KOMMERSANT
Brigadier General Magomed Khambiyev, the former defence minister of the self-proclaimed Republic of Ichkeria, has surrendered to the authorities. The elders of his clan persuaded Khambiyev, who is a close associate of Aslan Maskhadov, to lay down his arms. A massive operation, during which the Chechen warlord was arrested, was launched last week. The local security service, commandos and OMON special police officers joined the efforts to comb several villages door-to-door, where militants frequently came to see their families and have a short rest. Nine militants were arrested in the bloodless operation.
Mr Khambiyev was, apparently, promised special security guarantees, Kommersant suggests. The administration of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov said it would seek an amnesty for the former defence minister, as he had not "supported wahhabites and had not been involved in kidnapping". Mr Khambiyev's surrender is seen as a major success, writes Kommersant.
GAZETA
By the end of 2003, the number of Russia's Internet users had broken an important psychological barrier. According to experts, there are 10 million Internet users and 13 million computers in Russia today. Internet users spent almost $1 billion last year.
IZVESTIA
The choice of a car depends on the potential owner's ambitions, psychology and gender, rather than on practical reasons. Women are known to be particular about the colour, while men prefer to concentrate on car size.
"A car is not merely a means of transportation, but an indicator of its owner's social status and his/her psychological problems," says Olga Makhovskaya, a psychologist. "Size is always an indicator of men's ambitions and a mark of their success. Massive, lorry-like automobiles are a substantial form of compensation for small, not particularly handsome, but smart and successful men." Men are also very particular about their cars' power. Russian low-speed cars are, therefore, not very popular with men.
For men, cars are toys like mobile phones are for women, says Olga Makhovskaya.
