Michael Petukhov wrote:
Stop SPAM wrote in message ...
* The official figure for the number of Russian soldiers who died in
Chechnya between 1999 and mid-2003 is 4,705 - though the Soldiers'
Mothers of Russia organisation put the figure at 11,000.
....
* Their estimate for the first Chechen war, which lasted from 1994 -1996
is 14,000 dead, compared with the official 5,500. Civilian deaths in
this war are numbered in the tens of thousands.


Now 14,000? wat 11,000 just a moment ago?

Michael, you're not paying attention. The 11,000 estimate is for the
second war (1999-2003), the 14,000 estimate is for the first war
(1994-1996). I suggest you read more carefully before you respond.

"Mothers of Russia" or "Memorial" data I guess. both are
Berezovsky commercial interprises. The guy simply do not
want to spend his rest of life in russian prison and pretend to be
political refugee in UK. How he can prove that, but
funding such antigovernment propaganda outlets as
Mothers of Russia", "Memorial" and "Democratic Russia" party?
Some idiots like you do believe.

As opposed to your belief that the pro-government propaganda outlets are
providing you with real, unbiased information? Remember, Michael, that
even Russians think the title of "Pravda" is a joke.

Michael, I don't 'believe' either. As a more sophisticated user of media
in the West, I realize that all media outlets have one bias or another,
and the best way to try and discern the truth is to pay attention to all
media outlets, learn what their biases are, and then work on extracting
what reasonable 'truth' you can out of the conflicting information
presented.

"Mothers of Russia" presents different data than the official Russian
government. They have their own biases. Read both them and the official
Russian sources and perhaps take the average of both their figures;
perhaps this is closer to the truth.



In either case my original point holds. There have been heavy civilian
casualties in Chechnya regardless of whose figures you use, and most
sources cite heavier civilian casualties in Chechnya than in Iraq.

Add this to the facts:
* the Iraq population is tens of times bigger than the Chechnyian population
* Russia has less troops in Chechnya than the USA has in Iraq.

The result is the Chechnyians are suffering far higher civilian
casualties per Chechnyian civilian or per Russian soldier than the
Iraqis are.

"Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at their
neighbours."