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.
Shamil Basaev (file photo) London, 4 February 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Shamil Basaev, the radical Chechen field commander behind a series of terrorist acts, including last autumn's bloody school siege in Beslan, says he is planning more such attacks for the future.
Shamil Basaev (file photo) 4 February 2004 -- A British television channel has aired an interview with radical Chechen field commander Shamil Basaev, who has claimed responsibility for the deadly Beslan school siege, despite Russian protests that the broadcast would help terrorists.
4 February 2005 -- Authorities have detained a suspect they believe may have been involved in the deadly hostage-taking raid on a school in Beslan, in Russia's southern republic of North Ossetia in September.
Aslan Maskhadov (file photo) Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has allegedly ordered Chechen fighters to temporarily halt all offensive operations in the republic. A statement by Maskhadov published on a Chechen website says the cease-fire, due to last through 22 February, is a gesture of goodwill. Chechnya's Russian-backed government has dismissed the report, calling it a publicity stunt that cannot be trusted.
Ramzan Kadyrov at his father Akhmed's funeral Disappearances and kidnappings have plagued Chechnya for years. In the latest development, relatives of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov have been abducted. The Chechen Prosecutor-General's Office has opened an investigation into the disappearance of the eight Maskhadov family members. The war between federal forces and Chechen resistance fighters is now in its fifth year, and it is civilians who suffer most. It is not known how many civilians have been kidnapped, tortured, or killed.
1 February 2005 -- A high-ranking Russian official said yesterday that police and soldiers are apparently taking part in abductions in Chechnya.
29 January 2005 -- A Russian report says nine servicemen have been killed by land-mine explosions in the war-torn republic of Chechnya.
28 January 2005 -- The Russian Defense Ministry today denied allegations that the negligence of several senior army officers helped Chechen militants seize a school in Beslan last September.
The long-awaited draft power-sharing agreement between Chechnya and the Russian federal government is finally ready for signing, Chechen State Council Chairman Taus Djabrailov announced on 18 January -- almost two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin dubbed it the logical next step in the process of "normalizing" Chechnya following the adoption in a controversial referendum of a new constitution for the region.
25 January 2005 -- The international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has criticized a court decision against a Russian journalist.
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