My profile:
Two elite military battalions in Chechnya that report directly to Moscow are to be downsized in a move expected to further cement Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov's control over the southern republic.
The Vostok and Zapad battalions, which reported directly to the Defense Ministry, will be reformed into companies within the 42nd motorized division stationed in Chechnya, said Vladimir Moltenskoi, deputy head of the Army.
Moltenskoi announced the reorganization at a Saturday meeting with Kadyrov in Grozny, RIA-Novosti reported. Both battalions will be downsized from 700 servicemen to 150 servicemen and will lose their status as elite units, Kommersant reported Monday.
The move will abolish the only remaining armed formations in the republic manned primarily by ethnic Chechens and not led by Kadyrov loyalists.
The Vostok battalion has a recent history of violent clashes involving a standoff between Kadyrov and brothers Sulim, Ruslan and Badruddi Yamadayev, former Chechen rebels who led a powerful clan based in Gudermes.
Ruslan Yamadayev was shot dead in a contract-style hit in central Moscow in September, and no suspects have been arrested in the case.
Sulim Yamadayev, the former Vostok commander, is considered Kadyrov's chief rival in Chechnya. His whereabouts are unclear.
Vostok, Zapad Battalions Downgraded
11 November 2008
The Moscow Times
Discussion
Comments
The Moscow Times welcomes comments from our readers and encourages you to participate in creating a dialogue about modern-day politics, business and events in Russia. In order to post a comment, you must first be registered with our site, and all comments must adhere to our comments policy.
1. Comments must pertain to the topic of the corresponding article.
2. Comments must not contain vulgarity, ad hominem attacks, slander or anything resembling hate speech.
If you have posted a comment and it does not appear within 24 hours, please contact us.
1. Comments must pertain to the topic of the corresponding article.
2. Comments must not contain vulgarity, ad hominem attacks, slander or anything resembling hate speech.
If you have posted a comment and it does not appear within 24 hours, please contact us.
Most Read
-
Editor, Kremlin Critic Decry YouTube Video
Russian Newsweek editor Mikhail Fishman and opposition politician Ilya Yashin cried foul Thursday after a video surfaced on YouTube that seemingly shows them giving bribes to traffic police officers.
-
Clinton, Putin to Hold First Meeting Friday
But the announcement was the only outwardly positive news of the day, as Putin said during a meeting on nuclear energy industry in Volgodonsk that Russia would launch Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor this summer.
-
Aeroflot, Sheremetyevo Reach Compromise
Aeroflot is ready to hand over its Terminal D for management to Sheremetyevo, which will be running the entire airport until officials are able to select an independent operator.
-
Skolkovo Designated ‘Silicon Valley’ Location
The prestigious Moscow region town, which currently hosts a premier business school, will have five "presidential" priorities for modernization: energy, IT, telecommunications, biotechnology and nuclear technology, Medvedev said.
-
The New Cuban Missile Crisis
If history will remember the 20th century for its nuclear weapons, the dropping of two atomic bombs and the nuclear arms race, then the 21st century might become the century of the missile defense arms race.
-
Putin Says Share of Nuclear Market to Rise
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the nuclear power industry after overseeing the opening of a new reactor in Volgodonsk, Rostov region, that will begin operating at its full capacity of 1,000 megawatts in October.
-
20-Page Treaty Translates Into a Major Headache
A successor to the Cold War-era nuclear arms reduction treaty remains out of reach despite repeated assurances from U.S. and Russian officials about an imminent deal.
-
Former Beatle Set to Play Tribute Festival
The Pete Best Band, fronted by the former Beatles drummer, will headline a Beatles tribute festival at club B1 on Sunday.
-
Lawyer Confesses to $17M Robbery Hoax
Yevgeny Skoblikov, 33, was arrested in October soon after he told police that about $6 million and 7 million euros ($10.5 million) in cash were stolen from his rented Moscow apartment.
-
Hundreds of WWII Artillery Shells Found
Sappers removed 916 field artillery shells of various calibers after workers expanding Prospekt Marshala Zhukova stumbled upon the cache, prompting evacuation of residents from two nearby apartment buildings.
-
5 Reasons Why Russia Isn’t China
Many believe that Moscow should have copied China’s reforms. But what made China’s reforms a success was inapplicable to Russia.
-
Online Commerce Choked by Shipping Delays
Foreign-based Internet shopping sites are drawing increasing numbers of Russian consumers looking for deals, but as delays mount at the country's notoriously inefficient postal service, many are finding that securing delivery of their items is no simple task.
-
Russian Corruption 'May Force Western Firms to Quit'
Extortion by corrupt officials in Russia has gotten so bad that some Western multinationals are considering pulling out altogether, the head of a U.S. anti-bribery group said in an interview.
-
Sochi Olympic Workers Unpaid for Months
Some construction workers complain that they are going hungry after pawning their documents and valuables to get food at grocery stores, while sympathetic locals have organized a soup kitchen.
-
Russia Today Courts Viewers With Controversy
In a rare interview, the editor of Russia Today explains that the growing channel thrives on controversy as its provides an alternative to mainstream media, and polishing Moscow's reputation is not one of its tasks.
-
Mercedes May Help Solve LUKoil Crash
The "black box" from a LUKoil executive's Mercedes involved in a fatal crash last month will be sent to Germany for analysis, a source close to the carmaker's Russian office said.
-
Putin Sells New Delhi ‘Plane-Proof’ Reactors
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won support for Rosatom to build a dozen ultrasafe nuclear reactors in India, part of more than $10 billion in deals in energy, arms, telecoms and other cooperation signed during his visit Friday.
-
Medvedev Warns Ministers to Obey Orders
President Dmitry Medvedev warned federal and regional officials on Tuesday that they could find themselves out on the street for not fulfilling his orders in a timely manner, in his latest initiative to raise his profile as the country's top politician.
-
The Hard Lives of Police and Prostitutes
Traffic police and prostitutes have a lot in common. Both stand by the side of the road and try to get what they can from passing motorists.
-
Editor, Kremlin Critic Decry YouTube Video
Russian Newsweek editor Mikhail Fishman and opposition politician Ilya Yashin cried foul Thursday after a video surfaced on YouTube that seemingly shows them giving bribes to traffic police officers.
-
5 Reasons Why Russia Isn’t China
Many believe that Moscow should have copied China’s reforms. But what made China’s reforms a success was inapplicable to Russia.
-
Car Crash Thrusts LUKoil Into PR Nightmare
Bloggers are seething over what they interpret as insensitive comments made by the company after one of its vice presidents, Anatoly Barkov, was involved in a car crash that killed two people. Some have called for a boycott of LUKoil gas stations and a popular rapper has written a song declaring that Barkov will go to hell.
-
Adopted Boy's Death in U.S. Stirs Russian Anger
The case promises to reignite Russian anger over U.S. adoptions, a delicate issue in U.S.-Russian relations in recent years, and could tangle efforts by U.S. President Barack Obama to "reset" ties that deteriorated under the previous administration.
-
Finlandization of Georgia and Ukraine
Moscow has a right to protect its own security, but it does not have the right to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors.
-
Mr. Nyet
The Kremlin is clearly not content with its diminished power status. But one way it can still project its power globally is to be the spoiler.
-
Stalin Billboards for Victory Day
Senior state official and rights activists alike have criticized a City Hall plan to display billboards in central Moscow highlighting dictator Josef Stalin's role in the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
-
Kremlin Hosts U.S. Innovation Team
Representatives from technology powerhouses Cisco Systems and eBay – along with Twitter enthusiast and actor Ashton Kutcher – are among a 13-member U.S. delegation in Moscow this week for a summit with their Russian counterparts to discuss innovation.
-
Lawmakers Say Heads Will Roll for Dismal Olympic Performance
The nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, or LDPR, initiated the howls, calling on Russian Olympic Committee chief Leonid Tyagachyov to resign immediately
-
The Olympic Test
Putin’s Olympics will put on display the system he has built, which is why I have so many doubts about the outcome.
-
Online Commerce Choked by Shipping Delays
Foreign-based Internet shopping sites are drawing increasing numbers of Russian consumers looking for deals, but as delays mount at the country's notoriously inefficient postal service, many are finding that securing delivery of their items is no simple task.
