The Great Danger If Russia Stays on the Path It's On

January 20th, 2011

MOSCOW - A cable from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to the State Department in Washington, one of the recent WikiLeaks documents, details how Russian generals stole millions of petrodollars and laundered the money during the Russian occupation of Chechnya. 
 

The cable is dated May 30, 2006. Information in the cable, dating to the early 1990s, had been made public in at least one book before WikiLeaks published the State Department cable.
 
The cable says that the lack of central control by Moscow over the military, as well as officers' greed, may have been a prime cause of the first Chechnya War.
 
Immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, energy prices in the part of Eastern Europe known as the "ruble zone" were only three percent of world market prices.
 
Russian government officials and their partners bought oil at ruble prices, ...

Four Russian terrorists got killed in Chechnya

January 20th, 2011

Four Russian terrorists got killed in Chechnya yesterday. Near the village of Kharsenoy of Shatoysky district, Russian gangs claimed up to the mountain in search of Chechen rebels.

According to Chechen sources, Russian gangs were in Chechnya for their first time brought from far districts of Russian Pederation. And they have been commanded by Russian general to go deep into mountain area and try to find Chechen rebels. Unfortunately for Russians, it turned the other way. Chechen rebels knew of their coming long ago and actually were following the Russians. When Russians terrorists got very deep, they fell under attack.

Chechen rebels weren't in significant number but they acted as they were two-times more than we are, said Russian confused terrorist who got lucky to survive. In a short and massive attack, around 6 of Chechen rebels managed to kill 4 and injure 2 ...

Russians are still bombing 'peaceful' Chechnya

January 20th, 2011

 Russian media informed of possible death of their own agent Dokku Umarov. This isn't the first time Russians trying to advertise Dokku Umarov to the rest of the world. Mostly, When the Russians have no other signs from KGB-agent Dokku Umarov, they used to declare of his death which should cause Dokku Umarov's response in Video message saying "yes, I'm alive, don't worry."  
 
First, referring to an anonymous representative of the military command, the invaders said that "rumors about the death of Dokku Umarov were allegedly spread among local residents" (it's hard to believe that Chechen citizens will feel brave enough to say a thing about Dokku Umarov), and now, they say, these rumors are being "checked" (did they go there or did they ask Dokku already?) 
 
But just a few hours after that guff, the Russians told a new story. They suddenly claimed that ...

The Chechen Struggle: Independence Won and Lost

Featuring authors

Ilyas Akhmadov and Miriam Lanskoy

With introductory remarks by

Zbigniew Brzezinski
Center for International and Strategic Studies

Moderated by

Carl Gershman
National Endowment for Democracy

Told from the perspective of former Chechen Foreign Minister Ilyas Akhmadov, The Chechen Struggle: Independence Won and Lost is a uniquely candid, inside account of Chechnya’s two wars against Russia, its interwar attempt to establish national institutions, and the splintering and eventual radicalization of the resistance.  The book captures the predicament of Chechen moderates who unsuccessfully sought to attain international assistance to stop the war and avert its catastrophic consequences: the mass slaughter of Chechens, the spread of the conflict throughout the region, and Russia’s slide into dictatorship. Ilyas Akhmadov and his coauthor Miriam Lanskoy discussed the book and offer analysis of the current conflicts in the North Caucasus and their implications for the future of the region.Zbigniew Brzezinski provided introductory remarks.

Biographies

Ilyas Akhmadov was the Foreign Minister of Chechnya from 1999 ...