When I first got emails telling me that Kadyrov ordered any “Federals” who would cross the Chechen border shot on sight I dismissed this as utter nonsense. Then, to my amazement, I found out that this was true. But the context was very specific. To make a long and confusing story short: A group of special police forces from the neighboring region of Stavropol crossed the Chechen border and shot
Over a million people – Muslims and Orthodox Christians – have taken to the streets of Grozny to protest against the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed by the Charlie Hebdo magazine: [Note from editor: The image is not available any longer.] Their slogans were: “We love Prophet Mohammed” “No to Mohammed cartoons” “Islam is a religion of peace and creation” “Violence is not the method” Orthodox priest from Chechnia
The Russian media has provided more details about what exactly happened in Grozny. The picture did not fundamentally change, but there are a few interesting details. It turns out that the group of Wahabis were ethnic Chechens, at least for 4 out of 9, and that they managed to enter Grozny in several cars. This is not much of a feat, since the checkpoints at the entry of the city
Dear friends,There is a lot of speculation about what really happened in Grozny in the past hours and some are even suspecting that the US has somehow re-ignited the Wahabi underground for a new insurrection.This is far from being the case.What really happened is that one of the major Wahabi terrorist groups which was traveling in three cars was blocked at a checkpoint. The Wahabis opened fire and killed all
After my recent post about Chechnia and the hope it gives me, one reader posted a particularly interesting comment which, I believe, deserves a full answer. One thing which particularly motivated me to write this more detailed reply rather that a shot comment-reply was that what this reader wrote almost exactly mirrored my own thoughts just a few years ago. So in replying to this reader I have the opportunity
As you probably know, the two Russian journalists who worked for the LifeNews, Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko, were finally freed and brought back home via Grozny in Chechnia. You might even have heard that the President of Chechnia, Ramzan Kadyrov, played a special role in their liberation. I think that the importance of this event might be under-estimated by many observers and I want to briefly comment on that.It
Today I am posting the video of a most interesting press conference which took place in Moscow and which was made possible thanks to the support of the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti. This press conference brought together the father of Ibragim Todashev (murdered by FBI agents in Orlando), Abdulbaki Todashev, Saurbek Sadakhanov, a Chechen lawyer, and Kheda Saratova, an independent Chechen researcher. The main organizer of this press-conference was Maksim
The latest Israeli airstrikes are now the clear proof that the US/NATO/al-Qaeda insurgency is currently losing the war against Syria. I submit that the purpose of these strikes is rather obvious: to trigger a Syrian response which would give Israel a pretext to wage what Pepe Escobar aptly called a “mini shock and awe” campaign against Syria, tipping the balance in favor of the US/NATO/al-Qaeda insurgency. Here is how that
Meet the modern Chechnia willed by Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov:
Back from my short trip I want to share with you a hodge-podge of observations and thoughts. Let’s begin by the Caucasus. Two things are happening simultaneously in Chechnia, Dagestan: Wahabi insurgents have embarked on a systematic campaign of terror against non-Wahabi Muslim clerics and scholars. This is happening against a background of major losses for the Wahabi insurgency whose leaders are being killed by the Russian security forces one
One of the more exotic technologies for tracking deeply submerged submarines consists of using a satellite based radar to measure the tiny elevation of the water surface of the ocean above an otherwise well hidden and silently moving submarine. Some less exotic techniques including detecting wakes, tiny differences in water temperatures, magnetic fluctuations and many other “indirect” methods. What I propose to do today is something similar: to try to
Russian President Medvedev has just made an unannounced visit to the National Anti-Terrorist Committee meeting in the North Ossetian city of Vladikavkaz. He made a number of interesting, if very debatable comments. a) President Medvedev began by saying that what is now taking place in the Arab world is a “scenario which was first attempted in Russia but which was defeated”. b) He described the situation in the Arab world
“Emir Dokku Abu Usman” According to the BBC, the self-styled “Emir of the Caucasus Emirate” and former “President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria” Doku Umarov (aka “Emir Dokku Abu Usman”) has declared in reference to the bombing of the Domodedovo airport in Moscow that “”This special operation was carried out on my orders and, God willing, special operations like it will continue to be carried out“. Fair enough –
Russian Prime Minister Putin has just declared on the NTV television news channel that “according to the preliminary results of the investigation the terrorist act is not linked to the Chechen Republic” (Нынешний террористический акт не имеет отношения, по предварительным данным следствия, к Чеченской республике). According to Russian sources, the terrorist was, quote, “of a Mediterranean type which would include Arabs”, unquote. More details soon, hopefully.
Dear friends, I am totally sick with the flu and I don’t feel like writing much, but I hear so much nonsense about the blast in Moscow that I want to share some really quick thoughts with you: 1) Don’t rush to blame the Chechens for what happened. Yes, it most definitely *could* be them, but there are *many* other possible explanations including, but not limited to, the following: a)
Civil Georgia reports: Tbilisi: Georgia hosts “special camps” where militants are trained and then sent to join insurgents in North Caucasus, a senior Russian Interior Ministry official in charge of North Caucasus region has alleged. “Georgia has become visibly active recently,” Nikolai Simakov, deputy head of Interior Ministry’s unit in North Caucasus federal district, said in an interview with Russian newspaper, Vremya Novostei, when asked about foreign aid to militants
