Chechen ministry clamps down on trade in camouflage clothing
On Monday [22 March] the Chechen Republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the launch of a special
operation to suppress the unlawful wearing of camouflage fatigues. Chechen Internal Affairs Minister Alu Alkhanov is
about to inflict a blow on one of the most lucrative forms of Chechen small business - the trade in military clothing
and accessories.
"The need for the operation arises from the fact that the majority of crimes on Chechen territory are committed
by persons who don camouflage fatigues in an attempt, by so doing, to pass themselves off as law-enforcement agency
personnel," Chechen Interior Ministry's press secretary Ruslan Atsayev stated yesterday.
The special operation is being run by the Chechen Interior Ministry internal security administration. At present,
according to press-office information, all drivers wearing camouflage are having their documents checked. The next
target will obviously be the market traders in camouflage gear.
"In Chechnya anyone who wishes may, at present, purchase a policeman's uniform. They are freely available
at numerous marketplaces," Ruslan Atsayev stated.
Your Izvestiya correspondent himself has more than once visited these "numerous marketplaces" not only in
Groznyy, but also in other towns and villages in the republic. And, according to our observations, they do not sell
uniforms there. They sell camouflage pea jackets, cargo vests, straps with and without sword-belts, knee-high army
boots, mountain coveralls, and even camouflage underwear. Legally speaking, none of this is uniform, but is counted as
"camouflage clothing" and, in principle, may be sold freely. Also, one may freely buy any sort of magazine
pouch or pistol holster, if they were originally manufactured for private sale and do not bear a military-issue
stamp.
Camouflage clothing and military accessories are among the most popular consumer goods in Chechnya. The abundance of
armed personnel and the general operational situation are part of the reason for this. The purchasers are not only
bandits, but also fully legal members of staff of power-wielding bodies, while the majority of local and nonlocal
spetsnaz [special-purpose police] members prefer "NATO" uniforms from the marketplace to their own official
uniforms. Practically all of the merchandise is bought up by wholesale traders in the Dagestani city of Khasavyurt and
is retailed in Chechnya with an approximately 20-per cent markup. Evidently, Chechen Interior Ministry chiefs are now
attempting to somehow regularize this business and bring it under their control. According to press office chief Ruslan
Atsayev, "Internal Affairs Minister Alu Alkhanov intends in the very near future to present for government
consideration a draft decree or directive whereby a specialized store for the sale of these goods will be opened in
Groznyy. This will allow the authorities to keep a record of people who buy this clothing, and also to sell it only to
those who work in security and law-enforcement structures and who have the right to wear it."
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