DISMISSAL OF MAIGOV IS DOWNPLAYED

During one of her conversations with Chechnya Weekly in Washington, Anna Politkovskaya said that last month’s firing of Salambek Maigov–he had been the separatist Maskhadov government’s representative in Moscow–does not mean a full victory for the extremists among the separatists. To her knowledge, she said, Maskhadov does not have any one dominant adviser at this point.

Politkovskaya said that Maskhadov had expected more concrete diplomatic success from Maigov than anyone could possibly have delivered. She described Maskhadov, living in the caves of the Chechen highlands, as being understandably out of touch with the international situation; she added that what Dr. Baiev had said about Chechens’ psychological health applies to Maskhadov as well.