Russia: February 18, 2005

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All paratroopers have been withdrawn from Chechnya. For the last five years, there have always been some paratroopers involved in the fighting. The paratroopers are among the best trained, led and armed soldiers available to Russia, and they were used for offensive operations in Chechnya. But the local Chechen police have gotten a better handle on the separatist violence. There are still over a thousand Russian commandoes operating in Chechnya, and these troops are particularly lethal against the Chechen rebels. But the Chechen police are increasingly able to deal with the few terrorists left in the area.