Terrorism as a Dirty PR Method

As PRAVDA.Ru learned yesterday night, armed strangers in masks plundered and beat civilians in several Chechen districts. On top of this, civilians were threatened with death if they don’t vote for Ahmad Kadyrov at the forthcoming presidential elections in the Chechen republic.

When PRAVDA.Ru learned of this attack, at least five other instances of plundering and beating were registered in the Oktyabrsky District of Grozny and in the Nadterechny Region of the republic.

All people suffered from the attacks first appealed to the electoral headquarters of Ahmad Kadyrov, the later to officials of the headquarters informed the Chechen police of the attacks. An investigation of the attacks has been started under control of the Chechen deputy interior minister. The electoral headquarters of Ahmad Kadyrov informed the Chechen Election Committee of the incidents and suggested a follow-up investigation on the attacks.

Ahmad Kadyrov, a candidate to the presidential position and the acting head of the Chechen Administration expressed his opinion about the violent attacks at Chechen civilians. An extraordinary session of the Chechen government was held with participation of journalists several hours after the information about the attacks were made known. Ahmad Kadyrov said: "The Russian president charged me with control over the security in the republic; I will take every possible measure to prevent the pre-election campaign from turning into a civil war. I demand that all candidates to the presidential position must gather at the Chechen administration to make a joint statement to criticize such violent methods of conducting a pre-election campaign; this violence may break the fragile peace in the republic." General Maltsev, the head of the Regional Operational Headquarters for control over the North Caucasus anti-terrorist operation was present at the meeting. He said that people guilty of the attacks would be found and severely punished. The general added: "From a report made by the operational group we see that the presidential security service has nothing to do with the violent attacks at the civil population."

Ahmad Kadyrov and General Yury Maltsev told the journalists that "the presidential elections would be honest and quiet."