Russian statistics for this human catastrophe are particularly distressing: provided by the Russian Human Rights organisation Memorial, by the Russian Interior Ministry (MVD), and by the Russian Ministry of Health run as follows: Out of a population of 1,200,000 in 1999, between 200,000 and 250,000 people are still living in sordid conditions for years, in refugee camps in the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia;

	Over 200,000 people have been made homeless inside Chechnya
	57,000 civilians have been maimed as a result of military action or mines
	Half a million mines have been dropped on the borders of Chechnya - the number of mines inside Chechnya is unknown
	98,000 people need urgent medical assistance

80,000 people were killed in the 1994-6 war. Memorial has recorded 20,000 deaths and over 3,000 have disappeared without traces during the "clean-up" operations conducted by the Russian forces. However according to Chechen sources the death toll could be as high as 65,000 to 80,000 people The Russian Ministry of Health has recorded 28,000 orphans.
 
These stark figures give only a glimpse of the tragedy unfolding today. Many casualties and victims do not find their way into Russian statistics. Anyone wanting to record or complain about the extra-judiciary killing of a relative or friend risks disappearing himself.