at that. There is need to replace gas pipelines in a number of villages. This year construction workers plan to build a major bridge in the southern part of the Republic. One flight of the bridge is already in operation. During this year a road will be paved from a regional center to the village of Meskheta and work will be undertaken to pave a stretch of the road from the regional center to the village of Sayasana. Work is completed on the water-purification station of the Struya system in the village of Nozhai-Urt. And the next stage will be prospecting work for laying a water pipeline to the regional center. This is a major project, according to Vakha Magamgaziyev, and the region hopes for its appropriate funding, so that if it cannot be fully completed this year, but at least start working on it.
(more News from Chechnya...)

13 May 2005  Militant group in Chechnya decides to lay down arms
A militant group operating in Chechnya has decided to surrender to the authorities, spokesman for the regional headquarters of the anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus Maj. Gen. Ilya Shabalkin told Interfax Friday morning. He said the group of six is based in the border area of Achkhoi- Martan and Shatoi districts in the mountains of Chechnya. The group's leader is directly subordinate to field commander Doku Umarov.
(more News from Chechnya...)

13 May 2004  Flood waters destroy car bridge in Chechnyas Shali district
More than 2,000 people have been evacuated from eight flood-hit districts of Chechnya. More than 4,000 rescuers and 540 equipment units have been mobilized to work in the disaster area, a source at the southern regional center of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations told Itar-Tass on Thursday. Two hundred thirty-nine houses were submerged under water as a result of inundation. Torrential waters have damaged 120 meters of gas pipeline in Achkhoi-Martan district. A dike near Assinovskaya village, the Sunzha district, is in critical condition. There is a high threat that water will burst through a dike near the village of Sernovodskaya. The Shali district is the worst hit by floods. The rising waters of the Bass River have destroyed a river bridge and brought all road traffic to a halt. Floods have breached an earth dam near Germenchuk village. Rising water levels in the Sunzha River have flooded several households in Groznys Oktyabrsky district. Rising waters are posing a direct threat to Barguny village, the Gudermes district. The local administration is taking measures to localize the flood consequences. A center to prevent the emergency situation has been created. Dikes from the sides of the Sunzha and Terek Rivers have been reinforced. The forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the United Group of Troops have evacuated nearly 1,300 residents from Barguny village.
(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.
(in detail ...)

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