18 February 2005 -- The Russian military says a senior Chechen separatist field commander was killed in an ambush today.
Relatives of separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov (in file photo) have been abducted, officials confirmed today 18 February 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The head of Chechnya's pro-Moscow administration has announced that relatives of separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov have been kidnapped.
17 February 2005 -- A senior Chechen security official today accused rights groups of overstating the number of abductions in Chechnya in a bid to draw attention to an upcoming conference on the war-ravaged region.
Russia's Defense Ministry has admitted the army is testing new military equipment and weaponry in Chechnya, where federal forces have been battling separatist militants for more than five years. Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Belousov says some of the weapons that have been tested will enter mass production this year. Russian military analysts say the admission comes as little surprise.
HRW accused the forces of Ramzan Kadyrov (in file photo) of involvement in abductions, in addition to federal troops 17 February 2005 -- An international human rights group has charged that more than 1,000 people are believed to have been kidnapped in Chechnya in 2004.
Moscow rejected Maskhadov's recent urge for talks (file photo) 14 February 2005 -- Europe's top human rights body said today that talks were needed to end the conflict in the breakaway southern Russian republic of Chechnya.
Daghestan has not emerged unscathed from a decade of unrest in southern Russia (file photo) 14 February 2005 -- One police officer has been reported killed and three other officers injured in a bomb explosion in the southern Russian republic of Daghestan, which borders war-ravaged Chechnya.
11 February 2005 -- Troops from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) have killed an armed man who they surrounded in a residential area of the Ingush city of Nazran.
On 3 February, the Chechen resistance website chechenpress.com posted a statement by President Aslan Maskhadov's envoy Umar Khambiev announcing that Maskhadov issued instructions to his forces on 14 January to observe a unilateral cease-fire until the end of February. According to Khambiev, that command was intended as a goodwill gesture that could pave the way for unconditional talks aimed at ending more than five years of fighting.
Is Putin's control of his government slipping? A growing number of Russia watchers seem to be coming to the conclusion that the political machine of President Vladimir Putin is entering a profound, systemic crisis that has been provoked by a string of political failures both at home and abroad (see "Russia On The Verge Of A Breakdown" --> /featuresarticle/2005/2/954DA9C3-67C7-4BAB-B263-CB41BD325A5B.html ).
Aslan Maskhadov (file photo) A unilateral cease-fire called by Chechen separatist leaders appears to be holding -- giving some the impression there may be an opening in the Chechen crisis. The cease-fire was called by Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov and warlord Shamil Basaev as a goodwill gesture to encourage the Russians to engage in talks over the feature of the republic. Chechnya's Russian-backed government has dismissed the move as a publicity stunt, and observers say that with memories of September's tragic Beslan school siege still fresh, the Russians are not likely to rush to the negotiating table.
7 February 2005 -- Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov says he hopes his order for a unilateral cease-fire will lead to peace talks with Russia.
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