Mussa Medov, Ingushetia's Interior Minister, was left unhurt after a car bomb attack in the city of Nazran, the former Ingush capital. The attack was yet another sign of the growing instability in the north Caucasian republic which some analysts believe is on the verge of civil war. The Russian NGO Memorial has expressed its concern: clashes left 93 people dead during the first eight months of this year alone and kidnappings, shootings and bombings are becoming commonplace.

Various other organizations working in the region have expressed similar concerns in the past week. Alexei Malashenko, of the Carnegie Moscow Center is reported by AlertNet to have said that civil war has already broken out in Ingushetia. On the other hand, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, who heads the Moscow Helsinki Group, has said that the situation in Ingushetia "is comparable to recent events in Chechnya in terms of kidnappings, torture and extrajudicial killings", and even "resembles the Soviet Union during the 1930s."

An Ingush journalist, Magomed Yevloyev, critical of the Kremlin and the Ingush administration, died a month ago while in police custody. The journalist had used his website, Ingushetiya.ru, to denounce the democratic failings of the Ingush Republic and the harsh anti-terrorist measures imposed by President Zyazikov to combat Muslim extremism. In recent days, responsibility for Yevloyev's death has fallen at Mussa Medov's door.

Conflict continues in Chechnya
Meanwhile, the situation in the neighbouring Chechen republic is far from improving. Last weekend NYTimes.com reported that hooded gangs have been "punishing" the relatives of separatist militants, carrying out a series of arson attacks on homes. The article cites civilians and members of human rights organizations who believe the Kremlin is behind the violent campaign because attacks have gone unpunished and have clearly been co-ordinated. At the same time, the pro-Kremlin Chechen administration has begun forcing the parents of members of the insurgency to appear on television asking their sons and daughters to return home. Dmitry Medvedev has recently stated that the detection of "threats to Russia's national security" is of prime importance, referring in particular to the "illegal armed organizations that are trying to destabilize the situation in Russia, and especially in the North Caucasus".

Further information:

• North Caucasus Weekly: Alekseyeva: Situation in Ingushetia Today Resembles Stalin-era Terror
• AlertNet: FEATURE-Violence pushes Russia's Ingushetia towards civil war
• RFE/RL: Ingushetian Minister Survives Suicide Bomb Attack
• MónDivers: Puja la violència a Ingúixia, on proven d’assassinar el ministre de l’Interior
• Nationalia: Pressure on Ingushetia increases as vocal critic of the Kremlin is assassinated.