Relatives of Chechens, who escaped from being sent to Ukraine, kidnapped, opposition Telegram channel reports

The NIYSO Chechen opposition Telegram channel reports about at least six kidnapped residents of the republic, who, being subjected to pressure, agreed to go to Ukraine. After one of them escaped, law enforcers captured two of his relatives.

The NIYSO Chechen opposition Telegram channel reports about at least six kidnapped residents of the republic. According to the Telegram channel’s information, they were tortured in order to force them to go to Ukraine. One of those cases took place in the city of Urus-Martan, the NIYSO Telegram channel’s administrators informed a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent on May 3.

According to the NIYSO Telegram channel’s information, Arbi Khaskhanov was kidnapped and taken to a military base in Khankala, where law enforcers tried to force the man to serve in one of the military units being formed. “Arbi managed to escape, but soon his two brothers, Akhmad and Salakh Khaskhanov, were kidnapped. Since then, agents [of the law enforcement bodies] have been regularly combing the Arbi’s native village in search of him. We published this message on April 30 and immediately asked for clarification of the information. On May 2, our information was confirmed: at that time, it was known that two of Arbi Khasanov’s brothers had been kidnapped. The fate of all three is currently unknown,” the NIYSO Telegram channel’s activist stated.

Another episode concerns three residents of the Vedensky District – Anzor, Islam, and Aslan – who, according to the NIYSO Telegram channel’s information, were kidnapped in mid-April. Later, it became known that they were forced to sign military contracts under pressure.

The NIYSO Chechen opposition Telegram channel emphasizes that the mentioned practice is of regular nature. “A reward for each ‘candidate’ delivered to the army turns kidnappings into a source of income for employees of the law enforcement bodies,” noted an administrator of the opposition Telegram channel.

The source has noted that the NIYSO Telegram channel’s administrators do not have direct contact with relatives of those kidnapped and therefore do not have information on whether they have made any attempts to find their relatives or contact the law enforcement bodies. “We cannot confirm the information about Arbi being sent to the front line based on their words. Moreover, given the general atmosphere of fear, even if we had contact with the relatives of those kidnapped, it is unlikely that they would decide to make any public comments. According to our information, the brothers were kidnapped from their own home in the city of Urus-Martan. Our sources confirm that Arbi stayed at the military base in Khankala for more than three months, after which he suddenly disappeared,” the NIYSO Telegram channel’s activist reported.

For security reasons, the NIYSO Chechen opposition Telegram channel did not specify the details of how the information about the kidnapping of local residents was verified, but the activists did specify that the verification was also carried out through sources in the law enforcement bodies in the region. “Relatives are often afraid to speak openly about cases of kidnappings [...] of their relatives. Nevertheless, relying on verified sources, we confidently state that the practice of forcibly holding and recruiting young people in Chechnya is of regular nature. Sometimes young men are being kept even before they become adult. Unfortunately, for security reasons, we cannot disclose our sources, some of whom work for Russian public institutions,” the source concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 4, 2025 at 02:51 аm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.