Chechen armed groups are being blamed increasingly for taking hostages, not just on Chechnya's own territory, but on that of neighbouring republics as well. And a previously unknown group in Daghestan says it has now retaliated by kidnapping seven Chechen journalists - who will be released only if Daghestani hostages held in Chechnya are liberated. The BBC's Malcolm Haslett looks at the background:

This year, according to Russian federal sources, over 200 people have been kidnapped in the regions bordering Chechnya, and then transferred to Chechnya and held hostage. This is in addition to the hundreds of people abducted in Chechnya itself.

The regions most affected are Daghestan and Ingushetia, which together occupy most of Chechnya's frontier.

Just a week ago, seven Daghestani policemen were abducted by an armed group which reportedly led them off to Chechnya.

Now a group in Daghestan calling itself the "People's Militia" claim to have abducted seven Chechen journalists in retaliation and says it won't release them until all Daghestani hostages are liberated.

The Chechen authorities argue they are doing their best to curb the hostage-takers, and suggest some of the kidnappings are actually carried out by Russian special forces - to blacken Chechnya's reputation.

But the spiral of kidnappings is an increasing headache for the Chechen leader, Aslan Maskhadov, struggling to win outside support for Chechnya's demand for independence.

In a country devastated by the 21-month war with Russia, where there is little opportunity for gainful employment and where guns are so readily available, it is an almost impossible task to control the hostage-takers.