Russia Is Losing Its War In The Caucasus

Map of the Caucasus

In Russia, An Intensifying Insurgency -- Washington Post

Under crackdown, Chechen separatism turns into a regional Islamist revolt.

SUNZHENSKY, RUSSIA -- Her face wet with tears and framed by a black shawl, Madina Albakova sat in her ransacked living room and described how she had become another teenage widow here in Ingushetia, the most volatile of Russia's Muslim republics.

The details emerged between sobs: the arrival of the security forces earlier in the day, her husband's panicked attempt to flee, the gunfire that erupted without warning. He was a law student, barely 20 and "so beautiful," she said, but the soldiers planted a rifle next to his body and called him an Islamist rebel. Then they took everything of value -- the family's savings, a set of dishes, even baby clothes, she said.

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My Comment: This is Russia's dirty war, and it is growing worse. After years of repression, Russia is no closer to a solution in this conflict than when it first started. What is worse, is that the insurrection in the region is getting worse, and Russia is now realizing that they may be in a conflict that can go on for decades.