Black markets in war zones are nothing new. Who were the principal buyers and sellers of the black market in Chechnya (or surrounding areas like North Ossetia)?

The sellers are military, the buyers are local. Fuel is the most popular merchandise, you can buy anything you want in Chechnya for fuel. Uniforms, food and cigarettes are also sold; in wartime, machinery, ammunition and weapons are sold as well. For their part the locals resell either to the military or to the highest bidder.

What do you mean by the “slavery” imposed upon Russian POWs by the Chechens? Your memoir suggests the Chechens were more interested in torturing and killing Russian prisoners than putting them to work.

At the beginning of the war, the Chechens would release hostages, simply because they didn’t know what to do with them. When they realized they could make money from human trafficking, it became an industry. Official statistics show that between 1997 and 1999, around 30,000 people were kidnapped in Chechnya. I personally saw people being used for slave labor. More than 2,000 servicemen went missing during the first Chechnyan campaign; some were released, others executed.

What is different about the recruitment and treatment of regular soldiers by officers today?

Nothing has ever changed in the Russian army.

Is the fate of the Russian infantryman the same as his counterpart in other branches like the navy or air force? Do new recruits in OMON or Spetznaz suffer the same fate?

The treatment of all soldiers is the same, starting in Kaliningrad and ending in Vladivostok. Dedovshcina is the same regardless of where you serve—army, navy, rocket forces, or air force (although dedovshcina is milder in latter, as a rule). There are no conscripts in OMON, which is a paramilitary force under the command of the Department of Interior Affairs, not Defense. Spetznaz special forces do have conscripts, but as they consider themselves to be the military elite, their deds make the newcomers do the bullying for them.

How did you first gain access to Chechnya as a journalist? Has your access changed since the publication of this book?

I first went to Chechnya as a military journalist in 2002, on a gumanitarka mission, which I described in my story “The Field Deception”. I always work with the army, be it for print or TV. But things have changed in the past three years; now only “pocket” journalists (as opposed to more oppositional ones) can get in. Several weeks ago, journalists from Novaya Gazeta were denied access to a military flight carrying the press pool. It is not safe to travel to Chechnya outside a convoy, and I never go there without a gun.

INTERVIEW WITH ARKADY BABCHENKO

AUTHOR OF A ONE SOLDIER’S WAR

Adam Dunn

How many journalists have been killed between the time you left the military and the publication of this book? Approximately 270 over the past 15 years. It is difficult to get an exact count of how many were killed in the line of duty. I can name three from Novaya Gazeta—Igor Domnikov, Yuri Schekochihin, and Anna Politovskaya. Out of the units you describe as having served with in your book, who besides you has survived? Do you speak with them? Are they writing as well? I’ve lost contact with almost everyone I served with. It’s hard to meet people who were there; the only thing we have in common is the war, which is often difficult to discuss. I know that of those mentioned in the book, Trenchik and Vovka Tatarintsev survived. As for Zyuzik, Osinov, Savchenko—I never saw them again. We have a veteran’s society, with its own website and magazine. It has about 300 contributors, of whom 10-20 are writers. These are people who fought, though not with me. The people who were with me do not write anything. What other regions is the Russian military currently engaged in? Do you report from these as well? There’s still a lot of tension in the North Caucasus region. Chechnya is no longer the center of it; the situation in Ingushetia and Dagestan is going from bad to worse. The zachistkas conducted in those regions only added fuel to the fire. There is a special operation going on now in Gimrinsky Tunnel in Dagestan. [ED: I can’t find anything on this.] But I’m not covering it. I don’t have the strength. I’d rather work on my magazine, to pay homage to those who died. But it seems likely that I’ll have to go over there in the near future.

What is the difference between a “conscript army” and a “contract army”?

As a conscript you are drafted into service. This is imposed on all males 18 or older who are not sick. The contract army is voluntary. However, in light of the president’s statement that we will have a fully-equipped contract army in the near future, almost all conscripts are being forced to sign contracts. The soldier who already served a year is offered a contract to serve three more. We have not created a professional army in Russia.

What has the response to this book been in Russia? When did it first appear there? Would it be available to read in Chechnya?

The book isn’t seen in Russia, despite numerous reviews. It’s as though it doesn’t exist. But the stories in it aren’t exactly revelations. The majority of people know about dedovshcina, weapons sales, and all the rest. They are tired of war, uncertainty, and poverty. They think of military service as serfdom. Nowadays it is said there is no war in Chechnya, the topic is banned and it is not recommended to discuss this in the media. This is where the internet has been helpful. People read my work online a lot. The book is on sale in Chechnya, yesterday a friend from Groszny said he saw it on a newsstand there. I don’t know what the Chechnyan response to the book has been.