And don't sell the Russians short with their own false-flag initiatives, either.
God, the more you learn about governments....
"Chechen leader's ally accused of role in assassination; Dubai officials say 4 suspects remain at large" by Barbara Surk and Mike Eckel, Associated Press | April 6, 2009
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The assassination of a Chechen renegade - the first reported political killing in this glitzy city - was masterminded by a close ally of Chechnya's president, Dubai authorities said yesterday, calling on Russia to untie "the knot of this crime."
The allegation could have broad implications for President Ramzan Kadyrov, a former rebel now closely allied with the Kremlin and its campaign to quell a 14-year insurrection in Chechnya. One of his foes, Sulim Yamadayev, was gunned down March 28 outside a busy residential complex along Dubai's shoreline....
It was not clear what Yamadayev was doing in Dubai, but the authorities said he arrived in the emirate four months ago on a Russian passport issued in the name of Sulaiman Madov. Though it's highly unlikely that Russia would turn Delimkhanov over to Dubai for prosecution, the allegations could further taint Kadyrov and the Kremlin's backing of him.
He took over the presidency in 2007 - three years after his father, the former leader, was assassinated in a bomb blast. Since then, Kadyrov has presided over a virtual end to the large-scale fighting that destroyed the Chechen capital, Grozny, and sent thousands of Chechen refugees into neighboring North Caucasus republics.--more--"
I don't think he need worry about Kremlin backing.
I see agenda-pushing at work here, folks.
"Russia ends military counterterrorism mission in Chechnya; Former Soviet region endured 10-year operation" by Michael Schwirtz, New York Times | April 17, 2009
Chechen children dressed in national costumes danced in Grozny yesterday during celebrations of the lifting of the security regime. The republic could allow international flights soon. (Said Tsarnayev/Reuters)
You know why that photograph is there, right, readers?
MOSCOW - Russia officially ended its counterterrorism operation in the southern region of Chechnya yesterday with an announcement that carried enormous symbolic weight as marking the closure of a decade of Muslim separatist battles for independence.
But it remains to be seen what the announcement will mean on the ground in Chechnya, which boasts a nascent stability under the rule of its strongman president, Ramzan A. Kadyrov, who has been the focus of widespread accusations of human rights violations....
Russia's National Antiterrorist Committee did not mention troop withdrawals. While violence in Chechnya has declined, insurgents have not been completely routed, and it seems likely that many troops and security forces will remain there for some time.
I don't understand the headline to this piece.
Kadyrov has strong support in Moscow, where he is praised for quelling the insurgency, rebuilding areas devastated by the war, and rejuvenating the local economy. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Chechnya has been perhaps the most troubled region in Russia, site of two wars that caused thousands of deaths and at times embarrassed Russia's military.
Once again, the slaughtered Muslims don't seem to be of much importance to the Zionist War Daily.
The second war began in 1999, when the president at the time, Boris N. Yeltsin, ordered counterterrorism operations to begin shortly after explosions at several apartment buildings in Moscow and elsewhere that killed hundreds. The government officially blamed Chechen terrorists and sent military forces there, coordinated by Vladimir V. Putin, then prime minister. Putin later became president, and is now prime minister again.
After artillery and fighter bombers had pounded Chechnya, Putin in 2007 anointed Kadyrov to clean up the aftermath and end the insurgency. Kadyrov's father had been Chechen president but was assassinated in 2004. The younger Kadyrov went after the insurgency with speed and brutality. Backed by the Kremlin, he crushed the rebel movement, killing off leaders, but also granting amnesty to former fighters in exchange for loyalty.
Human rights groups and journalists have accused his regime of employing kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial executions to meet these ends. Yesterday, Kadyrov said the end of the counterterrorist operation signified victory over terrorism in Chechnya and a return to normalcy.
"We have come a long way to this day. I have lost more than 400 of my colleagues, friends and family," Kadyrov, a former rebel fighter, said at a press conference. "Today we have confirmed that our republic is the most peaceful and safest region of Russia."
Ending the counterterrorist operation was a major goal for Kadyrov, who has sought more autonomy from Moscow since being appointed by the Kremlin. With yesterday's announcement, Chechnya could be eligible to establish its own customs service and begin allowing for international flights into the airport in the capital, Grozny.
International flights would help speed the flow of supplies into the republic and quicken reconstruction, said Alvi A. Karimov, Kadyrov's spokesman. Eliminating the counterterrorist operation could also lead to the withdrawal of thousands of federal troops currently stationed in Chechnya.
They just said above the troops are likely staying.
An unnamed law enforcement official told the Interfax news agency that as many as 20,000 troops under Moscow's control could eventually leave the republic. This would formally remove all federal control over counterterrorist activities in the republic, said Andrei Soldatov, a Russian security specialist.
"Control over special operations will be passed to Kadyrov's forces, his subdivisions of the republic's interior ministry," he said.
--more--"
So what's the point? Russia let a dictator set up shop in one of their own states? Yeah, some governors do suck, yup. What business is it of ours?
