Word: shamanov
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...Indeed, Shamanov, who led the 58th Army in Chechnya's western sector during the Second Chechen War, was investigated by Russian prosecutors after the European court's ruling - but they concluded that there was no evidence of a crime. Then in December 2008, the Kremlin notified the Council of Europe that it was reviewing the decision. However, it's unlikely that the investigation will yield any new results. (See pictures of Russians in Ossetia...
After serving in Chechnya, Shamanov was decorated a Hero of Russia, while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said he "deserve[s] the deepest respect" for his "great contribution to the success of [the] counterterrorist operation [in Chechnya]." Part of that contribution came during operations in the village of Alkhan-Yurt in 1999. In its report, the HRW says that during fighting in the area, "Russian troops under Shamanov's command committed at least 14 killings that amounted to extrajudicial executions...
Instead of standing trial, as human-rights groups are demanding, Shamanov will continue to serve as a super-hawk at a time when Russia has been making efforts to assert its place on the world stage though aggressive military actions. Just last week Shamanov said that "airborne troops proved during the five-day war [with Georgia] that they ... remain the backbone of Russia's conventional forces," according to Russian news agency RIA-Novosti. Previously head of the Ministry of Defense's combat training command, Shamanov ordered a change in training last year to prepare Russia's military to fight...
...while Shamanov's human-rights record is the issue making waves internationally, inside Russia it's his hawkishness that is causing problems for the country's leadership. Commenting on his promotion, Shamanov said certain airborne units that were due to be cut under the government's blueprint to build a smaller, more professional fighting force would instead be kept on, and some would even be expanded - a step off the party line that has upset the Kremlin. (Read "Russia's Chechnya Pullout: Compromise Over Victory...
...Shamanov's promotion may also cause trouble on Russia's foreign relations front. A year after Medvedev made his speech promising greater respect for the rule of law, a report by human-rights watchdog Amnesty International said that in Russia "impunity prevails" for human-rights violations by the government. Russia may have gained a hardened combat soldier as the leader of its élite forces, but it's losing international faith in Medvedev's reforms...