Documents - Chechnya
| [8/09/10] | Kavkaz Center Reports on Sabotage Operation at Baksan Hydroelectric Power Station The NEFA Foundation has obtained a communication released by Kavkaz Center, the official mouthpiece of the Chechen insurgents, in which details of the raid on the Baksan hydropower plant in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic were released: “at least 6 Caucasian Mujahideen in masks and camouflage cloths participated in the operation aimed on the destruction of the Baksan hydroelectric power station.” The statement asserted that “The amount of damages caused to Russia, according to [the] very low official figure given by the KGB, is not less than $50 million.” Further, the communication noted that “several Russian commentators said that the sabotage at the Baksan hydroelectric power station signals that soon attacks could be expected on larger facilities.” |
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| [8/03/10] | Caucasus Emirates leader Doku Umarov Names Successor According to a statement obtained by the NEFA Foundation, Caucasus Emirates leader Doku Umarov announced that “in case of his death, commanders of the Mujahideen and governors of provinces of the Caucasus Emirate should pledge bayat (oath) to Emir Aslambek and obey him as long as long as Emir Aslambek obeys Sharia of Allah and adheres to Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).” In July 2010, the U.S. State Department designated Umarov, noting that "The emergence of Umarov as the leader of the Chechen insurgency intensified the split between national separatists and radical jihadists and led to a movement seeking to create an Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus with Umarov as the Emir. Umarov claimed responsibility for masterminding attacks in both Russia and the Caucasus region, most recently acknowledging involvement in the 2009 Nevsky Express train derailment which killed 28 people, and the 2010 Moscow subway bombings, which killed 40." |
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| [12/03/09] | Jihadist Group Claims Russian Train Bombing The NEFA Foundation has obtained a communiqué from the Chechen mujahideen claiming credit for the November 27th train bombing that killed over 30 in Russia. According to the statement, “We declare that this operation was prepared and carried out within the planned, early this year, and successfully carried out acts of sabotage on a number of strategically important objects of Rusnya, pursuant to the order of the Emir of Caucasus Emirate Dokka Umarov. As previously repeatedly warned, in the spring Majlisul Shura by the command of the Caucasus Emirate, it was decided to transfer the sabotage war to the territories of Rusnya, along with strong blows to the occupiers’ infrastructure in the Caucasus. Today, we carry out sabotage operations on electricity transmission lines, oil-and gas-wires. Many of the operations are under preparation status.” Further, “In this year by the command of the Mujahideen, several intelligence-sabotage units were trained and sent deep into Rusnya to conduct operations on enemy’s territory. As a result, and the consequences of these operations have caused enormous economic damage to Rusna, we will continue to work in this direction. We warn the leadership of Rusnya that unless they stop the killing of innocent Muslims of the Caucasus Emirate, and unless they terminate the activities of the ‘death squads’, we reserve the right to conduct appropriate military operations against the ‘civilian’ population of Rusnya.” |
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| [11/28/09] | Mujahideen Claim Responsibility for Russian Natural Gas Tank Bombing The NEFA Foundation has obtained a communiqué issued by “Muwahiidun ar-Rusi” claiming responsibility for the bombing of "the largest subterranean natural gas storage facility in the world" in Stavropol, Russia. The communiqué was posted by Kavkaz Center, the official mouthpiece of the Chechen insurgents. Kavkaz stated that it "does not have reliable evidence about the organization...Let us remind that the same organization announced its participation in the sabotage at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric plant." |
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| [8/17/08] | Chechen Mujahideen Head Denies Mujahideen Involvement in Georgia Conflict The NEFA Foundation has obtained a communiqué issued by Shamsuddin Batukaev, the Wakil (Head) of the Caucasus Emirate, in which he commented on "widely replicated reports that ‘Chechen units and volunteers from Chechnya’ are participating on Russian side in war against Georgia.” He acknowledged that a small number of "gangs of apostate-mercenaries of ethnic Chechens or representatives of other nationalities of the Caucasus...are members of Russian occupation forces" but "have nothing to do with the Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate" and "are the enemies of the Caucasus Emirate like [the] Russian invaders." |
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| [8/17/08] | Chechen Mujahideen Warned of Russian Invasion of Georgia The NEFA Foundation has obtained a July 5, 2008 report from the Chechen mujahideen press agency, which stated that "the intelligence service (Mukhabarat) of the Caucasus Emirate...received...information about [an] upcoming military operation that Russia will conduct against Georgia.” Further, "operative information points at the fact that the main objective of the war operation is to seize the Kodori Gorge and to optimally weaken Saakashvili's regime or to overthrow Georgian President Saakashvili.” The report continued, "the operation will have the nature of blitzkrieg. Offensive operations involving forcing the Georgian troops out of the Kodori Gorge (Upper Abkhazia) are supposed to be completed within 7 to 10 days since the start of the operation.” |
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