16:03, 9 August 2003

Committee of Soldiers' Mothers affirms 12 000 people to be killed in second Chechen war

Death-roll of the second Chechen war comes to about 12 thousand people. Such data were given by the responsible secretary of the Union of Russian Committees of Soldiers' Mothers Valentina Melnikova.

She explained this number included people who died immediately during military operations, as well as people who died on the way to a hospital, in a hospital or later - "during an insurance year after transferring to the reserve".

"Unfortunately, our method of calculation of the dead corresponds to reality", Melnikova added. According to the data of the Union, "each region of Russia lost 200 people during the second war".

Source: The Chechen Times Website