Press-Release №33
Questions with no answers
Who needs “East”?
During last several weeks the most discussed issue in the Chechen Republic became the special battalion of GRU (main intelligence directorate of the Russian General Staff) "East", basically, daily received new facts on arbitrariness and violence created by these "fighters against terrorism" towards peace citizens. In Gudermes and Vedenski district of the republic several places of mass burial of citizens, who had become at various times victims of extra judicial executions by "vostokovtsy" are revealed. And membes of a special unit killed both unarmed peace inhabitants, who frequently without any proofs declared helpers of militants and "their brothers on the weapon", suspected "in betrayal".
Russian mass media have already published many articles with charges against leadership and militaries of the battalion "East". In particular, it concerns abductions and murders two brothers of well known Moscow banker Abubakar Arsamakov and their driver in Shatoiski district, happened last year, and also murder of the well known Chechen singer Milana Balaeva and her mother, the retaliatory "cleaning up operation" in the village of Borozdinovskaya in the north of the Chechen Republic, as a result of which two local inhabitants had been killed, and 11 more are still considered as missing persons, and many other things. Besides, as it was mentioned above, recently former servicemen of this division indicated several places of burial of local residents, who had become victims of "East".
Nevertheless, all this has not prevented one of the deputy ministers of defense of Russia General Shamanov (which had gained sad glory of the chastiser and the executioner of women and children among inhabitants of the Chechen Republic) to declare that "East" will not be disbanded as it was requested by the parliament of the Chechen Republic. Moreover, the starry general declared that "East" and similar battalion "West" "carry out, allegedly, "important tasks not only within the joint grouping of troops, but also important peace-making tasks in Abkhazia and South Ossetia”. One can only guess which "peace-making tasks" can be carried out by militaries, accused in fulfillment of grave crimes, in zones of the Georgian-Abkhasian and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts.
In this view a natural question arises: "Isn’t there other division within the Russian army, which can carry out "peace-making task" in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Especially, when Shamanov has recognized that the level of preparation of servicemen of the special battalion of GRU desires to be better. The general intends to send "regular officers" to the battalion and to make this division more or less efficient. It seems that Shamanov is least interested in moral qualities of "fighters against terrorism" from "East", if he came to such conclusion.
Meanwhile, on 11 June inhabitants of the republic conducted a mass protest action in front of the entrance to the territory of the battalion "East" with requirement to return their kidnapped and disappeared citizens as well as to punish originators of extrajudicial executions and punishments above peace inhabitants. Many participants of the meeting held in hands headers with inscriptions "Murderers to be called to answer!", "Yamadaevtsy are enemies of the Chechen people!", "Yamadaevs, return our sons!", "Yamadaevs are murderers of our sons!", and etc.
No one from the leadership of servicemen of the battalion met with participants of the meeting. "Vostokovtsy" preferred to stay behind strong walls of their base, having exposed before the gate military posts made of servicemen of Russian nationality. Shamanov can “strengthen” and "strengthen" the battalion "East", but it will not gain authority and respect among the population of the republic. They have already discredited themselves in eyes of the citizens, and it is doubtful that initiatives of the General will somehow positively affect the image of this division.
Who and why do need this "East" and other power departments in the Chechen Republic, when the situation in the republic is characterized at all levels of the government as exclusively stable and quiet, remains open.
13 June 2008
Information Center for CNO
The press-release is prepared and issued with support of Human Rights and Governance Grants Program at the OSI-Budapest. The Institute is not responsible for the activity of the Information Center for CNO and material published on the organization’s website.