Sokiryanskaya: Chechen authorities try defeating militants by cutting them off their social support

After cancellation of the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime, Chechnya sees a splash of violence causing tough reaction of the authorities. To defeat the rebels, Ramzan Kadyrov tries to cut them off from their social base - support from that part of the population who are still helping the members of IAFs (illegal armed formations). This was stated by Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, an employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

"After cancellation of the CTO regime in Chechnya, the whole responsibility for safety in the republic is now directly on Ramzan Kadyrov. And now he wants to show that CTO cancellation was, first of all, a justified measure, and, secondly, that he keeps the situation in the republic under control and there is in fact no underground left," says the human rights defender.

"Part of the population and individuals are still helping militants with foodstuffs and medicines, and being at war without this support is certainly impossible. Those latest detentions, disappearances, extrajudicial executions that we observe in the last two months were applied just to those people who were suspected of complicity with rebels. That is, not the militants and suspects of participation in combat operations, but those who brought bread and medicines to them," the Radio Liberty quotes Ms Sokiryanskaya.

She summed up: "This is no solution to the conflict in Chechnya. It can be strangled for some time; however, as soon as this tough, violent and total power gets slightly weaker, a new and even more terrible conflict will burst out."