Leaders caught in Chechnya blast

There are conflicting reports on the fate of Chechnya's pro-Moscow leader and the commander of Russian troops after a bomb attack in Grozny.
President Akhmad Kadyrov and Gen Valery Baranov were wounded when a landmine exploded in the Dynamo stadium during a ceremony marking victory in WWII.

At least 14 people were killed, but Chechen officials denied the two men were among them.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed revenge for the attack.

He said: "Retribution is inevitable."

A spokesman for Russia's emergency situations ministry said the landmine had exploded in a VIP seating area.

Russian television showed chaotic scenes at the stadium as emergency services treated the victims.

The emergency ministry spokesman said a second landmine had been found following the evacuation of the stadium.


Chechen interior ministry officials quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency said at least 14 people had been killed and 20 injured.

'Life not in danger'

But the Chechen authorities denied earlier reports that Mr Kadyrov had died in hospital following the blast.

"According to my information, Akhmad Kadyrov received injuries of moderate seriousness, but his life is not in danger," the head of the Chechen administration, Ziad Sabsabi, told Itar-Tass news agency.

Russia has been fighting separatists in Chechnya since the republic first tried to break away in the 1990s.

Moscow has reimposed its rule in Grozny, but rebel attacks have continued, both in Chechnya and elsewhere in Russia.

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says the attack is a massive blow to the Kremlin's attempts to restore order in Chechnya.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3697715.stm

With all the fuss going on in Iraq, one would almost forget there's another big conflict going on. Makes you wonder why the so called peaceprotesters hardly ever raise their voices regarding this one.... not interresting enough perhaps ?

Anyway, i'm afraid this isn't going to have a happy ending.

So, the Russians have confirmed that the president has been killed, and judging by the quote from Putin, the fallout of this isn't going to be pretty.

The Russians can't get over it and let Grosny simply go. Never ever, that is, not before they get so tired of losing their youth in sensless border wars. Then again, there in such a turmoil anyway, they just can't be bothered to care for their own wars. They don't mind the violence, they don't mind the deaths, they don't mind anything. Russia is a nightmare ruled by an iron fist and I don't see that changing too soon. A country that has power-plants and 5 km further, the land is farmed with horses because of the lack of machines. Slavery in Moscow and border wars. That's going to be like this for a long, long time. Better hope the Russians are developing internally, before they regain their external strengh again and take up their traditional role as world-policeman.

They'll continue their struggle in Chechnya until the won't be able to feed their soldiers. Then they'll finally give up. Yet there is no way, that they win militarilly, except for blowing the whole place to kingdom come. But they can't afford the bombs. Chechnya will in the end secede. And then Chechny will become a dictatorship, like all the other central-asian countries that seceded.

I dont think Russia is able to let its former glory go just yet. They are still trying to hold onto the old empire of the USSR. The problem for the Russians is that if Chechnya gains its independence from the russian federation it will inspire some other territories to break away. This, therefore, is unacceptable. So the Russians and Chechens will keep dying until somebody is prepared to swallow their pride.

Pac Man, many apologists for the Bush regime points towards other wars and other occupations throughout the world and complaining that there isnt enough outrage about that compared to the Iraq situation. Do you and other then mean, that we should expect the US to be on the same level as Russia, China and the other countries who commit these violations? Perhaps I shouldnt have as high expectations as I have of the US and just expect them to act like the to a lesser or greater degree dictatorial regimes who are fighting other wars?

Not to mention that in the case of Chechnya there is an outrage and official condemnation, it just dont get much media time, and as I said, most of us really dont expect any better from Russia. Am I wrong in expecting more from the US?

I'm not comparing the US with Russia, or China. I'm saying that the peaceprotesters are kinda picky when it comes to their demonstrations. I've never seen any massive gatherings or protestmarches over the Russian Chechnia campaing, or when the Serbs battled the Croats and Bosnians. Neither did they raise their voices when hundreds of thousands of people were killed in just a few days in Ruanda, and there's more, but i won't even bother.

The only time peaceprotesters take action, is when the US is involved. Doesn't that strike you as odd at least a little ?

Frankly I don't see anything odd with it. Peace protests against US military campaigns might actually change the public oppinion in some form, while protests against Russian attacks will not have the slightest effect on the decisions of the Russian government for various reasons, the same of course goes for China.

I think this attack is a sad proof that the circle of evil in Chechenya will probably not end until the Russians get tired and decide either to start a massive "cleansing" or leave the area, I doubt either of these will happen any time soon so the violence will just continue.

It's all about the oil! Well, OK, maybe there's some element of glory, revenge, preventing disintegration, etc. But don't forget that Chechnya has major oil installations for pumping and processing - perhaps 1/3 the USSR's output back in the bad old days.

But Iago is right about Chechnya's fate if it does manage to break away. Its few years of de facto independence under Yeltsin demonstrated the abysmal quality of Chechen governance.

Pac man and joacqin make good points, too. The US should be held to a higher standard. But remember that the US is trying to democratize millions of people in a massive state with a different culture and severe internal schisms in less than 18 months. Russia is trying to maintain the status quo it has kept for centuries in a little patch of land in an area that was fairly Russianized (at least in Grozny - ironic that Yeltsin should threaten to level Grozny, given that it was 40% Russian). Yes, the US is struggling...but Russia is taking far more damage, and spending much more per capita, for much lower ambitions.

So yeah, the US needs to be held accountable when it messes up. But compared to military occupations past and present, the Iraqi occupation is the kindest, gentlest one on record. Chechnya shows what could have been - and might yet, for that matter.