On 16 April, President Medvedev announced the official end of Russia's 'counter-terrorist operation' in Chechnya, effectively declaring victory in the long war against Chechen separatism. Much of Grozny - virtually razed to the ground during a decade and a half of fighting - has now been reconstructed, and in recent years there has been a marked decline in the activity of insurgent groups. The success is attributed to the iron rule of Ramzan Kadyrov, the pro-Moscow president of Chechnya, whose ruthless methods have, we are told, brought peace to the region.

LRB 14 May 2009 | PDF Download