Wa 'alaykum as-salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhoo, akhee.
I apologize for the late reply, didn't see the comments.
1) Yes, it seems like they are making a big show, by pretending that everything is alright. It is true that they build mosques, that more youth goes to the mosques etc., but Allaah knows best what is the real purpose behind this.
It is not the Islaam the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) came with that they are spreading, rather that which they spread contains the filth of Shirk, Kufr and Bid'ah of Soofiyyah, and refuge is sought with Allaah!
2) Many Chechen rebels of the first war changed. They fought for he independence, but now chose the side of the pro-Russian government.
Some got tired of the war, others tasted this Dunyaa and wanted to chase it. Allaah knows best what the intentions are.
3) That which is spread is pure Soofiyyah (sufism). Shirk of qubooriyyoon (graveworshippers), kufr of secularists, bid'ah of the mubtadi'ah (innovators)! There are no Tullaab al-'Ilm (students of knowledge) who are on Tawheed and Sunnah, let alone 'Ulamaa (scholars)!
Nas-alullaah al-'aafiyah.
4) Most of the veterans among the Mujaahideen have passed away, may Allaah have mercy on them and forgive their sins. The likes of Khattaab, may Allaah reward him for the spreading of the truth, Maskhadov, Basayev, Abdul-Halim Sadulayev and others.
Today most of the fighters are young men, most of them in their 20s. They are Ahlus-Sunnah, may Allaah grant them knowledge and understanding, however they make mistakes. And we do not insult any of them without proof and reason. Most of them are brothers who just got to know Tawheed and Sunnah, just got to know what the real Islaam is.
However, there are some people, the "religious leaders" there, who have mistakes. For example now, the last few months, suicidebombings are carried out. This wasn't known before. A few of those "religious leaders", students who studied Islaam for a while in the past (e.g. Islamic University of Madeenah), go astray when it comes to subjects as Takfeer, Jihaad, 'Ulamaa, etc. May Allaah straighten their affairs and grant them knowledge.
The thing is, the number of mujaahideen is small. Maybe it is 1000, or more, Allaah knows best. I'm talking about the whole of Northern Caucasus. They do not have power, nor do they have that which they need to fight against an army. They live in forests and go to the city and fight the cops, or the cops go to the forests and there the battle begins...
The main problem:
The worst and greatest danger in the Northern Caucasus is SHIRK! May Allaah guide Ahl ash-Sheeshaan, and al-Qawqaaz in general! People are calling upon the dead, upon their "awliyaa", their shaykhs, upon Rasoolullaah. This is present since Islaam spread in the Caucasus, but not the real Islaam spread, rather Sufism spread, with it's shirk and bid'ah.
Now there is a hunt for "wahhabis". Everyone who goes against their shirk, practises Tawheed by worshipping Allaah alone and calling upon ar-Rahmaan alone, not associating partners with Him, is considered a "wahhaabee".
If you don't even say a word about politics, don't critisize the government and don't talk about war etc., you are still a "wahhaabee" who calls for deviance, if you are just worshipping Allaah alone and following the Sunnah of Rasoolullaah.
The people don't know Islaam, don't know Tawheed, don't know Sunnah. They lived their whole lives believing it is OK to make du'aa to dead people, jump around to worship Allaah saying it is dhikr etc. No one knew what the pure Islaam is.
Then suddenly after the first war a wave of influence came from the Middle-East. Out of nowhere people, who never wore correct hijaab, saw women dressed in long black dresses wearing niqaab! Young men with big beards!
Subhaan Allaah, my own mother told me that she saw a woman all in black wearing niqaab and gloves in a hot summer day! She also said that no one of our ancestors (when they were young) kept the beard. And that the one who didn't shave his beard was laughed at and it was said that he looked like a Russian monk!
A'oodhu billaah, this is how far the people's ignorance reaches.
Many young brothers got to know a part of the Sunnah, but they didn't know Islaam completely. There were men with beards dealing drugs, kidnapping and killing people, deceiving people, etc. All of this had a HUGE effect, a bad one... The people started to think that all men with beards are some thieves and criminals! This is the view they have! Why? Because of the IGNORANCE of the brothers back then during the war. May Allaah guide us.
May Allaah spread Tawheed upon this earth, destroy Shirk and Kufr, establish the Sunnah and destroy the Bid'ah.
We ask Allaah for success.
