WAR PROVING COSTLY.

How much is the Chechnya war costing Russian taxpayers? Igor Andreyev of Novaya Gazeta asked that question of Arkady Baskaev, who commanded Russia’s Grozny garrison in 1995 and is now a member of the Duma. In a January 23 interview, the deputy replied that none of the security agencies would be willing to answer that question because the true figure must be at least 30 percent of the budget for the Ministry of Defense–and similar portions for the Interior Ministry and the FSB.