08 April 2008, 12:32
Igor Sazhin: Russia's authorities save money by underpaying Chechen war veterans
One of the reasons why authorities of Russia refuse to pay money compensations to former servicemen in Chechnya is in the authorities' intention to minimize expenses on militaries, asserts Igor Sazhin, Chairman of the Komi Human Rights Committee "Memorial".
"One of the key reasons why Russian authorities refuse to pay the due compensations to former soldiers is that they find it necessary to minimize the expenses on those who serve in Chechnya. To force those who fight there for kopeck do it further. Probably, they think that money should be saved for the country, and behave accordingly. They prefer not to pay compensations both to those who suffered from Chechens, i.e., to peaceful residents, and to those who was at war there," Mr Sazhin gave his comments to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Author: Olesya Ivanova, CK correspondent