Russian migration from Chechnya
Just backing up my point. I have lots more material. (Thanks, Ralph!) This has been cut down considerably, since originally he sent me about 70K of materials from JTA and elsewhere. Chris: Sorry for the delays . . . I publish a newsletter on Russian Security and Military Affairs, which covers the Chechen War, and with Maskhadov's PR stunt in Ingushetia, I was temproarily overwhelmed in work. Below are articles from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that covers the plight of Jews in Chechnya under Maskhadov's government. You will notice that an unofficial anti-Semitism became the law of the land, with Jews being persecuted relentlessly, some because of religion, some over apartments, etc. You will also notice that Novoye Gazeta's reporter Izmailov has indicated that it was the Chechen's and local wahhabists who were behind the hostage/slave trade, the same Izmailov who would later change his tune when his masters-to-be found it pertinent to play the Chechen trace in favor of slandering Russia. Money does talk . . . the first article actually deals with wahhabist harrassment/persecution of Jews in Dagestan. Reading these articles illustrate just how bad the area was before Russian forces crossed the Chechen border in October 1999. Best, Ralph Kidnappings illustrate danger for Jews in Russian Caucasus By Lev Gorodetsky MOSCOW, Oct. 5, 1999 (JTA) -- Yuri Izmailov, a well-known member of the Jewish community in the capital of Dagestan, was kidnapped last winter and held near the border with the breakaway republic of Chechnya. The reason: His captors wanted to receive ransom money from his relatives or sell him into slavery to Chechens. After six months of living in a basement, eating only bread and water and sleeping on a dirt floor, Izmailov, 45, knew he had to take action. He managed to dig an underground passageway and escape onto the street, walking away unsuspected only, he believes, because his six-month-old beard made people think he was one of the Wahabbites, a local radical Muslim group. But that wasn't the end of trouble for Izmailov or his family, which before his escape had managed to bargain the ransom price down to $50,000. A family celebration of his escape was interrupted by two armed men who burst into their house. The ensuing shooting left several dead and others, including Izmailov, badly wounded. Izmailov again managed to survive and shortly thereafter, the entire family left the city of Makhachkala, the Dagestani capital, with some going to Israel. Jewish kidnappings in the Caucasus have become more frequent in the past year -- some 15 to 20 Jews are currently being held in the Makhachkala region alone, according to Karen Gurshumov, a leader of the local Jewish community. As the kidnappings show, the situation of the Jews in the predominantly Muslim republics of Russia's northern Caucasus is rather precarious. They come at a time of growing instability and escalating conflict in the region. Chechen rebels have twice invaded neighboring Dagestan and are widely blamed for terrorist bombings that have killed hundreds in Moscow and southern Russia. Chechen leaders say their goal is to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in the region. In recent weeks, Russia has bombed targets in Chechnya, prompting a stream of refugees from the region and fueling speculation that a new Russian war against Chechnya was imminent. The situation for Jews in the region contrasts sharply with the era prior to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, when the anti-Semitism familiar to Jews in most of Russia was virtually non-existent in this region. The situation began to deteriorate in 1989, when the rapid changes in Soviet society caused by Gorbachev's policies of perestroika led to a sharp surge of nationalism mixed with strong Islamic sentiments. Anti-Zionist and explicitly anti-Semitic slogans and speeches were heard at mass rallies in Makhachkala, Derbent and other towns in Dagestan. The increase of anti-Semitism spurred many local Jews to leave the area where their ancestors had lived for at least 12 centuries. Most left for Israel or resettled in Moscow and other cities in Russia. Fewer made their way to the United States. The anti-Semitic rhetoric has escalated in the past year. Shamil Basayev, a warlord from neighboring Chechnya who has been leading the recent attacks by Islamic rebels in Dagestan, has employed anti-Zionist rhetoric to explain his goals. ``I'm going to fight against Zionism and purge Dagestan, driving out the Yeltsin regime, faithful servant of world Zionism,'' he was quoted as saying at a mass rally in Chechnya a few weeks ago. Aslan Maskhadov, president of the self-proclaimed Chechen republic, has made similar comments. The latest reports from Dagestani Jewish centers say that a new outburst of war -- an invasion of Dagestan territory by Chechen fighters and Islamic fundamentalists, followed by a massive operation of Russian federal troops inside Chechnya --
Re: Russian migration from Chechnya
And that was just Jews. Lets see how other people were doing in the Wonderland of Independent Ichkeria. And I didn't even have to use Lexis-Nexis. KRO, Stavropol Authorities Sign Resettlement Agreement By RIA Novosti correspondent Andrey Malosolov MOSCOW, MAY 20, 1997 RIA NOVOSTI -- The Congress of Russian Communities (KRO) and the administration of Stavropol Territory led by Aleksandr Chernogorov signed an agreement for the organization of the resettlement and employment in Stavropol Territory of 30,000-35,000 Russian-speaking citizens who do not want to remain on Chechnya's territory. The RIA Novosti correspondent learned this in an exclusive interview with State Duma deputy Dmitriy Rogozin, Chairman of the Congress of Russian Communities. Rogozin said that the resettlement of Russians from Chechnya will be financed from means of the Stavropol Territory and money earmarked for Chechnya's economic rehabilitation. The resettlement will be effected with the assistance and under the protection of the Russian Security Council, Chechnya and Dagestan. In Rogozin's opinion, most of the Russian-speaking citizens strive to leave the Chechen Republic, fleeing from genocide and criminal lawlessness. According to information available to the KRO, in the Naursky and Shelkovskoy districts which are mainly inhabited by Cossacks, since April 21 the Chechen authorities arrested and took to Groznyy prisons 20 Cossack atamans (heads), including ataman Andreyev, Vice-Chairman of the KRO local department. Robberies and murders of Russians continue in the capital of Ichkeria. Their number has since the launching of the hostilities dropped from 250,000 to 8,000 people. The KRO chairman negatively assessed the signing of the peace accord with Chechnya. He believes that no peace treaty with Groznyy will ever be effective without such provisions as return of all war prisoners, resettlement of Russians not wishing to remain in Chechnya to other places of residence, definition of the status of the Shelkovskoy and Naursky districts which were parcelled off from Stavropol Territory and handed over to the Chechen-Ingush Republic in 1956, as well as border control. Another 4,000 Leave Chechnya Fleeing Harrasment By Nikolay Styazhkin STAVROPOL, August 7, 1997 (Itar-Tass) -- About 4,000 refugees from Chechnya have come to Russia's southern Stavropol territory since the start of this year, a territorial migration service spokesman told Itar-Tass today. The official said the refugees' story is that harrasment from Chechen extremist groups is continuing despite official utterances of Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov about safety guarantees for all ethnic groups in Chechnya. The refugees say that non-Chechen residents are confronted by go- or-you will-be-sorry threats. A total of 40,000 people left Chechnya for the Stavropol territory at the height of the 21-month hostilities. * 03.Chechen Refugees Continue To Pour into Stavropol Territory Moscow Radio Rossii Network in Russian 1800 GMT 21 Dec 97 Refugees are continuing to stream into Stavropol Territory from Chechnya. (?Georgiy Nikolayev), head of the territorial immigration service, told RIA Novosti today that about 4,500 people forced to move from Chechnya had been registered in Stavropol Territory in the first 11 months of this year and that this was one-third of the total number of immigrants to the Territory. Commenting on the results of a two-day interregional conference, which has just ended in Stavropol Territory and which was entitled The Role of Public Organizations in the Resolution of Refugee Problems, Nikolayev noted that a total of about 4,500 people had moved to the Territory from the neighboring republic. He said that half of them had already achieved the status of displaced persons, which is a condition for them to receive benefits and compensation for lost housing and property. * 04.Chechens 'Refusing' To Leave Kabardino-Balkar Republic By Yelena Ashinova Nalchik, September 11, 2004 (Itar-Tass) -- The migration service in Russia's Kabardino-Balkar Republic has reported that more than 2,400 refugees from Chechnya filed their unwillingness to return home. Of those, only 517 are ethnic Russians, migration service director Anzor Guchapshev told Itar-Tass on Thursday. Guchapshev said the refugees are refusing to return to Chechnya mainly because of economic difficulties experienced by the breakaway republic. However, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic which borders Chechnya in the northwest is unable to continue to support the forced migrants, he said. The migration service decided to provide housing for the Russians in the Prokhladniy district in the east of the republic until they are paid compensations, Guchapshev said, adding that as regards the Chechens, nobody is going to evict them. The people should realize themselves that it is time to return home, he emphasized. ** 05.Chechnya Announces Plans to Deport
Re: Russian migration from Chechnya
Chris Doss wrote: Another 4,000 Leave Chechnya Fleeing Harrasment By Nikolay Styazhkin STAVROPOL, August 7, 1997 (Itar-Tass) -- About 4,000 refugees from Chechnya have come to Russia's southern Stavropol territory since the start of this year, a territorial migration service spokesman told Itar-Tass today. The official said the refugees' story is that harrasment from Chechen extremist groups is continuing despite official utterances of Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov about safety guarantees for all ethnic groups in Chechnya. The refugees say that non-Chechen residents are confronted by go- or-you will-be-sorry threats. A total of 40,000 people left Chechnya for the Stavropol territory at the height of the 21-month hostilities. The Economist, January 8, 1994 Russian media; What is Russian for free press? DATELINE: MOSCOW IS BORIS YELTSIN trying to reassert political control over the press and television? Purges began soon after the election. Vyacheslav Bragin, controller of two of Russia's four nationwide television channels, was the first to be sacked. His mistake was not lack of loyalty -- Mr Bragin is a member of the pro-Yeltsin party, Russia's Choice -- but selling too much air-time to Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Next Mr Yeltsin abolished the Ministry of Information and the Federal Information Centre, two rivals for control of much of Russia's media, and set up a media-monitoring unit in the Kremlin. Then he placed the state-controlled television and radio broadcasting services under the man who used to be chief of the Communist Party's Central Committee department for overseeing Soviet radio and television. His aides have also demanded changes of editor at several newspapers and controls have been tightened at ITAR-TASS, a state-owned news agency. -- The Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
Re: Russian migration from Chechnya
Just got sent another 100K of material on this... Amazing how much you can find out by not using Lexis-Nexis. Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!
