Question:  How would you assess a statement of Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations V. Churkin that ‘urgent signing of an agreement on the non-use of force and withdrawal of troops of the Georgian Interior Ministry from Upper Abkhazia’ is a necessary precondition for resolution of the conflicts?

Reply: Mr. Churkin’s statement can be seen as another attempt to save face and drag out time amid increasing levels of international criticism of Russia’s actions.

Question: How will you comment on a rising number of acts of violence in the North Caucasus?

Reply: Of our extreme concern is a successively higher level of violence in the North Caucasus, in particular, an increasing intensity of armed attacks between local rebels and Russian law enforcement agencies. Incidents of only last two days illustrate clearly how much alarming the situation is in this region. 

Armed attacks in Ingushetia, Dagestan and Chechnia left at least four Russian policemen dead and another four wounded.  

An explosion that took place near the building of the Russian Interior Ministry in Nazran, the capital of Ingushetia killed two Russian policemen and injured another two. Fifteen cars were destroyed.

As a result of an armed clash with Chechen rebels in Grozny, a Russian policeman was killed and two Russian servicemen wounded.

An attack with local rebels in Dagestan claimed the life of a high-ranking Russian law enforcement official.

We keep a close watch over the further development of events and express hope that escalation will soon be ended.                 

30 July 2008

Press and Information Department