Moscow ruled out alternative to "strong hand" in Caucasus
The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi is approaching. The current social and criminogenic situation in the North Caucasus and breakaway Abkhazia is a clear danger to its holding.
Despite many attempts, stable environment still cannot be established in the region for the last two decades and it clearly would be impossible to do this in the remaining time.
Particular alarm in the Russian government circles was caused by the sixth attempt on life of the so-called "president" of Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab. They "complained" that local law enforcement officers missed a process of preparation and implementation of such large-scale military-operative operation where dozens of people, including well-known figures, were involved.
The attack on Ankvab is investigated by quite a large group sent from Moscow consisting of representatives of different areas and directions of the intelligence service. Their first opinions and comments indicate that Moscow will try to fully use results of the investigation and trial for its political and propaganda purposes.
The chief organizer of the attack, former Interior Minister of Abkhazia and the former chief supporting force of Vladislav Ardzinba Almasbey Kchach committed suicide in suspicious circumstances before his arrest. A fact of suicide of the second organizer of attack in the detention centre also looks unconvincing. Their testimonies would have clarified not just the situation with this particular act. The prosecutor's office brought charges against the three arrested suspects in the case - Anzor Butba, Alkhaz Khutba and Ramzi Khashig. One of the main organizers of the attack Pavel Ardzimba as well as Rushbei Bartsits and Astamur Khutaba have been declared wanted.
Among those several reasons voiced of the attack on Ankvab particular attention is drawn to a theme of so called "Abkhazian Jamaat" and development of this theme is apparently given a special significance. The head of the so-called "Abkhazian Jamaat" Rustam Gitsba was detained on May 5th, 2012 in Gudauta and during the search arsenal of hundreds of automatic weapons and dozens of portable surface-to-air-missiles, thousands of shells and ammunition were found with him.
It was also announced that "the Abkhazian Jamaat" was one of the divisions of the international terrorist organization the Caucasus Emirate and its leader Rustam Gitsba was subordinated to Doku Umarov. According to information, the discovered arsenal was designed to be transported to Sochi and carry out acts of sabotage there.
Security services of Georgia and Turkey were named as those encouraging and promoting all these actions. In order to support this version they used a factor of member of the "Abkhazian Jamaat" Edgar Chitanava who was arrested for taking part in the previous attack on Ankvab and who had a anti-tank grenade launcher in the village of Bzyb.
It is doubtful that Rustan Gitsba and Edgar Chitanava are linked to the attack on Ankvab, as well as it is also unclear whether the "Abkhazian Jamaat" really exists. But in assertion of this version the Russian propaganda departments see an interesting perspective, which can be used effectively in the current situation.
As it was stated above, it is impossible to establish such peaceful environment in the North Caucasus and Abkhazia by 2014 that would ensure safety of the Sochi Olympics. There remains the only way: to completely isolate the region and control each square meter of it and each inhabitant of the region by security forces and special units. And for this, it will be needed to introduce a large number of military and police forces Abkhazia as in the North Caucasus.
The enemy image is created in the face of Turkey and Georgia, which will be used as a pretext to close the administrative border of Abkhazia with the rest of Georgia and control Turkish and other foreign ships on the coastline. Isolation of Abkhazia from the Circassian republics and Circassian population continues under the pretext of preventing terrorist influence of the Caucasus Emirate. And introduction of such regime discourages descendants of Abkhazian Muhajirs who live in Syria and other foreign countries from returning to their historic homeland.
Pressure will increase on the Muslim Abkhazian community. That will not be new for them as since Russia's coming to the North Caucasus they feel constant harassment and persecution, that during the last 20 years was happening without any cover/ was openly carried out.
The fact is that the declared leader of the "Abkhazian Jamaat" Rustam Gitsba is a brother of Hamzan Gitsba who was killed in 2007 and was the imam of the Muslim community of Abkhazia. Gitsba was killed by armed men in masks at a mosque, in broad daylight, in front of many eyewitnesses. Together with him his guest from Ufa Ruslan Asadulin was killed. It was established that the killers came into Abkhazia in a Chrysler car which they burned later and crossed the border into Krasnodar in another car. Witness testimonies lead to the Russian military intelligence. Despite this information, these killings have not yet been solved.
In the nineties Khamzat Gitsba was fighting against Georgians in a battalion of his cousin's husband, Shamil Basayev. Vladislav Ardzimba appointed him deputy minister of defense, and personally awarded him the title of Hero of Abkhazia. According to the chairman of the Chechen parliament Abdurakhmanov and former President of Ingushetia Ruslan Aushev, Basayev was a cadre officer of Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU) although these regalia did not prevent the Russian security services to eliminate Basayev, together with other already "used heroes" without any compunction.
In October 2010 a member of the Spiritual Board of Muslims Arsaul Pilia was killed in Gudauta when leaving a mosque, seriously were wounded brothers of the previously murdered Roki Gitsba - Raul and Rustam Gitsba. The latter is now declared to be a head of the "Abkhazian Jamaat" and is under arrest at the moment. Abkhazian law enforcement officers could not open this murder either.
In recent years, activists of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Abkhazia Daur Gutsba and Emik Chakmachoglu have been killed. In June 2011 80-year-old mufti of Abkhazia and his wife were poisoned. Imam of Sukhumi mosque Salikh Kvaratskhelia whose car was mined and blown up escaped death by chance.
Killings of so many Muslim clerics in small Abkhazia, which is half Christian, half pagan and partly Muslim, can be blamed on representatives of other religions, but a similar situation exists in the North Caucasian republics as well. Just in Dagestan, where the majority of the population are followers of the Islamic religion, 34 Islamic high rank officials were killed in recent years. And there, too, not a single crime was solved and causes of all these murders were named to be their anti-Wahhabi activity, or secret cooperation with the security services. Although the population is convinced that the main reasons of their murder was their disloyal attitude to the Russian security agencies.
There is no doubt that during the investigation of the attacks on Ankvab some witness might also “hang” or “kill” himself, some unacceptable evidence may disappear and emphasis will shift to relationship of Abkhazian terrorists with Muslim extremists, Wahhabis and the Caucasus Emirate that in turn will be “determined” to have links with the security services of Georgia, Turkey and other countries.
All existing signs indicate that participants of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, if it is held at all, will have to compete under the gun, and inhabitants of the surrounding regions will have to live in an emergency mode.
This "order" was adopted two or three days ago by newly-appointed Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia Vladimir Kolokoltsev succeeded Army General Rashid Nurgaliyev. And the main reason for dismissal of the latter was named that he conducted "less tough" policy in the North Caucasus region.
Source http://eng.expertclub.ge/portal/cnid__11858/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.aspx
Despite many attempts, stable environment still cannot be established in the region for the last two decades and it clearly would be impossible to do this in the remaining time.
Particular alarm in the Russian government circles was caused by the sixth attempt on life of the so-called "president" of Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab. They "complained" that local law enforcement officers missed a process of preparation and implementation of such large-scale military-operative operation where dozens of people, including well-known figures, were involved.
The attack on Ankvab is investigated by quite a large group sent from Moscow consisting of representatives of different areas and directions of the intelligence service. Their first opinions and comments indicate that Moscow will try to fully use results of the investigation and trial for its political and propaganda purposes.
The chief organizer of the attack, former Interior Minister of Abkhazia and the former chief supporting force of Vladislav Ardzinba Almasbey Kchach committed suicide in suspicious circumstances before his arrest. A fact of suicide of the second organizer of attack in the detention centre also looks unconvincing. Their testimonies would have clarified not just the situation with this particular act. The prosecutor's office brought charges against the three arrested suspects in the case - Anzor Butba, Alkhaz Khutba and Ramzi Khashig. One of the main organizers of the attack Pavel Ardzimba as well as Rushbei Bartsits and Astamur Khutaba have been declared wanted.
Among those several reasons voiced of the attack on Ankvab particular attention is drawn to a theme of so called "Abkhazian Jamaat" and development of this theme is apparently given a special significance. The head of the so-called "Abkhazian Jamaat" Rustam Gitsba was detained on May 5th, 2012 in Gudauta and during the search arsenal of hundreds of automatic weapons and dozens of portable surface-to-air-missiles, thousands of shells and ammunition were found with him.
It was also announced that "the Abkhazian Jamaat" was one of the divisions of the international terrorist organization the Caucasus Emirate and its leader Rustam Gitsba was subordinated to Doku Umarov. According to information, the discovered arsenal was designed to be transported to Sochi and carry out acts of sabotage there.
Security services of Georgia and Turkey were named as those encouraging and promoting all these actions. In order to support this version they used a factor of member of the "Abkhazian Jamaat" Edgar Chitanava who was arrested for taking part in the previous attack on Ankvab and who had a anti-tank grenade launcher in the village of Bzyb.
It is doubtful that Rustan Gitsba and Edgar Chitanava are linked to the attack on Ankvab, as well as it is also unclear whether the "Abkhazian Jamaat" really exists. But in assertion of this version the Russian propaganda departments see an interesting perspective, which can be used effectively in the current situation.
As it was stated above, it is impossible to establish such peaceful environment in the North Caucasus and Abkhazia by 2014 that would ensure safety of the Sochi Olympics. There remains the only way: to completely isolate the region and control each square meter of it and each inhabitant of the region by security forces and special units. And for this, it will be needed to introduce a large number of military and police forces Abkhazia as in the North Caucasus.
The enemy image is created in the face of Turkey and Georgia, which will be used as a pretext to close the administrative border of Abkhazia with the rest of Georgia and control Turkish and other foreign ships on the coastline. Isolation of Abkhazia from the Circassian republics and Circassian population continues under the pretext of preventing terrorist influence of the Caucasus Emirate. And introduction of such regime discourages descendants of Abkhazian Muhajirs who live in Syria and other foreign countries from returning to their historic homeland.
Pressure will increase on the Muslim Abkhazian community. That will not be new for them as since Russia's coming to the North Caucasus they feel constant harassment and persecution, that during the last 20 years was happening without any cover/ was openly carried out.
The fact is that the declared leader of the "Abkhazian Jamaat" Rustam Gitsba is a brother of Hamzan Gitsba who was killed in 2007 and was the imam of the Muslim community of Abkhazia. Gitsba was killed by armed men in masks at a mosque, in broad daylight, in front of many eyewitnesses. Together with him his guest from Ufa Ruslan Asadulin was killed. It was established that the killers came into Abkhazia in a Chrysler car which they burned later and crossed the border into Krasnodar in another car. Witness testimonies lead to the Russian military intelligence. Despite this information, these killings have not yet been solved.
In the nineties Khamzat Gitsba was fighting against Georgians in a battalion of his cousin's husband, Shamil Basayev. Vladislav Ardzimba appointed him deputy minister of defense, and personally awarded him the title of Hero of Abkhazia. According to the chairman of the Chechen parliament Abdurakhmanov and former President of Ingushetia Ruslan Aushev, Basayev was a cadre officer of Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU) although these regalia did not prevent the Russian security services to eliminate Basayev, together with other already "used heroes" without any compunction.
In October 2010 a member of the Spiritual Board of Muslims Arsaul Pilia was killed in Gudauta when leaving a mosque, seriously were wounded brothers of the previously murdered Roki Gitsba - Raul and Rustam Gitsba. The latter is now declared to be a head of the "Abkhazian Jamaat" and is under arrest at the moment. Abkhazian law enforcement officers could not open this murder either.
In recent years, activists of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Abkhazia Daur Gutsba and Emik Chakmachoglu have been killed. In June 2011 80-year-old mufti of Abkhazia and his wife were poisoned. Imam of Sukhumi mosque Salikh Kvaratskhelia whose car was mined and blown up escaped death by chance.
Killings of so many Muslim clerics in small Abkhazia, which is half Christian, half pagan and partly Muslim, can be blamed on representatives of other religions, but a similar situation exists in the North Caucasian republics as well. Just in Dagestan, where the majority of the population are followers of the Islamic religion, 34 Islamic high rank officials were killed in recent years. And there, too, not a single crime was solved and causes of all these murders were named to be their anti-Wahhabi activity, or secret cooperation with the security services. Although the population is convinced that the main reasons of their murder was their disloyal attitude to the Russian security agencies.
There is no doubt that during the investigation of the attacks on Ankvab some witness might also “hang” or “kill” himself, some unacceptable evidence may disappear and emphasis will shift to relationship of Abkhazian terrorists with Muslim extremists, Wahhabis and the Caucasus Emirate that in turn will be “determined” to have links with the security services of Georgia, Turkey and other countries.
All existing signs indicate that participants of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, if it is held at all, will have to compete under the gun, and inhabitants of the surrounding regions will have to live in an emergency mode.
This "order" was adopted two or three days ago by newly-appointed Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia Vladimir Kolokoltsev succeeded Army General Rashid Nurgaliyev. And the main reason for dismissal of the latter was named that he conducted "less tough" policy in the North Caucasus region.
Source http://eng.expertclub.ge/portal/cnid__11858/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.aspx
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