Summary of the main news related to the conflict in Chechnya. Compiled by Prague Watchdog.
Monday, May 12
A lorry laden with a tonne of explosives crashed into a complex of administrative buildings in the town of Znamenskoye in northwest Chechnya and exploded. The death toll of the bomb attack later rose to 60. On May 19 Chechen commander Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for the attack, according to news agency Kavkaz-center.
Tuesday, May 13
No major events.
Wednesday, May 14
A female suicide bomber, accompanied by one or two female accomplices, blew herself up among several thousand civilians attending a religious celebration near the southeast Chechen village of Iliskhan-Yurt. The attack, which was most probably aimed against members of the Moscow-backed Chechen leadership, killed at least 18 people. On May 19 Chechen commander Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for the attack, according to news agency Kavkaz-center.
Thursday, May 15
Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma a draft resolution on granting amnesty for people who have committed crimes in the terrority of the former Chechen-Ingush republic since August 1, 1993. The proposed amnesty should apply to members of the Chechen resistance who did not commit serious crimes and will give up fighting by July 31, 2003.
Friday, May 16
Ilyas Akhmadov, Foreign Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, stated in a press release that the recent bombings in Znamenskoye and Iliskhan-Yurt showed that Chechnya needs peace immediately. Akhmadov urged the Russian government to "introduce a ceasefire and to launch transparent, unconditional negotiations genuinely designed to resolve the centuries old Russo-Chechen conflict".
Making a speech to the Federation Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the inhabitants of Chechnya for their courage to take part in the March referendum on a new Chechen constitution, which according to him showed their wish that Chechnya be a part of the Russian Federation.
The Appeal Chamber of Georgia's Supreme Court ruled to turn down Russia's request to extradite the three Chechens out of the 13 people who were detained by Georgian border guards for illegal crossing of the Georgian border in August 2002.
Saturday, May 17
Head of the Ersenoi village, Zalpa Nasukhanova, and several other people were kidnapped by unknown militants in the southeastern part of Chechnya.
The views expressed on this web site are the authors' own, and don't necessarily reflect the views of Prague Watchdog, which aims to present a wide spectrum of opinion and analysis relating to events in the North Caucasus.
