CHECHNYA LINKS LIBRARY

November 2000

November 1

On their inspection visits to the North Caucasus, Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev and Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo said that both federal and interior forces would change their tactics and considerably intensify their activity during the upcoming winter.

Chechen fighters killed a total of 14 Russian servicemen during the past 24 hours in Chechnya, an official with Chechnya's pro-Russian administration said. – Associated Press

November 2

President Putin ordered to set up a committee of inquiry into the incident when Akhmad Kadyrov got under fire from federal forces on Tuesday.

Vladimir Kalamanov, President's special human rights, said that a special group for finding „dissapeared" Chechens has been established and that his office has registered 455 claims. – ITAR-TASS

November 3

Presenting the preliminary results of the revision on spending federal funds allocated to the reconstruction of Chechnya, the head of the Russian Audit Chamber Sergey Stepashin said that „people still do not get paid, practically nothing is being reconstructed, money is turned over in banks." – Lenta.ru

A meeting of the State Duma commission on the normalisation of the situation in Chechnya discussed extraordinary measures for improving the security, human rights and humanitarian situation in the republic. The deputies stressed there was no change for the better in Chechnya with regard to the parliamentary hearings on Chechnya held on Sept 21, 2000. -- Nezavisimaya Gazeta

November 4

Bislan Gantamirov, the newly appointed Mayor of Grozny, announced he had replaced heads of four Grozny districts and asked Akhmad Kadyrov, head of Chechnya’s administration, to approve it. – ITAR-TASS

November 6

The pro-Moscow head of Gudermes district administration, Malika Gezimiyeva, escaped unscathed a third murderous assault on her after her car was hit by a remote-controlled landmine.

November 8

Russian Premier Mikhail Kasayanov signed a resolution on primary measures to restore the oil and gas economy sector of Chechnya. Thus Rosneft, Russia's state-owned oil holding company, is to start extracting oil in the republic, planning to found a joint stock company Grozneftegaz with 49 per cent of shares belonging to the Republic of Chechnya and 51 per cent to Rosneft. – ITAR-Tass

November 9

The pro-Moscow mayor of the central Chechnya settlement of Alkhan-Kala, Yusha Tsuyev, and his two secretaries were killed at their workplace.

The Russian Security Council announced that the Russian armed forces will be cut by some 600,000 troops (about 20 per cent) over five years to create smaller but more effective army.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to allocate extra funds to rebuild Chechnya and for refugees displaced by the conflict.

November 10

The Supreme Board of Judges of Russia approved 8 federal judges of Chechen origin to resume work in Chechnya. The federal court system was put out of operation in 1996 following the introduction of the Sharia law.

Russia officially provided Georgian authorities with a list of 67 persons accused by Interpol of acts of terrorism and participation in armed bandit units.

First Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Kozlov said the ministry has information about 130 foreign NGOs, foundations, and companies providing direct or indirect support to Chechen guerilla fighters.

A total of 640 servicemen of the interior forces of the Russian Interior Ministry were killed and 2,200 wounded since the beginning of military operations in Chechnya -- Tikhomirov

November 11

Russian command said that special operation for liquidation of units of Basayev and Khattab was being conducted in Chechnya while Chechen command said a large group of Russian soldiers had been annihilated.

November 12

Akhmed Amirkhanov from Dagestani capital Makhachkala seized a Russian civil airplane on a Makhachkala-Moscow flight on Saturday night and diverted it to Israel where he surrendered to Israeli authorities. The incident seems to have taken place due to the kidnapper’s poor mental health rather than the situation in the Northern Caucasus or Middle East. All 48 passangers and 10 crew aboard were safe.

November 13

A commission has been formed to ascertain the identity and whereabouts of seven Chechen fighters allegedly detained by Grozny Mayor, B. Gantamirov, on November 12. According to "Kommersant-Daily" on 15 November, those included field commander Arbi Baraev.

November 14

According to the U.N. refugee agency thousands of Chechen refugees in Ingushetia are moving to a new tent city near the town Severny.

November 15

Magomed Khachilayev, the leader of the Lack national movement and chairman of Dagestan’s peace committee, was gunned down and seriously wounded by his bodyguard in Dagestani capital Makhachkala.

A three-day warning strike began in secondary schools in Chechnya.

November 16

All Chechen nationals working in Chechen administration had recently received letters with threats of death by „the Shariat Court of the Republic of Ichkeria" unless they leave their posts by November 15 and stop all contacts with Russian authorities. Despite the ultimatum nobody has applied to quitting his job so far. – Kadyrov’s office

Tamara Rokhlin, the wife of the General Lev Rokhlin, who led the Russian assault on the Chechen capital Grozny in 1995, was found guilty of murder of her husband and sentenced to 8 years in prison.

November 17

Head of the administration of the Mesker-Yurt village in the Shali district, Sharami Dudagov, and his deputy, Khasmagomed Tsumtsayev, were killed by unknown gunmen.

Head of Chechnya’s temporary administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, called upon the citizens who had left Chechnya in the past years to come back and help reconstruct the country.

November 18

The elder son of the head of Chechnya’s temporary administration Akhmad Kadyrov was arrested for possession of a weapon which had no registration.

November 19

Following a deadly attack on Wednesday, Magomed Khachilayev died in a Makhachkala hospital without regaining consciousness.

British Premier Tony Blair flew into Moscow for his fifth summit this year with President Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a total of 1,670 Defence Ministry servicemen have died in the course of the operation in the North Caucasus. Speaking at a meeting of the Russian military department’s leadership, he estimated the losses of all Russian power structures in the conflict at 2,600.

A delegation of the EU Parliamentary Assembly arrived in Russia to familiarize themselves with conditions of Chechen refugees.

Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov again voiced his readiness to start talks with Moscow on ending the war in Chechnya without setting any preconditions. - Moskovskiye Novosti

The IMF delegation left Moscow without agreement on a stand–by credit.

Adam Tepsurgayev, a Chechen free-lance cameraman who worked also for Reuters, was killed in the village of Alkhan-Kala (Yermolovka) near Grozny. Several months ago he provided video footage of a Chechen rebel commander, Shamil Basayev, having a leg amputated.

A parliamentary group responsible for relations with Chechnya was created in the Lithuanian parliament Seijm.

European Commission allotted 5.6 million US dollars for the victims of the conflict in Chechnya. Allotted assets will be mainly used for urgent food aid to refugees and people who need it in Chechnya. Information campaign about dangers connected with mined territories will be held as well.

The Representative of the Russian President in the Southern federal region Viktor Kazantsev said that his people were holding talks with some of the Chechen field commanders. Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev denied statements about any such negotiations.

Officials of republics which have a common administrative border with Chechnya met with Russian officials in Mineralniye Vody to discuss behind closed doors “the operation to cut off supplies of weapons and ways for new rebels to sneak into Chechnya.” – RBC

After their fact-finding mission to refugee camps in Chechnya the delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Refugees and Demography described the situation as appalling and unacceptable.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that Russia was ready to cooperate with the European Union’s new military force.

Heavy Russian armoured vehicles flattened counters and kiosks in Grozny central market, a key source of food and supplies in the destroyed Chechen capital, allegedly to prevent rebels from further attacks on Russian servicemen.

A two-day summit of the OSCE took place in Vienna. The head of the OSCE security body expressed regret that Russia has not yet agreed to allow its workers back into Chechnya, despite promises made at a summit in Istanbul a year ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Vladimir Yelagin, a former governor of the Orenburg Region in the Southern Urals into a newly created post of a minister without portfolio in charge of social and economic development of the Chechen Republic.

Russian border guards said they were ready to start imposing a visa regime at the Russian-Georgian border beginning December 5.

Foreign ministers from the 55-nation OSCE failed to agree on a final declaration, allegedly because of Russia’s objections against Chechnya-related parts in the proposed declaration.

November 29

President Vladimir Putin acted to put himself and future Russian presidents above the law, gaining parliamentary backing for a bill securing lifelong personal imunity from prosecution for anything he does while in office. The bill was given a first reading by a majority of 282 to 130 and needs two more readings to become a law.

Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky said he is sorry about his previous support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who now disfavours him. Berezovsky said he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Putin's presidential campaign and accused Putin of causing him great damage, including economic, and the use of KGB methods.

Compiled by Prague Watchdog