GROZNY. May 21 (Interfax) - No young people have joined armed groups active in Chechnya since the beginning of the year, Chechen First Deputy Prime Minister Magomed Daudov said at a meeting with the republic's president, Ramzan Kadyrov, on Thursday.
Fewer than 200 civilians joined armed groups, Daudov said.
"Following your instruction, each district's police chief launched an investigation aimed at establishing the number of local militants. It has already been established that 198 people are now wanted by the authorities for joining armed groups. However, not all of them are hiding in the mountains. Most of them have already left the country. A commission has been formed to investigate each case," the official said.
President Kadyrov, for his part, called into question reports forwarded by certain law enforcement services estimating the number of militants at up to 400.
Kadyrov ordered the republic's authorities to establish the source of this information.
"You are telling me about 198 'shaitans' [devils]. But, as far as I know, 30% of them have already been eliminated as a result of special operations. Some of them have fled to Europe. There are 70-80 militants [in Chechnya]," he said.
The Chechen president ordered Daudov to hold meetings with investigators from the Prosecutor General's Office and the Federal Security Service's (FSB) branch in the republic and to ask them to provide more detailed information about the number of militants.