Kremlin methods
Sir: Tom Parfitt’s article (‘Moscow’s secret war in Ingushetia’, 13 September) is a grim yet wholly accurate description of the techniques used by the Russian leadership to terrorise its own citizens. The sad truth is that Mr Parfitt could have simply substituted the word ‘Ingushetia’ for — among others — ‘Chechnya’ in the title of his piece without sacrificing any accuracy.
The Moscow-imposed president Ramzan Kadyrov claims that Chechnya is the ‘most peaceful place in Russia’. Yet despite claims that the war is over, human rights campaigners and journalists have shown this so-called ‘peace’ to be a total charade: disappearances, torture, rape and extra-judicial killings remain rampant. These methods, deployed by the Kremlin to prop up their puppet regimes of fear and oppression, constitute the ugly truth behind the glossy backdrops carefully choreographed for the Western press. No one should be fooled. The Russian leadership is killing its own citizens, and they are getting away with it.
Ivar Amundsen
Director, Chechnya Peace Forum, London W1
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