Kadyrov Sues Memorial

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov sued Memorial’s chief for 10 million rubles ($314,800) in a Moscow court Thursday for allegations that he was involved in the murder of one of the human rights organization’s activists last month.

The Tverskoi District Court will hear the defamation lawsuit against Memorial chief Oleg Orlov on Aug. 31, Interfax reported.

Orlov accused Kadyrov of involvement in the abduction of Memorial activist Natalya Estemirova in Grozny on July 15. She was found shot dead in Ingushetia later that day.

Kadyrov’s lawyer Andrei Krasnenkov said his client also wanted Memorial to publish a retraction on its web site. (MT)

Arbat Prestige Case Refiled

Prosecutors have returned a criminal case against the former head of Russia’s largest cosmetics retailer, Vladimir Nekrasov, and reputed crime boss Semyon Mogilevich to a Moscow court for trial, Rosbalt reported Thursday.

The Prosecutor General’s Office sent the case against Nekrasov, owner of the now-bankrupt Arbat Prestige, and his purported consultant, Mogilevich, to Moscow’s Tushinsky District Court.

Nekrasov and Mogilevich were tried in closed court proceedings in the court from January to June, when the judge ordered the case be returned to prosecutors to correct mistakes. (MT)

Kitten Killer Gets 7 Months

An Arkhangelsk resident has been sentenced to seven months of labor in a prison colony for killing a kitten, prosecutors said Thursday.

Sergei Vakhromov killed the kitten in the presence of his 5-year-old daughter while he was drunk, prosecutors said.

Convictions for animal cruelty are rare in Russia. It was not clear why Vakhromov received such a harsh sentence. (MT)

Yushchenko Defends Self

KIEV — President Viktor Yushchenko on Thursday defended himself against President Dmitry Medvedev’s charges of anti-Russian policies and invited Medvedev to bilateral talks.

Medvedev’s comments, in which he said he wanted to see a new leader in Ukraine who was easier to deal with, was seen by analysts as a warning shot to Ukrainian candidates in a presidential election next year, which Yushchenko is unlikely to win.

“I will be frank — I am very disappointed with its unfriendly character,” Yushchenko said of Medvedev’s comments in an open letter addressed to the Ukrainian people on Tuesday. “I cannot disagree that there are serious problems in relations between our countries, but it is surprising that the Russian president completely shrugs off Russia’s responsibility for this.” (Reuters)

EU Criticizes Putin’s Trip

BRUSSELS — The European Union on Thursday criticized Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia republic, saying it was not helpful to international efforts to stabilize the region.

The Swedish EU presidency reiterated EU support for Georgia’s territorial integrity, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia, recognized by Russia as independent, and expressed concern that Putin had visited Abkhazia without Georgia’s permission.

“The EU does not consider this visit compatible with the principle of territorial integrity nor helpful for the international efforts to stabilize the region,” it said in a statement.

The EU on Wednesday condemned the murder of the head of a children’s charity and her husband in Chechnya and called for a thorough investigation of the killings. (Reuters)