Russian troops and police surrounded Argun, the third largest Chechen town 15 kilometres east of Grozny, after Chechen fighters attacked a Russian military column which was going to carry out a “mopping up” operation there. Heavy fighting in the town, during which Russian artillery and military helicopters were used, ended on the next day.
Tuesday, May 8
Representatives of the European Union delegation, having returned from the Northern Caucasus to Moscow, stated that Russian authorities do not do enough to bring normalization to the situation in Chechnya.
Wednesday, May 9
No major events.
Thursday, May 10
Vladimir Kalamanov, the Russian President‘s special representative for human rights and freedoms in Chechnya, proposed that Russian ministries and other authorities involved report on the use of funds they received for Chechnya as only one per cent of the 14.7 billions roubles allocated from the federal budget for the restoration of Chechnya’s social and economic sector has been used.
Friday, May 11
Moscow's Basmanny district court rejected a suit filed by prominent Chechen lawyer Abdulla Khamzayev against the Russian government, the Defense and Finance Ministries, and the Prosecutor General's Office to compensate him for the damage to his house in Urus Martan, which was destroyed by Russian aviation in the autumn of 1999.
Head of Chechnya’s pro-Russian administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, called for urgent measures that would boost the protection of members of the local administration, who fall victim to attacks by Chechen fighters due to their cooperation with federal authorities.
Depending on further normalization of the situation in the Northern Caucasus, the role of humanitarian agencies in Chechnya will be replaced by United Nations programs and funds of assistance in the restoration of Chechnya, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ordzhonikidze. -- Interfax
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