Moscow outraged by plans to name Warsaw street after Dudayev

Moscow has described as insulting the Warsaw City Council's decision to name one of the city's crossroads after Chechen separatist leader Dzhokhar Dudayev, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement circulated on Monday.

"The Warsaw City Council's decision, which was initiated by deputies from the Law and Justice Party and backed by the mayor of Warsaw, to name one of the crossroads after Dudayev is outrageous," the comment says.

This move cannot be regarded as anything other than an attempt to "insult the memory of Russians - victims of terrorist acts in Moscow and other Russian cities - and a show of support for international terrorism and for one of its adepts in the North Caucasus - the leader of Chechen separatist and national-extremists, who was killed 9 years ago," the statement says.

"Although initiated by forces opposing the current Polish leadership, the move continues a string of unfriendly moves towards Russia and follows the latest statements of Warsaw officials about the death of Aslan Maskhadov, a successor of Dudayev whose memory the city's 'fathers' decided to immortalize," the document says.

Considering the positive development of relations in many areas, this a matter for regret, the statement says.