Unannounced training exercises provoke criticism of Grozny residents

According to residents of Grozny, law enforcers failed to warn them about the antiterrorist exercises carried out in a residential quarter on August 29.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at 10 a.m. on August 29, in the area of Minutka Square in Grozny, an explosion occurred after a series of shots. This was reported by eyewitnesses. A large number of law enforcers were accumulated at the place of the incident, and they told the local residents about the training exercises.

"Grozny hosted the scheduled antiterrorist training exercises to work out the tasks to cordon off and liquidate hypothetical terrorists," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by an official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for Chechnya.

"There was a kind of explosion near the 'Southern' bus station, and then shots were heard. The place was cordoned off. We do not know what was happening there. At present, they say law enforcers were carrying out training exercises. Although it seems to me that there are special training grounds for carrying out such exercises," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by local resident Timur.

"People clearly heard the explosion and shooting. If they in fact were carrying out training exercises, then it's not clear why people were not warned in advance. I also cannot understand how it is possible to conduct training exercises in a residential neighbourhood, near a bus station where there are always a lot of people and there is an accumulation of buses and private taxis," noted Isa, a resident of Grozny.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.