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I am not convinced that the CE wants to “make its mark on the global stage”.

At the very least, Russia greatly benefits from conflating the CE with the Global Salafi Jihad; and frankly I would...

Author Q&A: ‘The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus’, by C. J. Chivers. NYT.com, January 20, 2012.

This book has gotten great reviews; looking forward to reading it.

Russia's only war criminal Yury Budanov assassinated in Moscow, by Fred Weir. The Christian Science Monitor, June 10, 2011.

Or as I call it: The Gimme Shelter Doctrine.
"Rape, murder! It's just a shot away, It's just a shot away…"

In the eyes of Putin and the Siloviki, Chechen nationalism was a concrete threat to Russia and the Jihadis were an abstract threat and a useful tool.

The nationalists defeated the Russian Army in...

Chechnya: The Once and Future War, by Ambassador William J. Burns. 30 May 2006.

It is in the open now, and the piece is too good not to share with those who have an interest in Chechnya.

The FSB captured Ali Taziyev aka Magas on June 9 in Ingushetia. Magas is the Amir of the Madzhlisul Shura’s Military Committee, a position in which he replaced Shamil Basayev. He planned and led...

Investigation Links Critic’s Death to Top Chechens, by C.J. Chivers. The New York Times, April 25, 2010.

Kadyrov urged to hold back, by Anna Arutunyan. Moscow News, 26 April 2010.

In Russia’s Dagestan Region, Police Live in Fear, by Ellen Barry. The New York Times, March 20, 2010.

Russian 'Bin Laden' killed by Moscow's special forces, by Andrew Osborn. Telegraph, 07 Mar 2010.


Militant Website Confirms Buryatsky's Death, RFERL: Caucasus Report, March 07, 2010.

...

BBC reports that Caucasian Mujahadeen via Kavkazcenter.com are claiming they carried out the Nevsky Express attack on the orders of Doku Umarov. Statement claims the attack is part of a broader...

An IED attack 200 miles northwest of Moscow killed 26 people and injured 100 last Friday, when it derailed three cars on a high-speed train running from Moscow to St Petersburg. There are reportedly...

Kadyrov says Doku Umarov, the emir of the Caucasus Emirate, may have been killed in a recent raid. Wait till the DNA test gets back, they have had a couple close calls with Umarov before.

Yes, snipers and designated marksmen were used by rebels in the first and second Chechen wars.

Russian Army lore has it that there was a particularly deadly cadre of female biathletes turned...

Have there been sniper attacks in Chechnya lately, is that what you are asking? I don't know. The insurgency has been more active in Ingushetia and Dagestan the last few years, when Chechnya cooled...

Chechnya and Its Neighbors Suffer a Relapse, By Ellen Barry. The New York Times, August 30, 2009.


Interesting the speculation that Kadyrov might be replaced, and someone from Moscow brought in....

Yes, I should have used that phrase. It has been reported that Chechen oil is very lucrative for Russian Army Generals, so I can imagine there is some economic self interest in making sure Kadyrov...

Kadyrov’s relationship with Moscow is very interesting. They seem very dependent on him, and it is interesting when they do pull his reigns. The military it seems don’t trust him, and GRU had...

Bomber Strikes Kremlin's Chief of Restive Province, by Allan Cullison. The Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2009.




The Kremlin has been using Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of nextdoor Chechnya,...

Ingush Authorities Blame Insurgency on Arabs and U.S. Intelligence. By Mairbek Vatchagaev. North Caucasus Weekly Volume: 10 Issue: 7, February 20, 2009.

They are blaming Arabs, the UK and US. ...

According to the Russian’s, foreigners - Arabs and Turks mostly - travel from cell to cell in the North Caucasus in an advisory role. Could be Chechen’s who can no longer operate at home. It also...

Sniper attacks are a rarity in Ingushetia. Running a check in World News Connection, there are no reports of sniper attacks in Ingushetia prior to May 2008. Three policemen are wounded in three...

The Jihadi Insurgency and the Russian Counterinsurgency in the North Caucasus, by Gordon M. Hahn. Post-Soviet Affairs, Volume 24, Number 1 / January-March 2008.

39 Page pdf at the link.

I've...

Channel One "Uncovers" a Turkish-U.S. Plot in the Caucasus, The Jamestown Foundation: Chechnya Weekly, April 24, 2008.