Russia: October 13, 2004

Archives

So far this year, at least 278 people have been kidnapped for ransom in Chechnya. Of that number, 106 were freed, 20 were killed and 122 are still missing. The kidnap victims were mostly civilians (98), although 81 were police and security officers, eight were government officials and 22 were rebels. Before the Russian invasion in 1999, Chechen gangs were kidnapping over a thousand people a year in areas adjacent to Chechnya. But with the presence of  so many Russian police and soldiers in Chechnya, the gangs can, at best, nab people in Chechnya. Some of the gangs, especially the one led by Shamil Basayev, have concentrated on terrorism and extortion (to pay gang expenses). Basayev is also thought to receive money from wealthy Moslems in the Persian Gulf, who support al Qaeda's goals.  

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close