Chechen guerrillas executed a Russian hostage after...

Chechen guerrillas executed a Russian hostage after Moscow declined to swap him for Chechens arrested earlier by federal forces, the Chechen rebel website Kavkaz.org reported.
A Russian defence ministry official declined to confirm the death of Lieut-Col Sergei Boryayev, captured by Chechen separatist fighters on September 29, but said he could not rule out the possibility he had been killed. A separatist warlord, Khattab (one name), told Kavkaz.org he had executed Lieut-Col Boryayev after Russian authorities had refused to free 25 Chechens captured by federal forces.