ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of kidnapping in the period between the first and second Chechen wars merits the closest scrutiny. It has many aspects, especially when taking account of the differing applications of the terms 'hostage' and 'kidnapping' which were encountered as the Chechen conflict developed. The kidnapping of Malardeau and Penrose came at the very end of the first war. During the first Chechen war, kidnappings of foreigners were a rarity. It must be said that this was absolutely not simply a crime against journalists, it was a crime against one of the most honest and objective correspondents of the first Chechen war period. In conclusion, to say that abductions continued for a considerable time, even past the start of the second Chechen war. This topic merits very serious attention and in-depth study, still more since the testimonies of witnesses, first and foremost those of former hostages, are now accessible.
