CHECHNYA LINKS LIBRARY

December 2000

According to Chechen religious leader Mufty Shamayev, the Council of Elders, comprised of the most respected older men from all Chechen tribes, has been formed in Chechnya.

Starting today, Chechen refugees in Ingushetia are again without hot meals and bread, while food suppliers are demanding 74.5 million rubles in debt payments.

Former vice-premier and minister of state security, Turpal Ali Atgeryev, has allegedly been in the Lefortovo prison in Moscow since late October -- Vremya Novostey

The Audit Chamber of Russia reported that 65 million roubles (over 2 million $) of budget funds allotted to the reconstruction of Chechnya’s economy were misused. The head of the Chamber, Sergey Stepashin, sent materials on the people suspect of the theft to the general prosecutor's office.

December 2

Russia’s gas and electricity supplies to Georgia's capital Tbilisi were cut off, apparently due to debt disputes, leaving the city of 1.2 million inhabitants dark and without heat for several hours.

Adam Chinayev, former Interior Minister of the Chechen government, was killed in Chechnya.

A Russian Ministry of Defence spokesman said that not more than 30 percent of federal army’s equipment is operational.

Russia introduced visa regime with Georgia.

Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Union of Right Forces faction in the State Duma, met Russian President Vladimir Putin, giving him proposals for a political settlement of the conflict in Chechnya. The proposal includes launching a dialogue with Chechen authorities that are legitimate under Russian laws and appointing Chechnya's governor-general in charge of both civil and military administration, Nemtsov said. -- Interfax

A group of some 120 armed men looted the house of Grozny Mayor Beslan Gantamirov in the village of Gekhi (Urus-Martan region), allegedly in an attempt to kill the mayor. Gantamirov, who was not at home at that time, later accused Russian soldiers of taking part in the attack while Russian sources spoke exclusively of Chechen guerillas.

Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Russian presidental aide, said that Georgia and Russia might conduct a joint military operation to eliminate Chechen rebels in the Pankiss gorge.

Representative of Chechnya will be included in the Russia’s Federation Council – the parliament’s upper chamber. Akhmed Zavgayev was appointed for this post on Akhmad Kadyrov’s proposal.

The Russian military said it was planning to deploy permanent garrisons in 200 Chechen villages to protect the local inhabitants and their administration leaders.

A car twin-bomb killed over 20 people outside a mosque in the village of Alkhan-Yurt, south-west of Grozny. Russian authorities said the attack on civilians was carried out by Chechen guerillas while these said the bomb was planted by Russians.

December 11

The Lithuanian Parliament asked the Council of Europe to install peacekeeping forces in Chechnya and to guarantee representation of international humanitarian organizations

December 12

A session of the Council of Europe is taking place in Riga. It’s main purpose is to discuss the human rights situation in Chechnya.

Russian media magnate Vladimir Gusinsky, charged of fraud in Russia, was arrested in southern Spain

December 13

The appeal court in Dagestan upheld a guilty verdict against RFE/RL reporter Andrei Babitsky, convicted in October of using a forged passport.

Russian President Vladimir Putin started his official four-day visit to Cuba

December 14

Federal troops sealed off Gudermes, Argun and the central streets and squares of Grozny, turning back all civilian vehicles including the local administration and police with special passes.

Bodies of eight civilians were discovered in the village of Mesker-Yurt, 20 km southeast of Grozny, bearing evidence of torture and murder.

December 15

UNESCO earmarked USD 300,000 for cultural and educational restoration projects in Chechnya - Interfax

Internet size Kavkaz.org released a statement of top Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev condemning "some Chechen representatives, including president, vice-president and parliament", for their reiterated readiness to launch peace talks with Russia without any preconditions.

Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General of the Army Anatoly Kvashnin, announced a new stage of the "counter-terrorist operation" in Chechnya in which combat operations will be replaced by providing security and normal life of Chechen inhabitatans. Troops will be taken out of the safety of army bases and deployed in small contingents across Chechnya.

Chief Commander of the Russian Air Force, Anatoly Kornukov, refuted "statements by some media" on alleged illegal flights from Georgia to Russia with cargo for Chechen fighters.

December 18

Russia announced that Shirvani Basayev, the younger brother of Shamil Basayev, had been killed about a month ago. However, the Chechen side refuted the report.

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze admitted that hundreds of Chechen fighters were staying in Georgia but rejected Moscow's proposal of carrying out joint "clean up operations" in the Pankisi gorge.

Lieutenant-General Vladimir Bulgakov, chief-of-staff of the North Caucasus military district, refused to replace Lieutenant-General Valery Baranov as the head of the unified military group in Chechnya.

Georgian State Security Minister Vakhtang Kutateladze left for Moscow to meet with Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev.

Conference on restoration of Chechnya's economy was held at the President Hotel in Moscow. Ali Visayev, President of the Moscow Universities Alumni Club, was the initiator of the conference.

Stavropol territorial court opened hearings on the case of Chechen Ramses Gaichayev charged with genocide. According to investigators, Gaichayev and his accomplices murdered ten Russian inhabitants of the village of Chervlyonnaya.

Secret Police Day in Russia, earlier called Chekist Day.

Six people (five students and an instructor) were killed and fifteen wounded in a grenade attack at the University in the Chechen capital Grozny.

Akhmar Zavgayev was elected for the Russian upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, to become the first senator for Chechnya since 1997.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that the Internal Affairs Ministry beef up the security of members of Chechnya's administration. A total of 2,000 people have been allocated to strengthen the police in Chechnya.

Director of the Federal Security Service of Russia Nikolai Patrushev has officially confirmed the arrest of Turpal Atgeriyev, former state security minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

The State Auditing Commission found out that 280 million rubles, allocated especially for buying food for Russian soldiers, has disappeared.

A group of Russian MPs, headed by Boris Nemtsov and including Aslanbek Aslakhanov, Sergey Kovalyov, Pavel Krasheninnikov and Oleg Morozov, left for Ingushetia. In the new Ingush capital Magas the group held talks on a political solution to the conflict in Chechnya with seven members of the Chechen parliament elected in 1997. The group of Chechen representatives was allegedly led by Khoj-Akhmed Yerikhanov who participated in peace talks during the first war in Chechnya (1994-96).

December 26

Chechen field commander Aslanbek Didiyev was killed in the Urus – Martan region.

Boris Nemtsov, Russian MP and head of the Union of Right Forces, met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Nemtsov’s five-point peace plan.

Lieutenant-General Vladimir Shamanov, a top former commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, was elected governor of the Ulyanovsk region.

Grozny Mayor Bislan Gantamirov dismissed reports of imminent hunger in Grozny. According to him food supplies are quite sufficient.

Since the beginning of the operation in Chechnya Russian military prosecution has investigated 852 criminal cases, of which 748 were crimes committed by servicemen. The crimes include murder and illegal arms dealing.

Rudnik Dudayev, former colonel of KGB and chairman of the CIS Council for relations with Muslims in foreign countries, was appointed deputy to the head of the Chechen administration and charged to cooperate with armed forces and law enforcement agencies.

A. Bilbayev, the chief of the local pro-Russian police in the village Stariye Atagi, was killed.