Press Scanner
Compiled by Keti Baramidze
Tuesday, April 6
A flame of war gradually spreads over the Caucasus
In an article headlined 'A Flame of War Gradually Spreads over the Caucasus' Rezonansi writes that tension increases in the North Caucasus every day. One more explosion took place in Dagestan on April 1, killing two people and injuring one, and a counterterrorism regime has been established in Ingushetia. Dimitry Medvedev arrived in Dagestan all of a sudden last week and discussed concrete plans for fighting terrorism with the local government.
The majority of Russian analysts suppose that last Tuesday's Moscow bombings will become even more complicated for Russia than the Russian-Georgian August War in 2008. The Moscow bombings, along with the imposition of federal powers in the North Caucasus, are considered to be more like the start of a new Caucasus war than ordinary terrorist acts.
According to Georgian experts Russia will again use force against Caucasus peoples. Mamuka Areshidze, expert on Caucasian issues, says that great repressions will begin in the Caucasus. Russia will launch a persecution of Caucasian people disguised as a battle against underworld organisations. According to Areshidze, this battle will take place between the federal powers, the Islamic underworld and the relatives of underworld members.
"These repressions will be followed by serious excesses. Caucasian people will be persecuted throughout Russia. Direct aggression towards them might be undertaken. Caucasian people will be checked at every step. If the bombings were a response of the underworld to the actions of the federal powers on February 11 that is another question, but according to one version special services were well aware of the upcoming bombings but did not react in order to mobilise public opinion. Another version is that the terrorist acts were designed to portray Georgia as even more of an enemy. From the very beginning of these terror acts I thought Georgia would be implicated in them by Russia. This is what is happening at the present moment," Mamuka Areshidze says.
"The public will be told that Georgia shelters international terrorists. The international media paid by Russia will also say this. Articles expressing this opinion have been published by the French Liberation, the Washington Post, Der Spiegel etc. If Russia manages to create such a climate of opinion it might be emboldened to launch special operations against Georgia," Mamuka Areshidze adds.
"Russia will use forceable methods in the North Caucasus. Everything will have a short-term outcome. Russia will destroy Islamic fundamentalists in the Caucasus by such methods. War is excluded because the fundamentalists don't have the arms, but similar terror acts will take place in future. An anti-Caucasian movement will then be launched in response. These processes will continue for as long as Russia is not a democratic state and conducts the same policy towards the region," Paata Zakareishvili, conflict analyst, adds.
Either show Russian documents or be arrested
In Akhalgori, which is occupied by the Russians, officials request Russian documents from the local inhabitants when they conduct spot checks on their cars. The residents of Akhalgori say that representatives of the puppet regime have warned people that if the cars do not possess Russian certification documents the occupiers and separatists have the right to fine them.
Moreover if a person don’t pay a fine in due course or doesn’t obtain Russian documentation, the authorities will immediately confiscate their cars, the residents of Akhalgori say they have been told.
Large families should be more supported
Akhali Taoba reports that the Christian Democrats want to provide large families with social assistance. MP Magda Anikashvili has held a briefing in Parliament and made comments on the party's new legislative initiative concerning this.
Anikashvili announced that some amendments should be made in the law and families with four or five children should be given the official status of large families. This would mean they would be able to access some health, education and other social privileges. "Large families are one of the unprotected parts of our society nowadays," said Magda Anikashvili, who added that in Georgia there are women who act like heroes by working day and night but no one appreciates them and these women face numerous problems.
The Christian Democrats have a great desire to help large families and in order to achieve this they need to clarify legally what a large family is and what it should be entitled to. Only after this can certain attempts be made to pass a law giving more social privileges to large families.
In an article headlined 'A Flame of War Gradually Spreads over the Caucasus' Rezonansi writes that tension increases in the North Caucasus every day. One more explosion took place in Dagestan on April 1, killing two people and injuring one, and a counterterrorism regime has been established in Ingushetia. Dimitry Medvedev arrived in Dagestan all of a sudden last week and discussed concrete plans for fighting terrorism with the local government.
The majority of Russian analysts suppose that last Tuesday's Moscow bombings will become even more complicated for Russia than the Russian-Georgian August War in 2008. The Moscow bombings, along with the imposition of federal powers in the North Caucasus, are considered to be more like the start of a new Caucasus war than ordinary terrorist acts.
According to Georgian experts Russia will again use force against Caucasus peoples. Mamuka Areshidze, expert on Caucasian issues, says that great repressions will begin in the Caucasus. Russia will launch a persecution of Caucasian people disguised as a battle against underworld organisations. According to Areshidze, this battle will take place between the federal powers, the Islamic underworld and the relatives of underworld members.
"These repressions will be followed by serious excesses. Caucasian people will be persecuted throughout Russia. Direct aggression towards them might be undertaken. Caucasian people will be checked at every step. If the bombings were a response of the underworld to the actions of the federal powers on February 11 that is another question, but according to one version special services were well aware of the upcoming bombings but did not react in order to mobilise public opinion. Another version is that the terrorist acts were designed to portray Georgia as even more of an enemy. From the very beginning of these terror acts I thought Georgia would be implicated in them by Russia. This is what is happening at the present moment," Mamuka Areshidze says.
"The public will be told that Georgia shelters international terrorists. The international media paid by Russia will also say this. Articles expressing this opinion have been published by the French Liberation, the Washington Post, Der Spiegel etc. If Russia manages to create such a climate of opinion it might be emboldened to launch special operations against Georgia," Mamuka Areshidze adds.
"Russia will use forceable methods in the North Caucasus. Everything will have a short-term outcome. Russia will destroy Islamic fundamentalists in the Caucasus by such methods. War is excluded because the fundamentalists don't have the arms, but similar terror acts will take place in future. An anti-Caucasian movement will then be launched in response. These processes will continue for as long as Russia is not a democratic state and conducts the same policy towards the region," Paata Zakareishvili, conflict analyst, adds.
Either show Russian documents or be arrested
In Akhalgori, which is occupied by the Russians, officials request Russian documents from the local inhabitants when they conduct spot checks on their cars. The residents of Akhalgori say that representatives of the puppet regime have warned people that if the cars do not possess Russian certification documents the occupiers and separatists have the right to fine them.
Moreover if a person don’t pay a fine in due course or doesn’t obtain Russian documentation, the authorities will immediately confiscate their cars, the residents of Akhalgori say they have been told.
Large families should be more supported
Akhali Taoba reports that the Christian Democrats want to provide large families with social assistance. MP Magda Anikashvili has held a briefing in Parliament and made comments on the party's new legislative initiative concerning this.
Anikashvili announced that some amendments should be made in the law and families with four or five children should be given the official status of large families. This would mean they would be able to access some health, education and other social privileges. "Large families are one of the unprotected parts of our society nowadays," said Magda Anikashvili, who added that in Georgia there are women who act like heroes by working day and night but no one appreciates them and these women face numerous problems.
The Christian Democrats have a great desire to help large families and in order to achieve this they need to clarify legally what a large family is and what it should be entitled to. Only after this can certain attempts be made to pass a law giving more social privileges to large families.