Chechens attached to Russian troops in Georgia Radio Ekho Moskvy, referring to a representative of the Russian Ministryof Defence reports that in the structure of armed forces attached to thecontingent of Russian peacemakers in Georgia’s troubled areas there arealso two companies of the special-task battalions Zapad (West) andVostok (East), which are constantly deployed in Russia’s ChechenRepublic. Radio notes that news agency ITAR-TASS has confirmed thisreport. Zapad and Vostok battalions are commanded by the MainIntelligence Directorate (abbreviation: GRU) of the Russian General Staff.
The Vostok and Zapad battalions, which are part of the 42nd MotorizedRifle Division that is permanently deployed in Chechnya, have been incharge of operations in the eastern and western parts of the republic,respectively. In June, Leutenant-General Vladimir Shamanov, head of theRussian Armed Forces combat training directorate said the battalions“perform tasks not only in the framework of the Joint Group of Forces inthe North Caucasus, but also peacekeeping tasks in South Ossetia andAbkhazia.
"Russian military inspectors have been dealing with the Vostok battalioncases possess data on about involvement of special-task servicemen in anumber of kidnappings and subsequent brutal murders in Chechnya. Vostokbattalion troops conducted a ‘special military operation’ in theBorozdinovskaya village in the summer of 2005. Four houses were burntdown, 11 people disappeared and a 77-year-old man died as a result ofthe operation.Vostok battalion was formed on the basis of the specialplatoon of the Chechen military commandant.The Vostok battalion and its Zapad counterpart were established in 2003.
They are affiliated with the Defense Ministry's 42nd Motorized RifleDivision that is permanently stationed in Chechnya, and are at the sametime directly subordinate to Russian military intelligence (GRU).
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