Official’s Killing May Derail Chechnya Talks

URUS-MARTAN, Russia —  A regional leader was shot to death in Chechnya on Saturday, casting a new shadow over on-again, off-again talks aimed at bringing peace to the breakaway republic.

Thousands of Chechen villagers demonstrated to protest the killing of Yusup Elmurzayev, head of the government here in Urus-Martan, one of Chechnya’s biggest towns.

Both the Russian army and the Russian-installed government in Chechnya accused rebels of murdering Elmurzayev to sabotage peace talks. A spokesman for the separatists denied involvement.

The head of an international group brokering the negotiations condemned the shooting and told the Interfax news agency it could “seriously complicate” talks between Russia and Chechen separatists.

“We are concerned about the fact that this happened when a trend appeared for bringing the negotiators’ positions closer,” said Tim Guldimann, mission chief in Grozny, the Chechen capital, for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Elmurzayev was being driven to work when masked gunmen opened fire on his car near his home 12 miles southwest of Grozny, witnesses said.

Two guards and the driver were also killed. The Interfax news agency said later that seven suspects have been arrested.

Elmurzayev, 40, a former history teacher, opposed the rebels but maintained a dialogue with them and also criticized the Russians.

In Grozny, the government held an emergency session to discuss the slaying. A spokesman blamed it on the rebels. But the rebels’ main spokesman, Movladi Udugov, blamed the shooting on unidentified “destructive forces” who are not interested in stopping the 18-month-old war, Interfax reported.

The incident highlighted the tensions persisting in Chechnya during a shaky week-old truce. Several clashes were reported overnight, and at least two Russian soldiers were reported killed in Grozny.