No special measures to be taken during elections in Chechnya

No special measures will be taken to ensure security during the preparation for and holding presidential elections in Chechnya, said chairman of the republic's government Anatoly Popov.

"Special measures are not being taken today either. There is no need for them, I believe, and the top officials of the security structures and law-enforcement bodies control the situation. But everybody should enhance vigilance during the elections," Popov said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the issue for Tuesday, July 29.

"The law-enforcement bodies of the republic and the federal forces deployed there, constantly control the activity of the bandit formations, and their movement. Work is also being carried out to prevent the involvement of the local population into the illegal armed formations. Now, this work is especially important since the republic is preparing for the elections," Popov pointed out.

Commenting on the rumours about the possible intensification of the bandit formations' activity in the near future, Popov stressed: "It is necessary to find those who spread these rumours." "The law-enforcement bodies do not have information that something serious may take place," he stated. "These rumours," Popov believes, "are of a provocative nature. The bandits disturb the population, trying to destabilise the situation. Nobody, including the mass media, should yield to this provocation.