The North Caucasus: Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia

**George L. Singleton** · 02-19-2009

automatic weapons and grenade launchers vs. snipers.

Can you explain your interpretation of an "inferred" new style of combat with snipers now being noted by you?

**bourbon** · 02-19-2009

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 different shootings in May. Several events occur from October to December, with at least 2 killed. On January 11 there are two sniper incidents, with one wounded and an MVD squadron commander killed. For February, on the 10th one highway patrolman shot at a checkpoint, February 16 one MVD engineer wounded, Kaur's article notes 3 events on the 18th.

This info is just what I could pull of the newswire, so it is far from accurate. But most attacks in Ingushetia have been of the bombing and automatic weapon/grenade variety. I imagine the fog is pretty bad this time of year in Ingushetia, that can't help much. I don't recall seeing many recent reports of snipers elsewhere in the North Caucasus. One notable incident is the assassination of the mayor of Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia last fall. Ossetian Jamaat claimed responsibility, but you never know.

**George L. Singleton** · 02-20-2009

A "trained or schooled" sniper is a cut above a suicidal or non-suicidal terrorist.

Who do you think is training these snipers?

**Ken White** · 02-20-2009

Sniper. The internet trains many...

**bourbon** · 02-20-2009

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 could just be one specialist who travels from republic to republic, the Caucasus Emirate likes to shift the locus of the insurgency. The Russian’s will likely try to blame the Georgian’s somehow, which could true. As Ken notes, it could also be the internet.

The assassination in Vladikavkaz could have been related to business, politics, organized crime, or a combination thereof. I don’t know much about the incident, other than that it was a good shot.

**kaur** · 02-20-2009

Here are three artcles in Russian about assassinations in Nort Ossetia. Use Google translator. First one is about mayor of Vladikavkaz.

http://newsru.com/russia/10feb2009/zaderzh.html
http://newsru.com/russia/17dec2008/vladkill.html
http://newsru.com/russia/31dec2008/pagiev.html

**kaur** · 03-02-2009

Ludmila Alekseyeva, the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said yesterday that she was surprised various media outlets on Friday had reported that the Russian interior ministry directive allowing militia units to use lethal force against anti-government demonstrators was something new.
In fact, she said in an interview carried on Radio Liberty, this order was issued by Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov in December 2002, and the dean of Russia’s human rights community said that she was grateful that the militia had not acted on this order during the intervening period, at least outside of the North Caucasus (www.ingushetia.org/news/18452.html).

http://windowoneurasia.blogspot.com/...-on-using.html

**Surferbeetle** · 03-02-2009

Kaur,

Thanks for the links.

Regards,

Steve

From the Jamestown Foundation by Mairbek Vatchagaev: Wave of Unrest and Counter-Terrorist Operations Sweep the North Caucasus

Russia’s special services and police this past week resumed anti-terrorist operations against the members of the armed resistance movement across the North Caucasus. A steady stream of news has been pouring in from Dagestan that the law enforcement authorities there have been striking back against the republic’s Sharia Jamaat.

**kaur** · 03-03-2009

Surferbeetle, you are welcome.

About snipers. I do like the definition by Mark Spicer.

Sniping is the employment of individual shooters from concealed positions with no warning, from any distance, depending on the range of the weapon. This is not to say, of course , that to maximize the chances of sniper surviving to fight again, the longer the distance between him and the victim the better. Conversely, if the sniper is able to conceal himself and endage successfully at close range, then that is also sniping.

from this book, page 18.

http://books.google.com/books?id=B5u...picer#PPA18,M1

This definition saysnothing about high-end LRP's, communication equipment, .338 rifles, Zeiss optics etc. February number of British Combat and Survival covers topic "Insurgency sniper vs Western sniper"

PS Finnish II WW sniper Häyhä shot his shots using rifle without optics.

**kaur** · 03-06-2009

A major terrorist attack, the victims of which were four EOD guys from FSB and police, as well as deputy chief of police department Nazranovskogo area took place yesterday in Ingushetia.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?Do...0649&NodesID=6

**kaur** · 03-09-2009

Addition to my last post.

Six policemen were killed and two injured in a bomb blast in Ingushetia on March 5. Russian news agencies, citing republican Interior Ministry sources, reported that the blast took place near the entrance to the village of Surkhakhi after law-enforcement officers discovered a roadside bomb consisting of an artillery shell and a detonator near a cemetery and bomb disposal experts were sent in. Itar-Tass reported that the device was detonated by remote control and went off as the bomb disposal experts began working to defuse it.

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_...ash=d17d621723

**bourbon** · 03-09-2009

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

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta published on February 9, Yevkurov laid the blame for the violence squarely with the “newly arrived Arabs,” stating that they were responsible for destabilizing the situation in the region in general and in Ingushetia in particular. Moreover, Yevkurov also blamed the “American and English special services.”

They are blaming Arabs, the UK and US. Not surprising, what is interesting is that they do not name Turkey - which they often do. Relations between Turkey and Russia have been strengthening lately.

Good article kaur. The physical assault on head of the Hajj Committee of Ingushetia’s Muftiate is interesting, I imagine he represents 'Official' or 'State' Islam in the eyes of the Jamaat, and as such is target of an intimidation campaign. They could have just killed him, but beatings are coercive.

I wonder if the EOD team was from local police, or from a unit in another republic doing a tour in Ingushetia. The Jamaat likes to hit the units from out of town.

**kaur** · 03-10-2009

bourbon, "Kommersant" article says that EOD people were from local FSB.

**kaur** · 06-08-2009

Snipers at work continues. Last week there was killed minister of interior affairs of Dagestan in Makhachkala . Bullet is 9mm AP. This means that weapon is Vintorez, Val or VSK-94.

This is article in Russian

http://www.gzt.ru/incident/2009/06/08/091548.html

**kaur** · 06-11-2009

A top judge has been shot dead in the latest act of violence to shake the Russian republic of Ingushetia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8093354.stm

President Medvedjev in FSB centre in Dagestan. Behind the backs of Caucasus kings are standing Ivanov (Russia's narco szar) and Patruchev (ex head of FSB).

**kaur** · 06-16-2009

President Dmitry Medvedev’s statement in Daghestan last week that foreign forces are behind anti-Russian movements there is leading some Russian commentators to overstate the role of such forces there and thus to misunderstand the nature of the conflicts in that region, according to a leading Russian expert.

In his July 9 comments, Medvedev attempted not only to “sum up the threats to Russian statehood” in the region but also “to explain their causes,” the Moscow analyst says. The Russian president pointed to unemployment and poverty as among the most important, but he listed others as well.
Among these, the Russian leader said, are massive and widespread corruption, “systemic deformations of government administration,” and the “extremely low” quality of regional officials, charges that while true raise questions such as “who formed these power structures” if not the current tandem at the head of the much ballyhooed power vertical.

http://windowoneurasia.blogspot.com/...-in-north.html

If anyone is interested about more general situation in Northern Caucasus, then you can dowload paper "Kreml and Northern Caucasus" here. This paper is in Russian

http://www.politcom.ru/tables/docl.doc

**bourbon** · 06-23-2009

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

The attack on Mr. Yevkurov was more sophisticated than other recent strikes on government officials, who have been mostly lower-level functionaries with little protection. Mr. Yevkurov's motorcade was struck Monday as the Ingush president was being driven to work near the regional capital of Nazran. The bomber maneuvered an explosives-laden Toyota sedan past a police escort before detonating it near Mr. Yevkurov's armored Mercedes. The blast killed two of his bodyguards. It left Mr. Yevkurov in "serious condition" with a concussion and broken ribs, said his spokesman, Kaloi Akhilgov.

The attack, he said, was apparently timed to coincide with the five-year anniversary Monday of a daring rebel raid on the Ingush capital of Nazran, when Chechen and Ingush gunmen briefly seized the city and killed nearly 100 police and security officials.

The Kremlin has been using Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of nextdoor Chechnya, for its regional dirty work. Kadyrov has a pet tiger, reportedly keeps a dungeon in his basement, and hangs out with Mike Tyson; he's a real sweetheart. And it looks like the Kremlin is going to set him loose on the insurgents:

On Tuesday Mr Kadyrov said he had been ordered by Russia's Dmitry Medvedev to run operations in both countries.

He told Reuters: "He told me to intensify actions... including in Ingushetia. I will personally control the operations... and I am sure in the near future there will be good results."

**kaur** · 06-23-2009

Last night Kadyrov accused in Vesti channel international terrorism and West that they are responsible for Yevkurov's assassination attempt. That happened during on-line interview. Moments later Vesti published this video on their website. "West" is cut out and interview ends very abruptly. It seems that Russians are waiting Obama's visti

This is the cut video (in Russian of course) http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=295611

**bourbon** · 06-24-2009

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 maintained the Yamadayev clan and Vostok battalion as a hedge. Kadyrov neutralized them last year and has consolidated his power, making Moscow’s dependency on him even greater.

**kaur** · 06-24-2009

bourbon, isn't this called balance of power?

I'd like to add to this sad thread beautiful notes. Following pictures are form Kadyrov's garage.

http://users.livejournal.com/_patrick_/3577190.html