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Dokku Umarov, who has announced his successor - Aslambek Vadalov - was dismissed from the command of the underground by his former companions-in-arms, said Ahmed Zakaev, former emissary of Chechen separatists, who is now hiding from Russian justice in London. Ruslan Martagov, a Chechen journalist and political scientist, agrees that Dokku Umarov has lost his reputation among the militants.

Aslambek Vadalov, appointed by Dokku Umarov to be his successor as the "Amir" of the "Imarat Kavkaz", created by Umarov, is one of the most impudent militants' field commanders and is guilty of murdering dozens of law enforcers, the Chechen MIA asserts. President of the republic Ramzan Kadyrov has stated that operations aimed to find and liquidate Umarov, Vadalov and other militants' leaders will be continued.

The reason of the death of Armenian soldiers on July 27 and 28 is in the fact that some people in the country's Armed Forces are not in their positions; and henceforth we should understand that the most important thing is the soldier's life. This was stated today to journalists by Greta Mirzoyan, a member of the public board at the Minister of Defence and chair of the public organization "Soldier's Mothers".

Moscow law enforcers are establishing instigators of the fight between natives of Dagestan and veterans-air troopers, which burst out yesterday, on August 2, in the Russian capital. Information on the incident is scanty; therefore, authors of Internet diaries express their opinions on the possible course of events; many of them condemn the troopers' tradition of celebrating the annual Troopers' Day by mass alcohol drinking.

As stated to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Fuad Gakhramanly, deputy chair of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), the participants of the Saturday's action of the opposition, who had been sentenced to administrative arrest in Baku, are exposed to insults and pressure.

Tonight, the group of Balkars, which were holding their hunger strike at the building of the representative office of the NCFD (North-Caucasian Federal District) in the city of Essentuki for 25 days, stopped their action and returned to Nalchik.

The next regular issue of the oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" will be published in Azerbaijan on August 4. It became possible after negotiations of the paper's editorial board with the top management of the "Azerbaijan" Publishing House.

In Georgia, a working group will be set up to fight against the "hate speech". This was decided today during a joint working meeting of the public movement "Multinational Georgia" with the local NGOs.

According to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the authorities of Russia shall have to pay over 600,000 euros to 87 military pensioners from Novocherkassk, Rostov Region.

Head of the investigatory department at the OVD for Kislovodsk and his subordinate are suspected of taking a bribe. Under the version of the investigation, the officials received a large bribe from four GIBDD (STSI) employees for hiding their crimes.

Actions in support of the All-Russian campaign "Strategy-31" took place in eight cities of the South of Russia, where participants demand from the authorities to respect Article 31 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which guarantees the citizens' right to peaceful assemblies. In each city the rallies were 10-50 persons strong.

Militiamen have detained a resident of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, suspected of an armed kidnapping of a resident of Maiskiy settlement from a route bus.

The group of Balkars who are holding a hunger strike in Essentuki near the representative office of the NCFD (North-Caucasian Federal District) was visited by Alexei Verbitskiy, federal inspector in Kabardino-Balkaria, who offered them to go home.

The Volgograd Court has arrested Ivan Alekseev, a well-known rapper, singer and composer, also known as "Noise MC, for 10 days on the charge of hooliganism.

The tragic death of six servicemen became a result of omissions of one of the links of the system, which had recruited a person, representing potential danger to the society. This opinion was stated today at a press conference by psychologist Karine Nalchadzhyan, who noted that the incident proved the need of a more careful medical examination of recruits.

Bureaucrats of the city will donate their one-day salaries into the assistance fund to victims of forest fires in Russia.

Dokku Umarov, leader of the armed underground in Northern Caucasus, has declared his resignation as "Amir of Imarat Kavkaz", created by him in autumn of 2007, and transfer of the powers to his successor. Experts believe that the change of power among militants may result in sharp increase of separatists' activity in the region.

A school of hafizes (readers of the Koran by heart) will open on August 23 in Ramzan Kadyrov's family village - Khosi-Yurt (Tsentoroi). The school will be named after Zelimkhan, senior brother of President Kadyrov, who died in 2004.

Today, unknown persons blew up and shelled a column of OMON (special militia) vehicles in Dagestan. Under preliminary data, 12 militiamen were wounded. The incident happened near the village of Gubden, Karabudakhkent District.

Today, in Elista, near the building of the Kalmyk State University, opposite the House of Government of Kalmykia, a picket was held against the republic's law on monetization of privileges coming into effect from August 1.