05 December 2003, 13:39
No less that 300 thousand Russian soldiers involved in hostilities in Chechnya
According to the data by the Independent Military Review, altogether the group of forces in Chechnya and around it (in the North Caucasian Military District) comes to no less than 300 thousand soldiers. This figure is calculated without taking the Interior Troops into account. They number 193 thousand servicemen, more that a half of whom serve in the North Caucasus. 4 out of 5 special operations divisions of the Russian Interior Ministry's Troops are deployed there - in Krasnodar, Pyatigorsk, Rostov, and Novocherkassk. Moreover, there are special operations brigades in the Kursk district of Stavropol Territory (just on the border with the Chechen Republic), in the Rostov region (Kalach-on-Don), in Kabardino-Balkaria (Nalchik), and in Dagestan (Makhachkala).
Thus, not only the entire group of forces of the North Caucasian Military District (with rear structures and reserves) fights against Chechnya, but units from the regions of Russia attached to it do. This group of forces fighting against Chechnya - the population of which hardly exceeds 500 thousand people, without taking into consideration the refugees who left the republic - is the largest one in Europe. It can be indicated for comparison that about 160 thousand US soldiers fight against 22 millions of the Iraqi people.
Source: Kavkaz Center Website
