Yevkurov’s Appointment to Defense Ministry Slowed by Legal Obstacles

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 1 – Yunus-Bek Yevkurov’s appointment to be a deputy defense minister in charge of training, an appointment his associates have been talking about for five days, may not happen as quickly and seamlessly as many expected given that under existing legislation there is no such position to be given to the former head of Ingushetia.

            Under existing laws, that ministry has only 11 deputy ministers. Yevkurov would be the 12^th and his appointment would require new legislation, unless someone else is shifted.  Thus, it is no surprise the Kremlin says it hasn’t made the appointment (fortanga.org/2019/07/putin-ne-podpisyval-ukaz-o-naznachenii-evkurova-zamministra-oborony-rf/).

            And it is likely that Yevkurov, a major general and a hero of Russia for his role in seizing the Prishtina airport in 1999, will get the job but not in the seamless fashion many of his associates expected. Indeed, people close to him are still talking about what is new duties will involve (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/337313/).

            Meanwhile, the Memorial Human Rights organization labelled five Ingush activists now detained beyond the borders of their republic for their role in the March protests political prisoners and demanded their immediate release. More than 29 criminal charges have been filed against participants in that protest (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/337328/).

            And penal officials in Mordvinia dismissed complaints of torture by Ingush prisoner Ismail Esmurziiyev as an effort to attract attention that have no basis in reality (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/337346/).