"...the war, despite its burden and risks, continues to be useful to the Kremlin for achieving various external and internal political goals, and as such, constitutes an integral part of Putin’s political project. One recent illustration of this conclusion was the “window of opportunity” (in the words of Kremlin’s insiders) created by the terrorist attack in Beslan for advancing the long-discussed proposal on discontinuing the pattern of regional elections and establishing the practice of appointing governors by presidential decree. By generating deadly terrorism, the stagnant war in Chechnya also creates legitimacy for tighter central control over political processes and suppressing dissent as the fifth column. In this perspective, the straightforward question: “What would it take to achieve peace in Chechnya?” has a simple answer: “It would take a different Russia.”"
- Pavel K. Baev
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