Rights defenders treat monument to Pskov paratroopers in Chechnya as PR action

On March 2, a monument in the shape of a cross, dedicated to the events of 2000, was set up in the Argun Gorge, where a fight took place of Pskov paratroopers with the armed grouping commanded by Khattab.

It would be better to erect the monument in Pskov, the paratroopers’ homeland, since in Chechnya it may cause disapproval of local residents, who suffered from militaries’ actions, said Svetlana Gannushkina, the Chair of the "Civil Assistance" Committee.

According to her version, the participation of Chechen leadership in the opening of the monument could be caused by political reasons. "After all, not everything is OK in Chechen leadership’s relationships with the federal government; therefore participation in this kind of actions is a demonstration of allegiance," Ms Gannushkina said.

The events in the Argun Gorge need inquiry and explanation, not mythologizing, said Alexander Cherkasov, a board member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

"In this case, paying honours to victims replaces the inquiry and clarification of responsibility," he said.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.