Chechnya

Anna Politkovskaya is one of Russia's most respected journalists, writing for the Moscow paper Novaya Gazeta. In February 2001 she travelled deep into Chechnya to investigate reports of torture, rape and detention camps run by the Russian army. If there were any doubts about the veracity of the shocking stories she heard, they vanished when she was herself detained by Russian troops. An official of the FSB – the successor to the KGB – a first lieutenant of tender age, whispered dirty insults in my ear: »You are one of them ... You should be shot ...«

Maybe the dramatic hostage taking will spark a furious Russian retaliation in Chechnya. The attack on the Moscow theatre will heat the blood of the hardliners.

Did the substantial financing needed for such an operation come from abroad? Barayev's team were equipped with satellite phones, enabling them to call the Reuters news agency in Ankara, Turkey, late on Friday night. They repeatedly mentioned
Shamil Basayev, one of the more radical Chechen warlords.

Chechnya, which is mainly Muslim, declared its independence from Russia in 1991 and has fought two wars with Russia since then, including the current three-year-old struggle. Chechnya wants to form an independent Islamic republic.

»Without atrocities, we'll get nowhere in Chechnya. We have to be cruel to them. Otherwise, we'll achieve nothing.« (quoting a 21-year-old russian soldier!)