The liberation of Grozny is a decisive victory in the fight against terrorists in Chechnya. The terrorists still have sufficient numbers in the south of Chechnya to put up stiff resistance, but their serious losses in Grozny and the moral and psychological impact of losing the capital make the outcome of military operations look more certain. Russia has finally pulled off the show of force its leaders needed so much.

Speaking at the Justice Ministry on Jan. 31, acting President Vladimir Putin said only a state that guarantees the rights and freedoms of its citizens can be a strong state. Will a victorious war in Chechnya contribute to protecting these rights and freedoms? In part, it will. Terrorism threatens the right to life and personal safety. The drop in kidnapping cases in Chechnya as federal forces took Grozny speaks for itself.

The state has begun defending its citizens more effectively from terrorism. That’s a good thing. But do people have adequate protection from the excesses of the state itself? Just as Grozny was being freed, events took place that raise doubts on this point.

Almost all the state law enforcement agencies showed themselves in a shocking light in the case of Radio Liberty correspondent Andrei Babitsky, now missing in Chechnya. Federal Security Service (FSB) video footage shows Russian authorities handing over Babitsky to Chechen rebels. The official version that he was exchanged for prisoners of war has not been confirmed. It seems likely that he was simply given away.

Whether he was handed over to Chechen bandits, which the Chechens deny, or to bandits from Russian secret services, is not yet clear.

The Justice Ministry said it found out about the incident from the media. The FSB said it had no part in a deal which looks more like slave trade. The defense minister and first deputy head of General Headquarters said they knew nothing about the plan, though they both approve of it. Putin aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky said the operation could not have been carried out without approval from the Interior Ministry and Prosecutor's Office, but no one there would talk about Babitsky. The Prosecutor’s Office went so far as to summon Babitsky for questioning in connection with accusations made against him a few days after he was handed over. Even former Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov, a politician not known for his liberal views, called this a piece of "black humor."

There’s more and more reason to believe that secret service officers in Chechnya decided to pay Babitsky back for his unfavorable coverage of the war. The whole affair would have become an insignificant detail once victory came. Only when the incident became public knowledge, did it become clear that this dirty operation was going to create difficulties for Putin and his election campaign.

Putin, of course, doesn’t want to quarrel with the security ministries who’ve given him a much-needed victory over the terrorists. But not to quarrel, in this case, would mean that the talk about a strong state guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of its citizens, including Babitsky, also looks like black humor.

What stance will Putin take on this kind of issue? It’s impossible to answer this question based on his ideological preferences, as no one knows what they might be. A survey carried out by the Agency for Regional Political Studies (ARPI) shows that 6 percent of Russians think Putin is left wing, 14 percent consider him a right-winger, 21 percent say he is a centrist, and 59 percent didn’t know what to call him.

Being a rational politician, Putin is unlikely to make his preferences clear before the elections. At the moment, he has broad-based support and allies throughout the population. To come forward and state his preference for one side would mean losing support on the other side.

But even if this political ambiguity can be useful before the elections, won’t current events with their repercussions for human rights get in the way? It seems not.

The ARPI survey asked what factors could have a negative impact on Putin’s rating. Economics and Chechnya were the by far the most pivotal factors.

Few named other reasons, like human rights. Life and time will force voters to rethink these issues, but a change of opinion is unlikely before elections.