It seems that Chechenya region is now with less value for Russia as the BTC pipeline opens southward taking away the market from Russia, and maybe with a cheaper price.
It's not about the oil pipeline, it's about the fact Chechnya is 1. an integral portion of Russia and 2. it had independence and turned instantly into a cess pool for Islamic radicals, the same ones killing Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq. If Chechnya was independent, Al Quida would have its training bases back and how many more of our boys would die in Iraq?