Not much notice is paid in the editorial department of the Washington Post these days to all the facts about the war in Chechnya. You write that Russian authorities have forbidden journalists and aid agencies from entering Chechnya, as they are afraid of what they might report.

Let us not forget the reason why reporters and aid agencies, such as the Red Cross in 1997, fled from Chechnya in the first place. It was not due to the dictates of Russian authorities, but because of concern for their own saftey in light of rampant kidnaping and cold-blooded murder.

War or no, these groups probably would not be in Chechnya today. Finally, Russian bombs and artillery have indeed had a catastrophic effect on the Chechen population; but so have the trade in human beings (responsible for the kidnaping of innocent Chechens, Daghestanis, Russians, and even French journalists), the drug trade, oil theft, and murder (witness the beheading of four British Telecom workers in 1998).

All of this was happening before Russia renewed its military campaign to reestablish order in Chechnya (which had become, sadly, a haven for criminals). In truth, the situation in Chechnya is a complex one, and I believe your newspaper has been remiss in its duty to portray it as such.

Sincerely,
Brooks Wheeler