1. CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & Human Rights &
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Security Initiative
Violence in the north caucasus
trends since 2004
since January 2004, csis staff have been compiling, almost
daily, a database that tracks violent incidents occurring in the
North Caucasus. The following figures draw on this database,
through august 31, 2008.
Due to the nature of these incidents and the difficulty in finding
trusted reporting, we are not in a position to verify all of them.
We will, however, continue to update our database as information
is made available to us.

2. defining
Deaths from Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus and Lebanon “Violent incidents”:
Summer 2008
Violent incidents include
30
abductions of military
25 personnel and civilians,
bombings, assassinations
20 north of key civilian and military
caucasus
leaders, rebel attacks,
Deaths
15 police/military operations
lebanon
against suspected militants,
10
destruction of property by
5 militants, and the discovery
of weapons.
0
5/12- 5/19- 5/26- 6/2- 6/9- 6/16- 6/23- 6/30- 7/7- 7/14- 7/21- 7/28- 8/04- 8/11- 8/18- 8/25-
5/18 5/25 6/01 6/8 6/15 6/22 6/29 7/6 7/13 7/20 7/27 8/03 8/10 8/17 8/24 8/31
Date
csis staff have been following events in the north caucasus for years, but the region’s escalating violence has
received little international media attention. this graph contextualizes the death toll in the north caucasus this
summer through a comparison to lebanon.

3. Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus
January 2004 – August 2008
Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus
100
Summer 2008
90
80
30
27 70
24
Incidents
60
21 inci
Incidents
50
18
15 40 inci
Kav
12 30
9 20
6
10
3
0 0
5/05- 5/12- 5/19- 5/26- 6/2- 6/9- 6/16- 6/23- 6/30- 7/7- 7/14- 7/21- 7/28- 8/04- 8/11- 8/18- 8/25-
4
5
6
7
8
4
5
6
7
08
4
5
6
7
04
05
06
07
08
l-0
l-0
l-0
l-0
l-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
n-
5/11 5/18 5/25 6/01 6/8 6/15 6/22 6/29 7/6 7/13 7/20 7/27 8/03 8/10 8/17 8/24 8/31
r-
r-
r-
r-
r-
n
n
n
n
ct
ct
ct
ct
Ju
Ju
Ju
Ju
Ju
ap
ap
ap
ap
ap
Ja
Ja
Ja
Ja
Ja
o
o
o
o
Week
Date
“North Caucasus” Republics: the database tracks incidents in nine republics in russia including chechnya, ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria,
north ossetia, dagestan, adygeya, stavropol, Krasnodar, and rostov.

4. January 2004 – August 2008
100
90 Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus by
80
Republic Summer 2008
70 ingushetia
14
60
12 incidents
dagestan
50 10
Incidents
40 8 incident inc.
chechnya
Kavkaz
30 6
north ossetia
20 4
10 2
Kabardino-
0 Balkaria
0
8
ap -7/6
1
ap 25
52
l- 20
8/Ja 3
7
l-031
Ju -6/
-0 1
-0/2
0
ap 8/1
0 4
6/ l-05
7/ 06
7
8
4
50/5
6
- 7
8
5/J 4
0/6
7
4
6/ -05
14 6
25 7
8
5/ l-0
l-0
ct 5/
Ju-7/
/
0
30-0
11n-0
0
-0
0
7/ r-0
8/ r-0
0
ct-6
t--8
Ju-8
n-
9--
n-
2
r-
r-
o5-
1an
6/ n
ct
Ju
Ju
r
o6
o8
2c
ap
ap
Ja
Ja
Ja
o
1
Date
Dates
as this graph demonstrates, the north caucasus is an extremely varied region. While north ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria remained relatively calm
this summer, chechnya and ingushetia experienced spikes in violence.

5. Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus
January 2004 – August 2008
100
90
80
70
Incidents
60
incidents
50
40 incident inc.
Kavkaz-uzel
30
20
10
0
08
4
5
6
7
au 8
4
05
06
07
08
4
5
6
7
04
05
06
07
08
l-0
l-0
l-0
l-0
l-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
g-
n-
n-
n-
n-
r-
r-
r-
r-
r-
n
ct
ct
ct
ct
Ju
Ju
Ju
Ju
Ju
ap
ap
ap
ap
ap
Ja
Ja
Ja
Ja
Ja
o
o
o
o
Date
the majority of incidents in our database were reported by mainstream news media. however, we have found that these sources are less
thorough in their coverage of regional violence, particularly in comparison to Kavkaz-uzel.ru (caucasian Knot). csis staff have consulted
numerous independent experts, all of whom separately agreed on the importance and reliability of Kavkaz-uzel’s reporting. in turn, we have
included in our data those incidents reported only in Kavkaz-uzel, but because we increased our usage of this source beginning in May 2008
we present our findings both including and excluding events reported by this source in the figure above.

6. Number of Incidents
Ja
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
n-
0 35
ap 4
r-0
4
Ju
l-0
o 4
ct
-0
Ja 4
n-
0
ap 5
r-0
5
Ju
l-0
o 5
ct
-0
Ja 5
n-
0
ap 6
r-0
6
Ju
Date
l-0
o 6
ct
-0
Ja 6
n-
0
ap 7
r-0
7
Ju
l-0
o 7
January 2004 – August 2008
ct
-0
Ja 7
n-
0
ap 8
r-0
8
Ju
Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus by Republic
l-0
au 8
g-
08
dagestan
ingushetia
chechnya
north ossetia
Kabardino-Balkaria

7. BY rePuBlic
Violent incidents
Incidents
Ja
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
n-
04
ap
r-0
4
Ju
l-0
4
o
ct
-0
4
Ja
n-
05
ap
r-0
5
Ju
l-0
5
o
ct
-0
5
Ja
n-
06
ap
r-0
6
Ju
Date
l-0
6
o
ct
-0
6
January 2004 – August 2008
Ja
Violent Incidents in Ingushetia
n-
07
ap
r-0
7
Ju
l-0
7
o
ct
-0
7
Ja
n-
08
ap
r-0
8
Ju
l-0
au 8
g-
08

8. BY rePuBlic
Violent incidents
Incidents
Ja
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
n-
04
ap
r-0
4
Ju
l-0
4
o
ct
-0
4
Ja
n-
05
ap
r-0
5
Ju
l-0
5
o
ct
-0
5
Ja
n-
06
ap
r-0
6
Ju
Date
l-0
6
o
ct
-0
6
January 2004 – August 2008
Ja
Violent Incidents in Chechnya
n-
07
ap
r-0
7
Ju
l-0
7
o
ct
-0
7
Ja
n-
08
ap
r-0
8
Ju
l-0
au 8
g-
08

9. BY rePuBlic
Violent incidents
Incidents
Ja
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
n-
04
ap
r-0
4
Ju
l-0
4
o
ct
-0
4
Ja
n-
05
ap
r-0
5
Ju
l-0
5
o
ct
-0
5
Ja
n-
06
ap
r-0
6
Ju
Date
l-0
6
o
ct
-0
6
January 2004 – August 2008
Violent Incidents in Dagestan
Ja
n-
07
ap
r-0
7
Ju
l-0
7
o
ct
-0
7
Ja
n-
08
ap
r-0
8
Ju
l-0
au 8
g-
08

10. BY rePuBlic
Violent incidents
Incidents
Ja
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
n-
04
ap
r-0
4
Ju
l-0
4
o
ct
-0
4
Ja
n-
05
ap
r-0
5
Ju
l-0
5
o
ct
-0
5
Ja
n-
06
ap
r-0
6
Ju
Date
l-0
6
o
ct
-0
6
January 2004 – August 2008
Ja
n-
Violent Incidents in North Ossetia
07
ap
r-0
7
Ju
l-0
7
o
ct
-0
7
Ja
n-
08
ap
r-0
8
Ju
l-0
au 8
g-
08

11. BY rePuBlic
Violent incidents
Incidents
Ja
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
n-
04
ap
r-0
4
Ju
l -0
4
o
ct
-0
4
Ja
n-
05
ap
r-0
5
Ju
l -0
5
o
ct
-0
5
Ja
n-
06
ap
r-0
6
Ju
l
Date
-0
6
o
ct
-0
6
January 2004 – August 2008
Ja
n-
07
Violent Incidents in Kabardino-Balkaria
ap
r-0
7
Ju
l -0
7
o
ct
-0
7
Ja
n-
08
ap
r-0
8
Ju
l -0
au 8
g-
08

12. Deaths from Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus
Summer 2008
Deaths from Violent Incidents in the North Caucasus
January 2004 – August 2008
30
350
25
300
250
20
Number killed
Deaths
200
15
150
10
100
50
5
0
08
Ju 4
Ju 5
Ju 6
Ju 7
Ju 8
se 4
se 5
se 6
se 7
08
0
M e
d 4
M 4
d 5
M 5
d 6
M 6
d 7
M 7
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
0
0
0
0
m
0
-0
0
-0
0
-0
0
-0
g-
n-
n-
n-
n-
n-
p-
p-
p-
p-
ar
ar
ar
ar
ar
ti
ec
ec
ec
ec
au
5/12- 5/19- 5/26- 6/2- 6/9- 6/16- 6/23- 6/30- 7/7- 7/14- 7/21- 7/28- 8/04- 8
5/18 5/25 6/01 6/8 6/15 Date 6/29 7/6 7/13 7/20 7/27 8/03 8/10
6/22
Date

13. sources:
• Ria Novosti (http://en.rian.ru/)
• Caucasian Knot (http://kavkaz-uzel.ru/)
• ITAR-TASS (http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/)
• Chechnya Weekly, The Jamestown Foundation (http://www.jamestown.org/chechnya_weekly/archives.php)
• RFE/RL (http://www.rferl.org/)
• The Moscow Times (http://www.themoscowtimes.com/index.htm)
• The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com)
• Reuters (http://www.reuters.com)
• USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com)
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (http://www.iiss.org)
For more information please contact: lucy Moore, lmoore@csis.org
for recommendations on ways in which the international community can address issues facing the north
caucasus see 49 Steps To Improve Human Rights and Security in the North Caucasus, a report of the
csis human rights and security initiative and the robert Bosch stiftung:
http://www.csis.org/index.php?option=com_csis_pubs&task=view&id=4045