The peace between your peoples is priceless wealth

Blogger’s note:

Due to the increasing difficulty of finding accurate and unbiased information about Chechnya, I am fully encouraging all followers and others to submit news stories or photos or anything related to the region. I have noticed that a number of my followers are from Chechnya or at least know a great deal about it. Please remember that this blog is intended to be unbiased although it is understood that all points of view cannot easily be found and that even biased information is valuable insight. I will review the submitted posts, if any. Thank you for being loyal readers. 

Chechnya’s honorary consul assassinated in Turkey

Chechnya’s honorary consul in Turkey, Medet Ünlü, was shot dead on Thursday in the Turkish capital Ankara, Today’s Zaman reported. 

Ünlü was shot multiple times at the consulate building in Ankara’s Balgat neighborhood and died at the scene. His body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Council (ATK) for an autopsy and police conducted an inspection at the scene of the incident.

Ünlü’s relatives have claimed that Chechen leader Ramazan Kadirov, the son of former Chechen President Ahmed Kadirov, is behind the murder.

(Source: panorama.am)

Former Deputy Prime Minister Surkov fishes with Chechnya head Kadyrov

Chechnya head Ramzan Kadyrov’s press secretary Alvi Karimov said that the pictures of Kadyrov and recently resigned Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov posted on Instagram account of Kadyrov were indeed taken last weekend.

“V. Surkov flew to Grozny on Saturday. He spent the weekend in the Itum-Kalinsky district where the pictures posted on Instagram were taken. Surkov left the republic on Sunday evening,” Karimov told Interfax on May 20.

Karimov said that Surkov had been invited to visit Chechnya earlier.

It has been reported that on May 8 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decree on Surkov’s resignation as deputy prime minister and government administration head of his own volition.

Kadyrov said on the same that that he was sure that Surkov “remains in the president’s team and is ready to fulfill the tasks V. Putin might give him regardless of the resignation from the position he took in the government.”

Surkov “having huge experience, could do good for the state in any role,” Kadyrov told Interfax.

Kadyrov said that Surkov and he were sworn brothers. “V. Surkov supported first Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov in the most difficult, demanding and tragic times for the Chechen people and helped me when I asked and did it firstly in the interests of Russia and its prosperity,” Kadyrov said.

“He still remains my sworn brother. I called him today and invited to come to Chechnya to rest,” Kadyrov said.

Depardieu To Act In Two Movies Made In Chechnya

French actor Gerard Depardieu plans to make two movies in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Chechnya. 

On May 16, Alvi Karimov, press secretary of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, rejected earlier reports by Russian and French media saying that in one of the movies Depardieu will play Chechnya’s late president, Akhmed Kadyrov, the father of Ramzan.

Karimov confirmed that Depardieu will play in two movies, some parts of which will be shot in Chechnya and Moscow.

Depardieu plans to release more details about the movie at a press conference in Grozny next week.

(Source: rferl.org)

Rosneft to invest $2.5 billion in Chechnya

Rosneft, a Russian petroleum corporation, plans to build a refinery worth $2.5 billion (78.3 billion rubles) in Chechnya to process 1 million tons of oil annually, Vedomosti reports.

The facility will be launched in Q4 2015. The second stage of the refinery will be completed in Q3 2018. It will produce up to 478,000 tons of Euro-5 gasoline and up to 400,000 tons of diesel fuel annually.

$344 will be invested in every barrel of processed oil. Rosneft purchased a refinery in Europe at a price of $20-24 per barrel.

The Chechen budget is worth 74 billion rubles.

(Source: vestnikkavkaza.net)

Chechen President Kadyrov invites foreigners to Chechnya

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov disagrees with the British authorities saying that his republic is unsafe for foreigners.

“The British Foreign Office advises against visiting the North Caucasus. I take the entire responsibility to declare that it is safer in Chechnya than in England! You are welcome!” he wrote in his Twitter account.

On Friday the British Foreign Office issued a warning against visiting a number of Russian regions.

“The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel to Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan and the districts of Budyonnovsky, Levokumsky, Neftekumsky, Stepnovsky and Kursky in Stavropol territory,” a posting on the FCO website says.

“The FCO advise against all but essential travel to North Ossetia, Karachayevo-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria (including the Elbrus area),” it says. “There is a high threat from terrorism. Attacks have occurred most frequently in Moscow and in the North Caucasus.”

“Political rallies can occur in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other places across Russia. You should be aware of the risk of street crime,” the FCO warning says.

Football Federation of Chechnya apologizes for referee Kadyrov beating up a football player

The Football Federation of the Chechen Republic has officially apologized for an incident which happened during a match and the behaviour of the referee, Musa Kadyrov, who hit a player of Perm’s “Amkar” team last Friday.

Last Friday in Grozny during the Russian Youth Championship, in response to insults from a player called Ilya Krichmara referee Kadyrov hit the player. 

“I want apologize to the club “Amkar” on behalf of the Football Federation of Chechnya for this unfortunate incident. Referee Musa Kadyrov will be punished, we denied him a recommendation to serve in Russian, regional or national competitions,” the General Director of the Federation Alash Soltan said. He also added that the judge had no right to create precedents.

He added that “the leadership of the Club and the Federation are doing everything possible to prevent any incidents during matches and hold them at the highest level.” According to him, Kadyrov tried at first to draw attention to the behaviour of the player, “but apparently a lack of coordination between the referees led to such an incident.”

As a result of the incident, Musa Kadyrov was suspended from refereeing and denied the opportunity to serve in professional and semi-professional championship games.

(Source: vestnikkavkaza.net)