Updates From The Chechen War

The war in Chechnya through the eyes of children
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/russia/chechnya/children/drawings.html

When General De Gaulle understood the futility and pointlessness of the war in Algeria, he addressed to the Algerian rebels and offered them «peace of the brave», implying that there were no winners or losers in that war. De Gaulle did not cast doubt on bravery of the French army, even though the French amy was suffering defeats (generals and officers were blaming the politicians for their defeats, like it usually happens). He called his adversaries 'brave' and recognized their courage in battles.

When Russian General Lebed returned to Moscow from the Chechen capital, where Russian troops were blocked and surrounded, he called them brave warriors of the Chechen Resistance, but he could not find a single good word for the invaders’ command, which openly made profits out of this war.

Today it is clear to any person, who thinks even a little bit, that the senselessness of the war in Chechnya is the goal for those who unleashed it.

From the viewpoint of the most prominent military historian and analyst Carl von Clausewitz, a war like the Russian-Chechen one is senseless, for the solution of such problems lies within the political framework instead of the military one, even though a war is the means to attain a political goal. Another eminent military analyst John Keegan from Great Britain believes that Clausewitz’s though is now obsolete. According to Keegan, in the end of the 20th century a war is no longer the means to attain a political goal, but a war turned into the way of life.

From John Keegan’s point of view, a war is logical as the way of life, as the way to get rich, but such a war is dangerous because it inevitably leads to demoralization of the army.

Historical sources are recounting about how during one of his marches Alexander the Great ordered his military commanders to burn all spoils of war because he was afraid of demoralization in his army. But Putin’s generals were issuing direct orders to their troops to rob Chechen villages and cities. This order is valid to this day with the only difference that if earlier the loot was taken by military convoys (under the command of Shamanov, Kazantsev, Troshev and others), today they are robbing each household individually. The most recent example is yesterday’s pillaging in Karabulak, Ingushetia.

Russian army is doomed to collapse, and the main reason for it is that generals are demoralized. Russian journalists are writing that corruption among generals has reached an astronomical scale. The journalists added up all amounts (both in Russian rubles and in hard currency), which are mentioned in criminal prosecution cases against the Russian generals. Turned out that over the ten years of war these people drained Russia's state treasury for the amount of about 43 billion rubles (equal to about $ 1.4 billion US dollars), which were earmarked for the Chechen slaughter.

This is only a visible tip of the iceberg described in criminal cases. The experts believe that the scope of real damages is tens or even hundreds of times larger. Military statistics shows that in Russia there are at least 1,100 generals. Over the past 10 years of war 150 of them have committed criminal offences. Every tenth Russian general was caught committing a crime, but it is a known fact that Russian tradition is not to lock up the generals. Only a few have been sentenced, and still, every second one of these stripe-bearers avoided a prison term because of the amnesty.

Military analysts are convinced that there has never been such a 'Fall' throughout all of the 300 years of history of Russian armed forces. Everybody got used to hearing about casualties in the reports by the Russian generals. But the way these figures are presented it sounds more like cattle plaque rather than human casualties.

The way of life of masterminds of the war in the Caucasus became the way of death for Russian soldiers long time ago, when they became victims of senseless and pointless slaughter. The cause of defending the Kremlin’s camarilla under the pretext of «fight against international terrorism» was raised to the level of sacred duty for all citizens of Russia without the right to pay ransom.

While living by the laws of the New World Order, while being a member of 'European Councils' and other authoritative organizations, and while claiming to be civilized, Russia is still remaining a savage country of brutality and barbarianism.

They just never succeeded to crush Chechens. The country’s size, the number of cannon fodder and weapons of mass destruction are of no avail. And this is where malice, hatred, dismay and dumb animal desire to see your enemy dead comes from.

The Kremlin regime just cannot stop the senseless atrocities, which -- as the invaders themselves admitted – replenishes the Resistance Forces. Moscow is still cherishing the hope that Chechens can still be defeated and intimidated.

But even if all of a sudden you imagine that the savage atrocities stop and they will want to introduce Russian laws in Chechnya, it will still be the law of high-security penitentiary with only inmates (Chechens) in it, and towers with gunners will be located all along the perimeter. Only at gunpoint Chechens will be serving their time, their citizenship, and will be obeying the Russian laws, just like it’s always been since the day Moscow started its conquest of the Caucasus.

This is exactly why the Chechen people are resisting. Every time they get a chance, they rise and they give a new battle from generation to generation. This is how it used to be in the past, and this is how it will be, until the Chechens take what is rightfully theirs – their Freedom – by God’s Laws and by Right of the Brave!

Ahmad of Ichkeria,
for Kavkaz-Center
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/article.php?id=2983

If Russian secret services set a goal to get the people surprised, they made it. Turns out that the entire uproar in Ingushetia early morning of June 22 was organized by junkies, who were paid $ 3,000 US dollars for doing that. During the operational investigative procedures Russian KGB managed to establish that the list of the attackers had the same names that the lists of drug addicts registered with the Ingushetian addiction clinic had. And the addiction clinic was allegedly one of the targets of the attack.

After making simple computations, these are the results that we get in the final analysis. According to the price range in Nazran, Ingushetia, $ 3,000 can buy 200 grams of heroin, i.e. one gram per attacker. It’s not much, but what else can you expect from them? Drug addicts, you know.

When you read the reports by Russian media quoting the statements made by Russian secret services and the military, it’s hard to understand whether Russian journalists really take this bologna seriously or they are just scoffing at their authorities. No insanity like this has been seen from the Kremlin regime even during the last months of the rule of Politburo of the Communist Party of the USSR, - they too were fighting against «junkies and declassed elements», while defending the country’s integrity on the streets of Tbilisi, Vilnius and Riga.

But the 'junkie version' still cannot be ruled out completely. It is a known fact that a considerable part of servicemen of the troops of Russian invaders are alcoholics and/or drug addicts. Judging by 'analytical' reports of military commanders and chiefs of security services, drug addiction has penetrated deep inside the command. What kind of mushrooms do you have to eat to come up with the stories, which the reports about the 'counterterrorist' operation in the Caucasus are full of? Here is a quote:

«Besides these funds ($ 3,000), leaders of gang formations ordered a large amount of high-quality counterfeit dollars abroad, which they are going to pay to the militants who took part in the bandit sally in Nazran».

There is no need to announce who the author is. Counterfeit dollars and scams against ordinary 'militants' is Shabalkin’s specialization. But the Russian colonel from Khankala (Russian main base in Chechnya), -- he is already a general by the way, -- is apparently growing. He now has some innovative thoughts: Wahabists the drug addicts is certainly a good find. General Manilov and Yastrzhembsky, who went deep underground, are now taking a rest.

«Most of the militants are drug addicts, and they commit their deeds in a state of drug intoxication», FSB stated.

All in all, a miserable handful of junkies high on drugs carries out a combat operation on the territory of a so-called «subject of the Russian Federation». It blocks and attacks 20 facilities including military bases, beheads the police command and withdraws with no casualties incurred. Then I wonder what those who oppose that 'handful of junkies' are like?

If they were drug addicts, they must have been real high and were not thinking at all, since they conducted combat operations for just one shot of heroin, while all they had to do was come up to some dope dealer, whom there are no less than there are pro-Russian cops, hit him in the head and take whatever necessary: both money and heroin.

But seriously, there was one shortcoming in this Ingushetian operation, which made it harder for the Ingushetian troops (Mujahideen) to increase their combat efficiency: the enemy’s hopeless stupidity. There is a Chechen proverb that goes, «Conflict with a noble is better than friendship with a worthless one».

Lately, instead of commonplace reports, Russian secret services have been throwing in some information through the media, claiming that a large-scale terrorist act is about to happen in Russia. In this kind of a situation the group that seized the power in Russia just needs a terrorist act involving civilian casualties badly. Everything else, including 'groups of junkies' is a propagandistic backdrop. There are all reasons to believe that a terrorist act will take place. For thinking Russian citizens it will be yet another opportunity to find out how their country’s authorities value their lives. And for everybody else it will be a new pretext to unite against the common enemy, whom Russians will be searching anywhere but inside the Kremlin, where it actually abides.

Sirajin Sattayev,
for Kavkaz-Center
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/article.php?id=2982

In spite of being somewhat different from the events in Adjaria, Ossetian-Georgian confrontation is still similar to the Adjarian events, -- the main thing is that the participants are all the same. It would be inappropriate to be talking about strengths or weaknesses of either Georgian or Ossetian side. Either side is weak, and if an armed conflict breaks out, both of these sides will become victims.

Something artificial is still seen in this escalating tension. Probably, both sides are not yet smart enough to understand that if a war starts, there will be no winner, and both of the potential victims are still trying to intimidate each other by telling who stands behind them.

It is no secret that Russia is behind the Ossetians, and the US interests are behind Georgia. The potentials of these main opposing forces are incomparable, this is why Russia and its protege have little chances. It was already shown once in Adjaria. Back then almost all commentators were mistaken when making their predictions. While admitting the weakness of Russia's positions, they did not have any idea that Russians were that weak, and that Moscow's ally Abashidze would retreat that fast and leave his supporters behind to the mercy of fate.

Over the few months that happened after those events, Russia has apparently gained no authority. Today this story is repeating, and again the question is whether Russia will concede.

On the other hand, there is an opinion that there really is no confrontation between the US and Russia. Sure, Russia has its interests in the Caucasus, but Russia's interests and interests of the clique in the Kremlin are two totally different things. This is the explanation of the fact that up until this day any disagreements between Russia (Russia's government) and the US interests were being solved in favor of the latter. If Russia wants to, it can 'snarl' this time as well, -- it has the power and the capabilities to do so – to sort of stand aside and be no part in this war, and blame everything on some North Caucasus groups helping the Ossetians. The first signs that the events may develop in such a way are already showing. This is what Russian periodical Kommersant reported:

«Recently Russian Colonel Anatoly Barankevich was appointed as Defense Minister of South Ossetia. He went through Afghanistan and through Chechnya. This colonel is a mysterious figure. Nobody ever saw him and he never talks to any journalists at all. But everybody still knows that a Russian officer has become the Minister of Defense».

It's not that hard to guess which office this 'mysterious figure' belongs to, as well as who will be heading the «Caucasus international brigades», yearning to help citizens of Russia on the territory of sovereign Georgian State.

Certainly, the stories about 'international assistance' to the formations that are not under Russia's control may be told to the viewers of Russian TV. You just never know how Russia's antiterrorist coalition partner from across the Ocean will react to it. What Russia has been groundlessly accusing Georgia of, Russia is now doing itself, as if it were a reflection in the mirror.

There is a sovereign state, there are separatists, and there is a neighboring state, which aids these separatists. North Ossetia is probably destined to become the 'Pankisi Gorge' on the territory of Russia.

But actually, there is a big difference. Georgian authorities have never assisted the fighting Chechens (but they have been broadly cooperating with Russia instead), they have never issued Georgian passports to Chechens and Chechens never asked them to integrate their country into Georgia.

And lastly, the main problem is what to do with the accusations of 'terrorism'. Those who listened to the terrorist accusations with understanding, which are still being heard from the Russian politicians, must now admit that Russia's actions fall under the wording of these accusations.

Terminology and wording in Russian language, as well as the Russian language itself among the Russian politicians, changes depending on which side of the Caucasus Mountain Range is on the agenda. Speaking about the northern part, it is «separatism and terrorism», but speaking about the soutrhern part (Georgia), it is «fight for freedom and independence on the land of their forefathers».

Salman Daudov,
for Kavkaz-Center
http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/article.php?id=2981

The invaders’ command in Chechnya is still preoccupied with mathematical computations of casualties among the 'militants'. It must be said that love for calculations has always been a distinctive feature of the Russian generals. Both in the past and in the present reporting the number of enemy soldiers killed has always been the number one priority for the Russian army command. It was of vital statewide importance to pick the correct figure and draw up a report.

Classics of Marxism-Leninism were especially stressing on this predilection for mathematics among the Russian military. For example, Friedrich Engels never missed a chance to emphasize in his articles about the armies of the world and about wars that military reports by Russian generals should never be trusted at all. In one of his works dedicated to war operations on Russian-Turkish frontlines Engels pointed out that all reports by the Russian military command about their casualties must always be multiplied by 10, and enemy casualties must always be divided by 10.

General Tikhomirov was the one who went against the Russian military tradition. Commander of gangs of Russian police troops told journalists the other day that over the past six-month period of battles in Chechnya only 126 'militants' have been killed. Since there are 180 days in 6 months, it turns out that daily 'elimination of militants' did not exceed 0.7. It’s about time for colonel, oh, excuse me, for general Shabalkin (spokesman for the war in the Caucasus), who by the sweat of his brow earned his promotion by counting the Mujahideen killed when all kinds of methods were used, to get outraged. I can remember how during the most recent two or three 'special operations' that Russian troops carried out near Avtury, Serzhen-Yurt, Gansolchu and Vedeno, at least a couple of hundred 'militants' were killed. Another hundred of eliminated 'terrorists' was mentioned by speaker of Russian State Duma, federal police chief Gryzlov right after «militants broke out of Ingushetia towards Chechnya» on June 22.

Interestingly, according to general Tikhomirov, during these 180 days restless 'militants' were committing 'unlawful acts' at least 878 times. The perpetrators were messing with landmines, grenade-launchers and frolicking with semiautomatic assault rifles and machineguns. Police general would not explain whether combat operations of Mujahideen in Ingushetia and in the mountains of Chechnya, as well as sabotage guerilla operations in Dagestan, North Ossetia, Chechnya and Russia were listed among these 'violations'. But Tikhomirov’s reports have no figures of the invaders’ casualties whatsoever. There were probably none at all.

At the same time the ringleader of gang formations of Internal Police Force of the Russian Federation considered it necessary to warn the country that 'militants' have increased their activities. These activities are manifested in «attempts to legalize and concentrate forces posing as peaceful civilians in populated areas and infiltrating government structures of the Republic».

But there still is one single discrepancy present in Tikhomirov’s report. I can remember how back when Kadyrov was still alive, after the battles in the mountains of Dagestan were over and after the death of Chechen General Gelayev, Tikhomirov was claiming that «no more than 500 militants are running around in the mountains». This is the figure that present-day successor of Kadyrov, Allu Alkhanov, used to quote. If this figure is true, then it’s about time for the invaders to declare a holiday dedicated to the end of the war since all 'militants' ran out. From Tikhomirov’s report it follows that besides the 126 'terrorists' killed, 362 'militants' plus 617 of their ‘accomplices” were captured.

It is obvious that the plan was surpassed, and as many as 605 more 'militants and terrorists' were captured. But then who is the one «legalizing and concentrating, while posing as peaceful civilians in populated areas and infiltrating government structures of the Republic»? Not too clear though…

Ramzan Terloyev,
for Kavkaz-Center
http://www.kavkaz.org.uk/eng/article.php?id=2978