SPECIAL EXTRA: Umarov Declares war on Putin

Appearing on YouTube, separatist leader Doku Umarov (above, center) has declared war on Russia, the city of Moscow, and Vladimir Putin. So much for a “pacified” Caucasus.  Here’s one “bandit” still very much alive and kicking on his “toilet.”  In fact, he’s spitting in Putin’s eye. (Anyone thinking this chap is bluffing best think again.)

After the jump, the full English text of his remarks, provided by an LR reader (corrections appreciated).

NOTE:  We cannot but express our outrage at YouTube for daring to remove this vital historical document from its virtual pages, apparently in response to Kremlin-sponsored pressure. The above is at least the second posting of the video and we cannot say how long it will last. To censor this material is an offense against basic principels of democracy and YouTube should be ashamed.

Russian Butchery of Soldiers: An Update

Back in June, we translated from the pages of Novaya Gazeta a story about Russian soldiers having their organs harvested and sold for profit.  Now, the Moscow Times updates the story:

It’s been more than seven years since the border guards, a unit of the Federal Security Service, returned Alma Bukharbayeva’s teenage son in a sealed casket.

Marat Burtubayev, 18, was serving with his unit in the Khabarovsk region, near the Chinese border, for his required two years of military service. He was eight months into his service when commanders said the young recruit hanged himself in January 2003.

But what they did not explain — and what Bukharbayeva has been trying to learn ever since — is what happened to her son’s internal organs.