Vakha Arsanov

Vakha Arsanov (died 2005) was a former vice president in the Aslan Maskhadov's government of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

Biography

Early life

Vakha Arsanov, a former Soviet traffic police officer, became a military commander during the First Chechen War in the rank of Divisional General.

In January 1997, he run an on the same ticket as Aslan Maskhadov, and the two won Chechnya's presidential election when almost 300,000 Chechen voters chose Maskhadov and Arsanov.

Vice-President of Chechnya

In February 1997, a remote-controlled bomb blast damaged two cars in the motorcade of Arsanov as it passed through central Grozny; his press spokesman alleged the attack was "a carefully planned operation by the Russian secret services," designed to destabilize Chechnya by provoking conflict between supporters of Maskhadov and Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, the outgoing acting president. [ [http://usa.agentura.ru/friends/news/omri/1997/02/970206I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new) ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON CHECHEN VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT] ] Same year, Arsanov rejected the Boris Yeltsin's idea to created a commission tasked with drafting a power-sharing treaty with Chechnya and asserted that Russian-Chechen relations should be based on international law. [ [http://www.amina.com/article/icbrief4.html Chechnya in Brief (From 1990 to March of 1997)] ] In April, he accused the Russian secret services of organizing a terrorist bombings the Russian town of Pyatigorsk and Armavir, [ [http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/news/omri/1997/04/970430I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new) KULIKOV ACCUSES CHECHENS OF PYATIGORSK BOMBING] ] claimed by Salman Raduyev. In May, Russian leaders formally apologized for the incident in which Russian fighter aircraft intercepted Arsanov's plane shortly after it took off from Grozny en route for the Netherlands. [ [http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/news/omri/1997/05/970521I.html(opt,mozilla,unix,english,,new) MOSCOW APOLOGIZES FOR INTERCEPTION OF CHECHEN VICE PRESIDENT'S PLANE] ] In September, Arsanov threatened to "execute" Russian Cabinet leaders for their "genocide" during the war and said to "spit" on Russia; the Russian government demanded that Arsanov retract "the insulting statements" and apologize, which he did not do. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E1DD1E39F930A2575AC0A961958260 Russian-Chechen Agreement on Rebuilding a Major Oil Pipeline Is Beginning to Unravel] ] In November, he served as the acting president while Maskhadov was on vacation. [ [http://www.nupi.no/cgi-win/Russland/krono.exe?1371 Chechen leaders deplore dismissal of Berezovskiy] ]

In July 1998, together with Shamil Basayev, Arsanov saved the "Wahhabi" forces aided by a renegade former generals Arbi Barayev and Abdul-Malik Mezhidov from total destruction during the confrontation with the Maskhadov's government forces in Gudermes. [ [http://www.ca-c.org/dataeng/05.akaev.shtml RELIGIOUS–POLITICAL CONFLICT IN THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC OF ICHKERIA] ] In an August 1998 televised conference, Arsanov said that by attacking Afghanistan and Sudan the United States had launched an "undeclared World War III" and ordered an attack against the Americans on the global scale; he said that Bill Clinton had been put on the "wanted list" for his crimes against the Islamic people and would be tried according to Sharia laws. [ [http://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98aug24/world.htm Chechnya declares war on USA] ] [ [http://www.afpc.org/rrm/rrm501.htm Chechen leader calls for terrorist war against U.S. and says President Clinton should be killed] ] In December, Arsanov defected to the opposition, which was agitating for a new Islamist state constitution.

Arsanov was accused of involvement in criminal activity, including kidnappings of foreigners, [ [http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=6&NrSection=2&NrArticle=8206 Hawks and Doves Circle over Chechnya] ] [ [http://www.bellybuttonwindow.com/1998/russia/chechnya_burning.html Chechnya Burning] ] [ [http://www.bu.edu/iscip/vol13/Izmailov.html The Drama Behind 'Nord-Ost'] ] [ [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/16352 The Kidnapping Mafia (Chechnya)] ] and connections with the Chechen mafia in Moscow. [ [http://users.jyu.fi/~aphamala/pe/2003/tsets-4.htm The Background of Chechen Independence Movement IV: The Internal Power Struggle in Chechnya] ] In one incident, North Ossetian officials arrested five Chechens, apparently to trade for the release of Ossetian citizens held hostage in Chechnya; the Chechens were released when Arsanov threatened to invade Vladikavkaz, the capitol of North Ossetia. [ [http://www.chicagoguild.org/News/News%202007/Nagayeva.htm Amanta Nagayeva] ] In February 1999, Arsanov was sacked by a presidential decree abolishing his post, but said he will not leave office unless President Maskhadov also steps down. He said the republic's top Islamic body, the Shura, should be allowed to select a new national leadership to transform Chechnya into an Islamic state. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/274288.stm Islamist vice-president defies Chechen leader] ]

After the Second Chechen War begun in 1999, Arsanov said that the State Defense Council had decided to forbid "Chechen leaders from conducting negotiations or getting in touch with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin". [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19991025/ai_n14268295 Chechens trapped as Russians cut off escape] ] In October, ruled out holding political negotiations with Russia, saying Chechnya expects the European Union and the United States to pressure Russia into ending the military operation. [ [http://www.rferl.org/features/1999/10/F.RU.991018161159.asp Russia: Troops Near Chechen Capital] ] In February 2000, Arsanov, together with Basayev, were reported to have announced the start of "total military actions on the whole of Russian territory." [ [http://edition.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/02/06/russia.chechnya.03/ Putin says Russia has taken Chechen capital; Rebels say they're ready to fight for 50 years] ] He soon disappeared in Georgia where he was treated for an injury, appearing publcily in the presence of President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze, [ [http://www.psan.org/document521.html The Security Organs of the Russian Federation (Part IV)] ] later reportedly moving to Nazran in Ingushetia. [ [http://www.cdi.org/russia/268-8.cfm U.S. Know-How Doesn't Work in Chechnya] ] He resurfaced in 2001 to describe the continuing opposition to Russian federal forces as "pointless," for what he was fired (again) by Maskhadov on August 31 2001.

Late life and death

In February 2003, the AFP reported Arsanov issued a video call to the Chechen resistance to put an end to attacks on pro-Moscow Chechen militia. [ [http://www.kavkazcenter.net/eng/content/2003/02/18/923.shtml Unexpected announcement by Vakha Arsanov] ] According to the Russian media reports, he became close with Akhmad Kadyrov, the pro-Moscow head of the republic who asked the federal center for an amnesty for Arsanov, [ [http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-3-14 Who Will Stand in for Maskhadov?] ] while some other sources he together with Isa Munayev stayed as one of the last commanders still fully loyal to Maskhadov. [ [http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=396&issue_id=2927&article_id=23631 KHAMBIEV SURRENDER SEEN AS HEAVY BLOW TO MASKHADOV] ] According to the "Kommersant" report, [ [http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/01/18/012.html Report: Arsanov Arrested] ] Arsanov was detained by the Chechen OMON led by the former separatist commander Artur Akhmadov. [http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=2763 Rebel Site: Kadyrov Torturing Arsanov] ] [ [http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=552963 Aslan Maskhadov Killed] ] In February 2005, the separatists protested the alleged arrest and detention of Arsanov by the Russian party. [ [http://www.watchdog.cz/?show=000000-000004-000001-000169&lang=1 Maskhadov’s Last Earthly Comments about the Upcoming "Round Table"] ]

On May 15 2005, Russia announced that during a raid in the village of Ivanovo, a suburb of Grozny, pro-Russian police and militia forces killed four militants, including Arsanov. [ [http://old.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2005/05/16/3803.shtml Rumors about possible death of Vakha Arsanov] ] The death was shrouded in mystery, including uncertainty voiced by the Russian officials (the bodies were reported to be burned too badly to be identified), and the previous information by the separatist sources that Arsanov was at the time in the Russian custody. According to the some reports, Arsanov was held in Ramzan Kadyrov's private prison in Tsentoroi and unsuccessfully tortured there in order to incline him toward cooperating with the young Kadyrov against Maskhadov. [ [http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=409&issue_id=3337&article_id=2369764 FATE OF FORMER CHECHEN VP REMAINS MYSTERIOUS] ] [ [http://www.hrvc.net/west/22-2-04.html Ministry of Foreign Affairs of CRI expressed protest to PACE] ] In fact, the claim that Arsanov was being tortured at an unofficial prison run by Kadyrov was already cited by "The Moscow Times" in February. [ [http://18.85.3.140/news/balkans/rferl/2005/05-02-14.rferl.html CHECHEN VICE PRESIDENT REPORTEDLY CAPTURED] ] It was also claimed the son of Arsanov, Rizvan, was also killed, shot dead during the torture sessions.

References

External links

* [http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=1939 Chechen Republic of Ichkeria: Top Rebel Figure Arsanov Detained in Chechnya] , Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, 2005-02-14