In response to a helicopter crash earlier this month, while pilots were illegally ferrying snowboarders, the commander of the helicopter unit, and his commander, both colonels, were dismissed from the air force. This is standard Russian military discipline, where the commander, and his commander, are held personally responsible for screw-ups. In the past, officers were sometimes executed or imprisoned, rather than just dismissed. 

In Chechnya, the army says it has killed 13,000 rebels since fighting began in late 1999. In the last week, 20 rebels and one soldier have died.