Militants in Chechnya refuse to obey their leaders

Militants in Chechnya more and more often voluntarily leave gangs and refuse to obey their leaders. This is said in the statement of the Regional Operative Headquarters released on Wednesday.

According to the headquarters, gang leaders are now anxious about more frequent refusals of their subordinates to commit terrorist acts and are trying to use tough measures against them.

The document describes the execution of a Shaman Atabayev. He was member of a gang subordinated to Shamil Basayev. Atabayev refused to participate in the massacre of the head of administration in the Tsa-Vedeno village (the Vedeno district) and was killed.

"Despite the intimidation on the part of gang leaders, it is becoming ever more difficult for them to preserve their men's obedience, and militants are coming to surrender to the legal authorities more often," the statement reads.