RUSSIAN FORCES THWART CHECHEN REBELS’ PLANS FOR SUMMER 2005 – SENIOR COMMANDER

RIA news agency, Moscow 29 Aug 05

Interfax news agency 29 Aug 05

The Russian Internal Troops have helped to prevent large-scale actions
of sabotage planned by Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev for the
summer of 2005, Russian RIA news agency quoted the troops’ commander
Col-Gen Nikolay Rogozhkin as saying on 29 August at a news conference
in Moscow marking Day of Spetsnaz (commando and reconnaissance troops).

Situation in the North Caucasus

“This summer has seen many high-profile incidents in the North Caucasus
region. But thanks to measures taken [by the Russian Internal Troops]
between mid-June and mid-August in order to prevent bandit Basayev’s
slogan of ‘a summer of fire’ from coming true, large-scale actions
by militants have been disrupted. Unfortunately, we have not been
able to prevent some local actions, but in the wake of them a lot of
gunmen were killed or captured,” Rogozhkin said.

He added that although the situation in the North Caucasus remained
difficult, it was under control of the law enforcement agencies. A
later RIA report quoted Rogozhkin as saying that the Internal Troops
were ready to ensure security at the Chechen parliamentary election
scheduled for November. “At the moment main tasks in Chechnya are
resolved by the Russian Interior Ministry’s Internal Troops,” he
said, adding that this work was conducted in full cooperation with
the Chechen Interior Ministry.

The Internal Troops’ special-purpose units have lost about 30
servicemen in Chechnya and Dagestan since the beginning of 2005,
Rogozhkin said. He added that the total number of the Internal Troops’
special-purpose units stood at about 10,000. “This number is enough for
the servicemen to perform their tasks quite successfully,” he added.

Plans for the future

Speaking about the troops’ plans, Rogozhkin said that special units
for carrying out operations in the mountains would be set up. “We have
for a long time been preparing for resolving the matter of creating
units capable of carrying out operations in mountainous areas,”
Rogozhkin said.

The mountain units will be stationed with the 49th Internal Troops
Brigade in Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia, the 46th Internal Troops
Brigade in Chechnya, the 102nd Brigade stationed in the North Caucasus
as well as in the town of Nalchik in Ingushetia, Interfax news agency
quoted Rogozhkin as saying.

In addition, a special centre was being set up near the town of Labinsk
in Krasnodar Territory to train servicemen to operate in the mountains,
Rogozhkin said.

In September an international antiterrorist exercise will be held at
the Internal Troops’ training centre (in Smolensk), Rogozhkin went
on to add. “The main purpose of the exercise is the fight against
terrorism. This event will be attended by special-purpose units from
Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan,” he said.