The discovery of a second mass grave in Chechnya yesterday overshadowed the opening of the first trial of a Russian soldier for atrocities committed in the province.
Ten bodies, believed to be Chechen males, were discovered in a ditch on the outskirts of the Chechen capital, Grozny, adding to the 17 bodies found at a mass grave discovered at the weekend.
The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, Mr Alvaro Gil-Roberts, has asked Russia for permission to tour both sites today on the second day of his tour of the region.
Meanwhile, in Rostov-onDon, angry Cossacks demonstrated against the start of a murder trial against Col Yuri Budanov, accused of abducting and murdering an 18-year-old Chechen girl.
Federal authorities say it is too early to speculate about who is responsible for the new mass grave, found, like the first one, in a small hamlet of former holiday homes on the outskirts of Grozny.
Troops have surrounded the site, where the bodies were found dumped together in a ditch.
Investigators continued sifting through the site of the first mass grave, found in the village of Zdarovia, outside the perimeter fence of Russia's Chechnya military headquarters at Khankala.
This site, like the second, remains sealed off, with investigators reporting finding a 17th body in the cellar.
These finds come at an awkward time for Russia, right in the middle of the visit by Mr Gil-Roberts which was supposed to show how federal forces had cleaned up their human rights record over the past year.
Instead, Mr Gil-Robles is having trouble fitting in visits to all the problem sites. As well as touring both mass graves, which Russia says de-mining operations may prevent, he wants to see the site of pits in which Russian troops are alleged to have held Chechens who were then ransomed.
Speaking before starting a helicopter tour of the region, Mr Gil-Roberts said: "A civil society must be created in Chechnya. It won't be created if the guilty people are not put on trial."
One guilty man, at least, has begun that process: Col Budanov pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter of an 18-year-old Chechen woman, Elza Kugayeva. The colonel is accused of abducting the woman, raping her and then beating her to death, although the rape charge was yesterday dropped through lack of evidence.
His trial is set to be a showcase event - the first time any of the thousands of alleged atrocities committed against Chechens has come before a judge.
Outside the court, in Col Budanov's home town of Rostov-on-Don, a small crowd of local Cossacks - fierce Russian nationalists - demonstrated in support of him. "The whole Russian army is inside that courtroom," shouted one bearded Cossack, dressed in a giant black fur hat and army fatigues.
Col Budanov admits killing the woman, but said he did it out of anger, believing her to be a rebel sniper, and his lawyer asked the judges to consider a verdict of "crime of passion", which usually carries a lower penalty than manslaughter or murder.