How do Chechens travel from Pankisi?
So much attention has been focused on the Chechen-Georgian border that it has become rather difficult to cross — apart from the dangers inherent in the tricky mountain passes, the Russian airborne are guarding the border, the OSCE monitoring mission is surveying the area, and journalists are traipsing about the area. It is far easier to cross the border in another location and then make one’s way to Chechnya. The obvious choice is South Ossetia, which has a customs-free regime with Russia. In a recent interview with Novaya gazeta, a Chechen refugee in Pankisi revealed that this is precisely the preferred route to return to Grozny. “People take the minibus to Vladikavkaz. A seat costs 100 lari ($50). A family would require a whole minibus which is $600. For the people here this is a huge sum. Plus traveling from Vladikavkaz to Grozny can be difficult and dangerous.” (NOVAYA GAZETA, 6 Jun 02) Local elections: a road map for the succession? The major figures in Georgian politics used the
