Chechen leader denies counterterrorist operation re-launched in his region
Interfax
Groznyy, 24 April: Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov is surprised by media reports about the alleged introduction of a counterterrorist operation regime in a number of districts of the republic and says that there have been no grounds at all for doing this.
"I am the chairman of the antiterrorist commission. It is the commission, above all, that decides whether there is the need to launch a counterterrorist operation. We are on top of the situation in every district, every settlement, and we are certain that there are no grounds to circulate statements to the effect that an operation is allegedly under way," Kadyrov told Interfax on Friday evening (24 April).
"If an operation is under way, who is it being conducted against, and where is it being conducted? What rebels are there in Mesker-yurt, Belgatoye, Avtury of Shalinskiy District or other districts in question? Has anyone seen special activities being carried out in this region? No-one has of course. Nevertheless, the whole world has been informed that a counterterrorist operation regime has been introduced in Chechnya, even in lowland Shalinskiy District. Residents of Moscow, Russian regions, foreign countries do not know that there are no operations being carried out - they have before their eyes an official statement from the command which says that the situation has deteriorated. Who will, after this, come to Chechnya to invest money in its economy?" the head of the republic said.
"Before one circulates such information one ought to check facts and think what damage it may do," said Kadyrov.
Commenting on the statements that explosion devices had been rendered harmless in Vedenskiy District where they had been placed to stage a terrorist attack against the republic's leadership during their visit there on 24 April, Kadyrov said that he "drove around the district the day before, met people, discussed their lives, and there were no incidents".
"I would like to know who rendered harmless the explosive devices, where they were found, why employees of the law enforcement bodies were not called to the site and who said that they were placed to bomb cars of the republic's leadership? Even if we had been planning to visit the district today, who gave the author of the statement the right to give the media our route?" said Kadyrov.
He described as "strange" statements about an alleged incursion into the republic of a large group of insurgents from Georgia. "We have a state border with Georgia. It is protected by detachments of the border troops. There are other agencies' forces there in sufficient numbers as well. They are capable of stopping even a bird from flying across the border. Somebody has however forgotten this and is spreading rumours that dozens of insurgents have entered Chechnya from Georgia. It seems that the authors of these statements have forgotten that the Chechen Republic is a constituent part of Russia and in this case the talk is about the violation of the state border."
Kadyrov said that "the law enforcement bodies, as always, are carrying out operational activities round the clock to collect information about armed individuals who have not yet given up arms and are plotting to commit evil". "They are being detained, and when they offer armed resistance force is used in response as prescribed by the law. And in this respect Chechnya does not differ from any other region of the country," said the head of the republic.
"I would like to stress that Chechnya is a region like any other constituent part of the federation. Here too there can be criminals, including armed ones. However, the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Chechen Republic and the Federal Security Service Directorate (for Chechnya) are working against them in an extremely efficient manner," the president said.
"There is calm in Chechnya. Not a single act of terrorism was committed here last year. People cannot even recall the last time a car was stolen in the republic. Small- and medium-sized business is developing at a high pace, schools, hospitals and residential houses are being built. People have believed that the difficult times, the times of military activities, bloodshed and tragedies are behind them. We fought terrorists, and together with the federal forces we exterminated them. It will never cross their mind to cause trouble here again. However, there is absolutely no need to talk about a counterterrorist operation being carried out in a number of regions at a time when we are talking about completing a 10-year-long operation and attracting investors to the region," said Kadyrov.
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