major World Event You've Missed

[D2Kvirus]

Blast kills Chechen president

Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
Monday May 10, 2004

Chechnya was plunged into its worst crisis for four years yesterday when its pro-Moscow president was assassinated in a landmine blast as he oversaw Victory Day celebrations in the capital, Grozny.
Security forces were trawling the city and beyond for suspects last night after the mid-morning explosion ripped through the VIP box of a city stadium, killing Akhmad Kadyrov and at least six others, and injuring more than 50, including Russia's top general in the region. Some reports put the death toll at 24.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, called the slain leader a "real hero" and vowed retribution, raising fears of a renewed military onslaught in the separatist republic. Mr Putin had been looking to Mr Kadyrov's authoritarian rule as the best chance to subdue the conflict.

"All of his work vividly demonstrated that there is nothing in common between bandits, terrorists and the rest of the [Chechen] people," added Mr Putin.

No one claimed responsibility for the blast, but Chechen officials blamed the rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov and the warlord Shamil Basayev.

"I don't know who will take responsibility but you must know Kadyrov had a lot of enemies," said Akhmad Zakayev, a spokesman for Mr Maskhadov. "Torture happened even in his house. Kadyrov cannot be considered a civilian: he was one of those wag ing war in Chechnya and a marionette in the hands of the Kremlin."

The blast ripped through concrete blocks beneath Mr Kadyrov's podium during a concert to mark the end of the second world war. An eight-year-old girl and a Reuters journalist were among the dead, as was the head of the Chechen state council.

Russia's NTV showed the scene immediately after the blast, as shocked security men fired randomly about the stadium. Mr Kadyrov, disliked by ordinary Chechens and installed by dubious elections in October, was shown being lifted from the rubble, his face bloodied and right hand missing. Aides carried him to a black Mercedes jeep.

In the stadium seat to his left had been the commander of the Russian forces in the region, Valeri Baranov. He had a leg amputated and was in a critical condition last night.

An artillery shell was found in the stadium, primed to explode, and a second explosion was also reported.

Yesterday evening, Chechen and Russian security forces began the revenge promised by Mr Putin, arresting five suspects, the Chechen interior ministry said.

Previous attacks have been followed by major security sweeps, with troops sealing off whole towns.

"Five people were arrested in the stadium, but searches are continuing across Chechnya," said an interior ministry spokesman. Cars and "suspicious people" were being searched last night in a "special operation" , he added.

Russian politicians blamed members of Mr Kadyrov's security detail for allowing the mine to be laid so brazenly. There was speculation of inside help.

Last night Grozny remained calm. One local said: "People are staying at home and afraid to say out loud that Kadyrov is dead. Nothing specific has happened yet and they seem to be working out what to do."

[Slizor]

Nah, saw it on the front of Wikipedia. But yeah, it has been largely ignored by the media which is quite suprising.

[hired-goon]

At 5/11/04 10:18 AM, D2KVirus wrote: as shocked security men fired randomly about the stadium.

Fired their weapons!?

[Thanatopsis]

At 5/11/04 12:05 PM, hired_goon wrote:

Fired their weapons!?

it was a land mine so why do you think that so many people died.

and i heard about this on the radio.

[bumcheekcity]

I never heard of it either. How will it effect the world in General?

[Thanatopsis]

At 5/11/04 12:20 PM, bumcheekcity wrote: I never heard of it either. How will it effect the world in General?

more fighting between the chechen rebles and the russian army would be my guess.

[Der-Ubermensch]

At 5/11/04 12:50 PM, _Thanatopsis_ wrote:

At 5/11/04 12:20 PM, bumcheekcity wrote: I never heard of it either. How will it effect the world in General?

more fighting between the chechen rebles and the russian army would be my guess.

Unless Moscow manages to appoint another puppet leader there of course.

[Thanatopsis]

At 5/11/04 01:09 PM, Ruination wrote:

Unless Moscow manages to appoint another puppet leader there of course.

i think that this was the message that the Chechen rebles are going to start the major hostilities back up.

[Hippy-Flip]

Ohh crap I'd hate to see where this goes.

[D2Kvirus]

At 5/11/04 02:47 PM, Hippy-Flip wrote: Ohh crap I'd hate to see where this goes.

The thing is, last year nobody seemed to notice the Serbian President was assasinated, and look at Serbia now - it's going back into meltdown...mainly because the five year peace plan ran out.

How long before geaorgeandtony try and use this in their favour, I wonder?

[JohnnyWang]

It was all over the news in Finland.

[Thanatopsis]

At 5/12/04 09:26 AM, D2KVirus wrote:

How long before geaorgeandtony try and use this in their favour, I wonder?

never there is little to no oil wells in serbia so they wont go there theres no money to be made and nothing of value to control.

[D2Kvirus]

At 5/12/04 09:39 AM, _Thanatopsis_ wrote:

At 5/12/04 09:26 AM, D2KVirus wrote:

How long before geaorgeandtony try and use this in their favour, I wonder?

never there is little to no oil wells in serbia so they wont go there theres no money to be made and nothing of value to control.

Erm, this thread is about Chechnya and, by extention, Russia. Now, there's oil in the Ukraine, although that's yet another country. Any point in tapping the gas reserves in Siberia?