In September 1991,
Chechnya proclaimed independence from Russia. The Chechens adopted the full name
Chechen Republic Ichkeria. On 11 December 1994, the Russian Federation sent
troops into the Chechen Republic and used mines extensively. On 20 August 1996,
talks on a peace agreement were held. The Khasav-Yurt agreements were signed, in
which a decision on the Chechen Republic Ichkeria’s status was delayed
till 1 January 2001. Today, the Chechen leadership claims that the Republic is
independent, and urges the leadership of Russia to recognize this, although
Russia maintains that Chechnya is part of the Russian Federation. The current
legal status of Chechnya is undefined: Russian officials insist that Chechnya is
undisputedly a subject of the Russian Federation and that Russian law must apply
there; Chechen officials insist on the independence of Chechen government
institutions (but are careful to state their willingness to cooperate with
Russian governmental and legal bodies) and allow that Russian law may apply so
long as it does not contradict Chechen law.
The humanitarian situation in Chechnya has deteriorated steadily since the
end of the war, creating worsening conditions of great human need and a
catastrophic lack of humanitarian assistance. The problem is exacerbated by the
withdrawal of nearly all international organizations from the Republic due to
the security situation.
Mine Ban Policy
Chechnya is not an internationally-recognized
sovereign state, and therefore cannot sign the Mine Ban Treaty. The Chechen
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Akhiad Idigov has expressed his support for the
Mine Ban Treaty, and said that the Chechen Republic Ichkeria would be ready to
send its official representatives to sign the landmine ban
treaty.[1] At the same time,
many military officials say APMs are indispensable because of the existing
threat of war and shortage of other kinds of arms in the Chechen army.
Production
It is unclear if, or how much, landmine production
capability was located in Chechnya before the disintegration of the Soviet
Union. It is believed that there is currently no domestic production of mines in
Chechnya. Some plants in the Chechen Republic have produced military materiel
-- the Krasny Molot plant repaired tanks, the Anisimov and Lenin chemical plants
produced fuels and other military components, the Elektropribor plant produced
military electronics -- but it is unclear at this time if any of these plants
produced landmine components in the past or what their capability is to do so in
the future.[2]
Transfer
Chechnya has not made an official declaration
regarding its position on the export or import of APMs. The landmines that are
in the republic were brought in during Soviet times and were kept in depots with
other ammunition. During the war, it appears that Chechens obtained
antipersonnel mines from two sources: Chechens bought mines from Russian
soldiers and officers, and mines also came from the Trans-Caucasus, delivered by
groups on horseback across the mountains. Chechnya has not exported mines.
On the internal black market one can find almost any kind of mine produced in
Russia. The average black market price of a mine is not more than $10.
Non-Russian mines are rare.
Stockpiling
It is not possible to get accurate information on
the quantity of mines in Chechen stockpiles, but they consist mostly of
Soviet-produced PMN and OZM mines. According to Mr. M. Arsaliev, the chief
deminer of the Chechen Republic, the pre-war arsenal stored in the Chechen
Republic consisted mainly of PMN, OMZ-72, MON-50, MON-90, and MON-100
antipersonnel mines, and TM-62 antitank
mines.[3] At the present time
in Chechnya, it is believed that the arsenal may also include PMN-2, POMZ, and
KPOM antipersonnel mines. Chechnya has not destroyed any stocks of APMs.
Depots and stocks of APMs, like that of other kinds of arms, were moved to
secret camps and bases in mountain regions during the war. There are armed
groups and private individuals, such as black market merchants, who have stocks
of APMs.
Use
Both sides used mines in the Chechen conflict.
Russian forces laid mines around their bases and checkpoints. They also mined
the cities, including access to city sewers. Chechen forces were reported to
have used mines as booby traps in houses and mined corpses of Russian soldiers
during the battle for Grozny.
[4] Russian officials also
admitted that they had mined the main road between Grozny and Nazran, in
Ingushetia, in March 1995. A refugee bus traveling on the road struck a mine and
ten people were killed and another five
wounded.[5]
There have been allegations of new use of landmines since the end of the war.
In May 1997, the British demining firm HALO Trust said it had seen new
minefields laid by Russian Interior Ministry forces along Chechnya’s
borders with Ingushetia and Dagestan since the peace agreement was signed in
1996.[6]
At present antipersonnel mines are used by various armed groups and armed
robbers. They are mostly used in attacks against political figures or in attacks
designed to destabilize the situation in the republic. The mines have been laid
in busy places, frequented by civilians. People who have been targeted in mine
attacks include: the President, the Chief mufti, and the Minister of State
Shariat Security. All these cases involved mines with electronic
remote-control. Various armed groups allegedly have training camps where
military skills, including mine use, are taught and practiced.
Chechen officials claim not to use APMs at this time, but haven’t
discarded the right to use them in case of aggression.
Landmine Problem
During the fighting (1994-1996), the control of
many territories was passed from one side to another several times, and each
time the territories were mined again. According to Mr. Arsaliev, there were
about 500,000 mines on the territory of Shali tank regiment
alone.[7] By some estimates,
80% of Chechnya is affected by landmines and
UXOs.[8] However, there are no
reliable estimates of the number of mines in Chechnya because no minefield maps
have been made available and no comprehensive survey
conducted.[9] The most heavily
mined areas are on the outskirts of Grozny and in the south, which was a
stronghold of Chechen
resistance.[10] HALO Trust, a
British firm conducting mine clearance operations in Chechnya, estimates that
20,000 hectares of farmland cannot be used because the presence of
landmines.[11]
The following data about the mined areas of Chechnya was provided by the
Chief of Staff of the Chechen forces:
Funding for demining is almost nonexistent.
Denmark committed $815,000 for mine clearance in Chechnya and Germany trained
two mine action experts in
Germany.[12] There are no funds
in the Chechen Republic budget for humanitarian demining. According to an
agreement between Chechnya and the Russian Federation, financing of those
programs was to be carried out by Russia, but because of the financial crisis
this program has not yet been implemented.
Mine Clearance
When Russia withdrew from Chechnya in 1996, it
cleared one minefield near Shaly, but the rest of the minefields were left
uncleared.[13] According to
specialists in the engineering services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and
the Armed Forces of Russia, at least thirty years would be required for mine
clearing in Chechnya. Maps of minefields have not been provided by either side.
According to the 1996 peace agreement, Russia is supposed to provide minefield
maps to the Chechens in order to help with mine clearance, but they have not.
The lack of maps was due both to the hasty withdrawal of Russian forces from
their bases throughout Chechnya, during which “everything was lost in the
hurry,” and to the fact that for many areas Russian forces had no such
maps.[14]
There is only one local private firm which does mine clearing. It is headed
by former Soviet Army officer Colonel M. Arsaliev, who is now also at the
Headquarters of the Chechen Forces. His firm has ten men who have conducted mine
clearance for the past two years. Work is carried out using Soviet-made
equipment.
HALO Trust conducted a mine assessment mission in January 1997 and proposed a
demining project in cooperation with the Chechen
army.[15] They proposed to
initially train 100 local deminers, and more at a later
time.[16] Chechnya has a severe
shortage of mine clearance equipment; HALO Trust purchased equipment from Russia
and received from the UK Ministry of Defence a donation of ten tractors to be
adapted to mine clearance
purposes.[17]
Chechen government officials informed a Norwegian People’s Aid
fact-finding mission that Russians are training local military forces and are
participating in demining, although all mine clearance activity remains under
the authority of Chechen
officials.[18]
Mine Awareness
There are no training brochures, films or leaflets
produced locally. All materials on mine awareness come from abroad. Literature
and films are mostly are in English and require translation. ICRC activities in
Chechnya have been curtailed since the assassination of six ICRC workers in
1996; nonetheless, it still provides invaluable assistance. Medical Emergency
Relief International (MERLIN - a British NGO) distributed mine awareness posters
from 1996 to February 1998 when it withdrew. It also disseminated information
about location of mines to HALO
Trust.[19]
Landmine Casualties
The failure adequately to mark off mined areas,
sloppy demining, and the inherently indiscriminate nature of landmines
contributed to as many as 500 civilian mine casualties during the first year of
the war, according to international relief
organizations.[20] Since the
end of the war in 1996, there have been an estimated 600 to 800 landmine
casualties in Chechnya, about half of whom are
children.[21] Immediately after
the war, the number of casualties from mines appeared to increase as people
returned to their homes. Laman Az reported that during this time period, there
were fifty-seven landmine casualties in the Nozhai-Yurtovsky region, forty-five
landmine casualties in the Achoi-Martanovsky region, and thirty landmine
casualties in the Urus-Martanovsky
region.[22] Information on
other regions, especially remote areas, is difficult to come by.
Landmine Survivor Assistance
Chechnya has historically been one of the poorest
of the Soviet republics. The health care system was inadequate before the war;
currently, it is in a crisis state. Chechen medical facilities are ill-equipped
to handle war victims. The main hospital in Grozny was bombed by the Russians in
1996. Although it is still operational, there is a severe shortage of equipment,
medicine, and water.[23]
The hospitals have very limited resources. The medical institutions do not
keep separate statistics for the victims of APMs. Activity of the orthopedic
center is hampered because of the absence of funding, materials and equipment.
Carriages, prosthetic appliances, crutches, and special boots are purchased with
money supplied by the victims.
Many people have lost limbs and suffered other injuries. At present, there
are approximately 3,500 people registered by the Ministry of Public Health in
the Chechen Republic as needing artificial limbs. It is difficult to ascertain
exactly how many of the above suffered as a result of landmines, but Chechen
Health Ministry officials estimate up to 20
percent.[24] The availability of
prosthetics in Chechnya is very limited; a few who can afford it travel for
costly treatment in Moscow or Azerbaijan. The Deputy Minister of Industry of
Chechnya is trying to establish an orthopedic clinic which would provide
prosthetics for free to poor
victims.[25] The Centre for
Peacemaking and Community Development (CPCD) and Handicap International, with
the Agency for Rehabilitation and Development, are presently working to re-open
the Chechen Orthopaedic and Prosthetics Centre in Grozny, which ceased working
in 1995. The Chechen Ministry of Health is assisting in the establishing of this
project.
At the Ministry of Public Health there is a department of rehabilitation for
those injured during the war, created under the initiative of the Minister of
Public Health Services. The department of rehabilitation conducts registration,
selection and direction of patients for treatment in other regions, as there are
no facilities in Chechnya.
Presently, the only real help to injured people requiring prostheses is
rendered by the Republic of Azerbaijan, with which the Chechen Republic
Ichkeriya has concluded an agreement for free treatment of citizens injured
during the war. In this agreement an item is included about free prostheses for
injured people in the prosthetic centers "Akhmedli" and "Darkagul," which are in
Baku (Azerbaijan). In this agreement three parties participate:
* Ministry of Social Protection and Ministry of Public Health of the Republic
Azerbaijan, ensuring free prostheses in prosthetic centers in Baku
(Azerbaijan).
*the humanitarian organization "Help the Injured" from Kuwait (representation
in Baku), feeding patients during stay in Baku (Azerbaijan) and transportation
after fitting of prostheses to Grozny.
* Ministry of Public Health of the Chechen Republic Ichkeriya, sending
monthly by group injured people in quantity of 25-30 persons to Baku
(Azerbaijan).
There are serious disadvantages to this method, as travel to Baku is
difficult and costly, and repeat visits for re-fitting/repairs are
problematic.
The Chechen Orthopaedic and Prosthetics Centre, when functioning, made the
following kinds of orthopaedic products: prostheses of lower extremities
(different types), prostheses of upper extremities, wheelchairs, crutches, and
canes. The Centre is an independent enterprise, working on contract basis with
main management of the prosthetic-orthopaedic assistance to the population under
the auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.
The majority of children in Chechnya are suffering material hardship and
psychological trauma as a result of the war. CPCD set up the Little Star
children's psychological rehabilitation Centre in a former children's sanatorium
on the edge of Grozny in May 1997, in the 'Krasnaya Turbina' region. The present
premises are leased from the Chechen Ministry of Health. Ten percent of children
attending psychological rehabilitation courses at Little Star suffer acute
post-traumatic stress disorders as a result of landmine accidents. Seven hundred
children with PTSD attend the Little Star Centre every year, having been
diagnosed by CPCD psychologists in schools.
In Grozny, two thirds of hospitals and clinics were destroyed in the war.
Those that remain run at around 30% of their original capacity. Medical staff
have received wages for only three months of the last two years. Hospitals are
hopelessly lacking in medicines. A plague of kidnappings of foreign workers and
the murder of Red Cross workers in 1996 has meant that the urgently needed help
from international organizations has been almost totally absent.
[1] Interview with Akhiad
Idigov, Chechen Minister of Foreign Affairs, December 1998.
[2] Interviews with former
chief technologist of Electropribor plant Mr. A.Z. Satuev, laboratory assistant
at Anisimov plant Mr. T. Larsaev, and former engineer at Krasny Molot plant Mr.
T. Akhmetkhanov.
[3] Interview with Mr. M.
Arsaliev, chief deminer of the Chechen Republic.
[4] The UK Working Group on
Landmines, Landmines in the former Soviet Union, June 1997, p. 8.
[5] United Nations,
Country Report: Russian Federation. See
http://www.un.org/Depts/Landmine/country/russianf.htm.
[14] Human Rights
Watch/Helsinki interview with Maj. Gen. Alexander Nikolaevich Shvetsov,
co-commander of the Joint Kommandatura, Grozny, October 21, 1996. Regarding
maps, Maj. Gen. Shvetsov stated, “I think they do not exist.” Cited
in Human Rights Watch/Helsinki, Russia/Chechnya - Report to the 1996 OSCE
Review Conference, Vol. 8, No. 16 (D), November 1996, p. 10.
[20] Human Rights
Watch/Helsinki, Russia/Chechnya - Report to the 1996 OSCE Review
Conference, p. 10.
[21] Roman Gashaev, Chairman
of the “Laman Az,” Voice of the Mountains Public Organization.
Presented at New Steps for a Mine-Free Future, Report on the First
International Conference on Landmines in Russia and the CIS, IPPNW-ICBL, Moscow,
May 27-28, 1998.
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