CHECHNYA LINKS LIBRARY

November 2001

During Russian military operations in Chechnya (early Oct 1999 – mid-Oct 2001) a total of 3,438 servicemen of the Russian federal forces were killed and another 11,661 wounded, PR department of the Russian Presidential Office announced.

Russian authorities as well as Chechen representatives refuted media reports according to which so called special operations in Chechnya have been suspended due to the upcoming meeting of representatives of the combating parties, Russian Presidential envoy to the Southern Federal Region Viktor Kazantsev and Chechen President’s representative Akhmad Zakayev.

Chief of Russian General Staff, General of the Army Anatoly Kvashnin, said that Chechen field commander Ruslan Gelayev had been seriously wounded during the recent fights in the Kodor gorge in Georgia. Kvashnin added that Gelayev’s whereabouts are unknown.

November 5

Akhmad Kadyrov, head of Chechnya’s pro-Moscow administration, said the planned meeting between Russian and Chechen representative, Viktor Kazantsev and Achmed Zakayev, respectively, will be of no use. Kadyrov added that [Chechen President] Aslan Maskhadov has already benefited from the talks on the upcoming meeting as they increased the number of people wishing to join Chechen guerillas.

The Consultative Council, which works under the head of Chechnya’s pro-Moscow administration, has put out a tender for Chechen national coat-of-arms and text of the anthem, Said Jamaldayev, head of the Council, announced.

Chechnya’s pro-Moscow government said that village administration heads at Zebir-Yurt and Kalaus, both in the Nadterechny district, had been removed from their functions because they provided assistance to Chechen guerillas. -- Interfax/AVN

November 6

Another attempt to assassinate Akhmad Kadyrov, head of Chechnya’s pro-Moscow administration, took place in Argun when unknown attackers launched fire at Kadyrov’s convoy. Several Kadyrov’s bodyguards were wounded during the incident.

Сhechnya’s pro-Moscow Security Council, which was attented by the top Russian military command in charge of Chechnya, said that temporary and permanent interior forces departments in the republic must be replaced by a single police system because the current system failed to prevent criminality.

November 7

Chechnya’s pro-Moscow government announced it had worked out a two-year programme „The Youth of Chechnya“ aimed at the young Chechen generation. The goal of the programme, which is worth 37 million roubles and should be implemented in 2002-3, is to get Chechens aged 14-28 involved in a peaceful life by launching educational and training programmes and creating rehabilitation centres as well as a job exchange for the youth.

November 8

The Russian military launched artillery and mortar shelling of Argun, which lasted till the morning of the next day and claimed lives of at least twelve local inhabitants.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) said that Chechen field commander Shamil Iriskhanov was killed by Russian forces at an unspecified place in Chechnya.

Some 500 tonnes of crude oil is being stolen daily from oil processing facilities in Chechnya, CEO of the „Grozneftegaz“ company, Baudi Khamidov, told the Interfax/AVN news agency.

November 9

The press service of the President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria stated that the presence of international organisations, including the OSCE Assistance Group as well as experts of the Council of Europe does not exert any influence on the general human rights situation in the republic. On the same day Russian news agency RIA-Novosti cited Russian "diplomatic sources" as accusing the OSCE Assistance Group of "heating passions" in Chechnya rather than implementing its planned humanitarian projects.

November 11

Chechen field commander Khattab's deadline for the proposed swap of Russian lieutenant-colonel Boryayev for 25 Chechens. Khattab via Chechen propaganda site Kavkaz.org warned that Boryayev, who was taken prisoner on Sept 29, would be executed after the deadline expires.

By April 2002 all Russian federal armed units currently deployed in Chechnya, except for those stationed there on a permanent basis, will be withdrawn from the republic, said commander of the Russian North Caucasian military district Colonel-General Gennady Troshev.

November 13

Students and teaching staff of the university in Grozny picketed the entrance to the building of the pro-Moscow government in the Chechen capital, calling for the release of six students arrested during a document check at the university building a day ago. Four of the detained were subsequently released but the remaining two were accused of several crimes and remained in custody.

The Russian State Duma commission on Chechnya said the human rights situation in Chechnya is deteriorating. –- Interfax

November 15

The Dagestani Supreme Court launched a trial against Chechen field commander Salman Raduyev, who was arrested by Russian forces in Chechnya in March 2000 and faces charges of terrorism, banditry, hostage-taking, organization of murders and illegal armed formations. The most serious indictment concerns the raid on Kizlyar in 1996 where several hundred people were taken hostage and 78 killed as a result of an eight-day fight. Raduyev claims he followed the order of first Chechen president Jokhar Dudayev to attract the world's attention to Chechnya.

Russian human rights organisations, including Memorial, the Moscow Helsinki Group and For Human Rights, presented their plan to end the war in Chechnya, calling on Russian leadership to start peace talks with Chechen fighters and providing assistance to Chechen refugees.

November 18

Vice-premier of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Akhmed Zakayev arrived from Turkey to Moscow to held the first official meeting with Russian President’s plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Region Viktor Kazantsev. During the three-hour meeting at the Sheremetyevo-2 airport the two parties exchanged their proposals for the termination of fighting in Chechnya and agenda of future Russian-Chechen talks.

US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow welcomed the first official meeting between Russian and Chechen representatives, which took place at Moscow Sheremetyevo-2 airport on Nov 18. Vershbow added that in turn the US is trying to cut routes providing assistance to terrorists in Chechnya, especially Khattab and the like.

Large-scale "mopping-up operations" started in Grozny and later also in other parts of Chechnya.

November 20

An exhibition entitled "Enough!" demanding an end to the war in Chechnya opened at the Sakharov museum and community centre in Moscow. Human right groups simultaneously published their plan to achieve peace in Chechnya.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan finished their initial cross-questioning of Chechen field commander Raduyev and his accomplices who stand accused of a range of crimes mainly connected to the bloody attacks on the Dagestani settlements of Kizlyar and Pervomaiskoye in 1996. All four accused pleaded innocent.

November 21

British television station BBC 2 broadcast a documentary according to which Usama bin Laden paid 21 million pounds to Chechen field commander Arbi Barayev for the killing of three Britons and one New Zealander in Chechnya in 1998. Russian authorities reported about Barayev’s involvement in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the foreigners long time ago, without mentioning bin Laden.

November 22

A correspondent for the Independent in Afghanistan informed that field commander Khattab is fighting in Afghanistan in charge of Osama bin Laden's unit in Kunduz. The information, which was then taken over by Russian media, was later refuted by Russian officials.

November 25

The military and political leadership of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which met at an undiclosed place in southern Chechnya, gave support to the efforts of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov aimed at termination of fighting in Chechnya -- unnamed source close to Maskhadov.

November 26

Georgia accused Russia that its aircraft coming from Chechnya violated Georgian airspace and dropped several bombs on its territory. Russia denied the violation, claiming its aircraft operated only in Chechnya.

The United Nations appealled to governments to allocate nearly 32 million US dollars to help the victims of the humanitarian catastrophe in the North Caucasus, according to the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for North Caucasus (Russian Federation) 2002 launched by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Colonel Said-Selim Peshkhoyev, a native Chechen and career FSB officer, has taken over his responsibilities as a head of the pro-Moscow Interior Ministry's Department for the Chechen Republic.

November 28

Russian colonel Yuri Budanov, who had been accused of raping and killing 18-year-old Chechen girl Elza Kungayeva, was "not acting in the heat of passion", said professor Fyodor Kondryatev of the Serbsky State Scientific Centre of Social and Judicial Psychology, which had worked out an expert opinion for the court in charge of Budanov's case.

November 29

Participants in the two-day consultation held in Strasbourg at the invitation of PACE’s Joint Working Group on Chechnya, who included representatives of the Russian State Duma, the pro-Moscow Chechen government and various Chechen NGOs and excluded representatives of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, announced they decided to set up a 13-member consultative council to "promote demilitarisation and democratic procedures in the Chechen Republic".

A young Chechen woman carried out an assassination attempt on the military commander of the Urus-Martan district, general Geydar Gadzhiev, blowing herself up near a group of Russian soldiers. Gadzhiyev, who was accused of abuses against civilians by locals, later died of his wounds.

November 30

Russian forces detained Chechen citizen of Arab origin Abu Sayakh in a special operation in Bachi-Yurt, east Chechnya. Abu Sayakh, who later died of wounds, was according to Russian sources an aide to field commander Khattab and according to Chechen sources a commander of lower rank.