An investigation by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) reports that ordinary citizens are buying illegal weapons in the North Caucasus. Click here to read the article.

Interviews with army and ex-army officials reveal that automatic weapons can be bought for just USD $ 200 each within Chechnya and USD $ 500 in the rest of the region. Those interviewed claim that ordinary citizens have large amounts of weaponry – both single shot and automatic – obtained on the black market.

According to the report, the gun trade started when Russian troops sold their weapons to the Chechen rebels they had been sent to fight.

"In Chechnya today, the only reason not to buy and sell arms is if you’re lazy," said Georgy, a contract soldier in the Russian interior ministry forces interviewed by IWPR. Click here to find out more about small arms in this region.