| Chechen law enforcement agencies promised Moscow calm elections Chechen special services carried out the latest reconnaissance ahead of such an important event as the upcoming elections on Sunday. As it became known yesterday, an emergency meeting of the command of the United Group of Forces (OGV) and the heads of the republican special services was held at the main base of the federal forces in Khankala on Tuesday. To give his subordinates the final instructions and the final “check-in”, Colonel General Mikhail Pankov, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Southern District, personally arrived from Rostov-on-Don to the meeting.
Mr. Pankov stated that the situation in the republic has become noticeably more complicated in recent days - the leaders of gangs, having received new financial support from abroad, have intensified attempts to disrupt the upcoming vote. “Arson, shelling of polling stations, murders and kidnappings of activists representing parliamentary candidates, representatives of local authorities, and police officers are being used,” the press service of the Ural Voting Forces stated in a statement about the meeting in Khankala. Just before the meeting, it also became clear that the heads of the administrations of the villages of Belgatoy and Dargo had disappeared without a trace - most likely having been captured by militants.
However, the republican security officials present at the meeting - the head of the FSB Directorate Yuri Rozhin, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Alu Alkhanov, the commander of the OGV in the North Caucasus Valery Baranov and the military commandant of the republic Grigory Fomenko - as one assured Mr. Pankov that his concerns were groundless. Alu Alkhanov said that the situation in the republic is difficult, but controllable. According to him, in the last week alone, detectives during Operation Jamaat detained 50 bandits, from whom weapons, ammunition and explosives were confiscated. The security officers reported to the deputy minister that through their efforts, in just the last few days, 44 militants from the detachments of Shamil Basayev, Doku Umarov and Khamzat Tazabaev had laid down their arms in the republic. Now all the surrendered bandits are being checked by law enforcement agencies, and if it turns out that they are not involved in murders and terrorist acts, they will be issued new passports. After rehabilitation, many of the former militants are going to serve in units of the republican military commandant's office. Moreover, as noted at the meeting, thanks to information from the surrendered bandits in the area of the village of Dyshne-Vedeno, it was possible to destroy a sabotage group from Shamil Basayev’s detachment.
As for the current situation, since last week all 428 polling stations in the republic have been placed under round-the-clock police protection, and additional strongholds have been created in every major settlement. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, directly during the elections, 10 thousand members of the internal troops and 8 thousand policemen will maintain order on the territory of Chechnya. Alexander RASKIN |
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