, "Change pistols for corn"

Maskhadov's army is ready to surrender

Vadim Ampelonsky

When a Chechen militant voluntarily lays down his arms, the brightest prospects await him. As the son of the President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov (who is also the head of his security service) explained yesterday, commenting on the refusal of “Maskhadov’s” Minister of Defense Magomed Khambiev to continue the armed struggle, now if he does not want to fight against illegal armed groups, he can return to his home and start growing corn.

Magomed Khambiev voluntarily surrendered his pistol to Akhmad Kadyrov's personal guard on March 7 in the mountain village of Tsentorroy. He did this because, since autumn, either sixteen or seventeen of his relatives were abducted and taken hostage (according to our sources, this charitable deed was carried out by the same security service commanded by Ramzan Kadyrov).

Khambiev is considered one of Maskhadov's closest people. In the late 90s, he sharply criticized Shamil Basayev for bringing Wahhabis to Chechnya and inciting the spirit of religious fanaticism in the resistance fighters. However, later, when both Maskhadov and Basayev were pushed into the mountains with their detachments, the contradictions between them were partially smoothed out, although not completely.

The Kadyrovites consider the surrender of Khambiev their great victory and promise that Maskhadov himself will soon surrender, who has nowhere to go: “There are absolutely no groups of illegal armed formations under his command. We know for certain that Maskhadov has two former guards, one of whom is ill.”

Incidentally, the Kadyrovites also tried hostage-taking tactics against Maskhadov's relatives, but this turned out to be difficult, since they are in Malaysia.

It is not yet clear whether Maskhadov will also be allowed to grow corn, but Ramzan Kadyrov believes that Maskhadov can be amnestied: "Naturally, this requires a very thorough investigation, court hearings, and the court must issue its verdict."

As for Khambiev, it is expected that he, as the Minister of Defense of Ichkeria, will now order the militants to lay down their arms and stop their illegal activities.

True, it is not known who will obey him, if there are absolutely no groups of illegal armed formations under Maskhadov's control. Apparently, we are talking about those two guards, one of whom is sick.

Militants killed in preparation for the presidential election

In December 2003 Movsar Taymaskhanov, leader of the gangs in the Gudermes region of Chechnya, was killed. He was on the federal wanted list and charged with kidnapping.

In January in the Urus-Martan district of Chechnya, field commander Abuvalid Astamirov, who was involved in 35 murders and several terrorist attacks, was killed.

February 13 In the capital of Qatar, Doha, the car of the former president of Ichkeria, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, was blown up.

February 23 in Ingushetia, in the village of Ali-Yurt, a special operation was carried out to eliminate the bandit group of field commander Khamzat Tazabaev. Tazabayev commanded an “Islamic Special Purpose Regiment” of Chechen fighters.

28th of February a battle broke out in the mountains of Dagestan, during which both the border guards and the Chechen were killed. The examination established that the dead militant is Ruslan Gelaev.

March 4 Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Aytamirov was detained on the border of Chechnya and Dagestan as part of the Whirlwind-Antiterror operation.

In the same day"Commander of the Urus-Martan Front" of militants "Brigadier General" Akhmed Basnukaev was killed. According to the intelligence services, he was involved in organizing the bombings of residential buildings in Moscow, Volgodonsk and Kaspiysk and the kidnapping of General Shpigun.

the 5th of March in the village of Psedakh, Malgobek district of Ingushetia, five members of a bandit group were liquidated. Muslim Dzhaniev is among them. Dzhaniev was directly involved in the murder of the head of the administration of the Nadterechny district, Akhmed Zavgaev, for which he received a $1 million reward from Shamil Basayev.

Key figures remain at large: Al-Walid, Doku Umarov, Aslan Maskhadov, Shamil Basayev.

The program is hosted by Andrey Shary. Radio Liberty correspondents Vladimir Baburin and Amina Azimova take part, Arslan Saidov talks with Magomed Khambiev's brother Umar Khambiev.

Andrey Shary: One of the important news of the last 24 hours is the capture or voluntary surrender of Defense Minister in the government Aslan Maskhadov, influential field commander Magomed Khambiev. "Gazeta. Ru" recalled that Khambiev managed to establish himself as one of the most consistent separatists. Having become the Minister of Defense and Brigadier General back in 1997, he last war commanded the so-called Eastern Front. All this time, Khambiev was one of Maskhadov's closest associates and unquestioningly carried out his instructions, unlike, for example, Shamil Basayev, with whom Khambiev quarreled, and the matter once even came to a shootout. Khambiev was openly at odds with Basayev and his supporters, sometimes openly insulting them in his speeches. In February 2002, Khambiev's house in Gudermes was completely destroyed by an explosion, the organizers of which could not be found. Vladimir Baburin will introduce you to publications on this topic.

Vladimir Baburin: “Despite the fact that Khambiev has not shown himself in any way for the past year and a half, his surrender is the first achievement of Kadyrov, who at one time promised to come to an agreement with all the militants,” writes an observer for Gazeta.Ru. “Since then, from time to time, Kadyrov recalled negotiations with Gelaev until the latter was shot by Russian border guards. Chechen prosecutor Alexander Nikitin promised that Khambiev and his deputy Bekbulatov, who surrendered along with him, would still be checked for involvement in serious crimes. Such a check has already begun, and Khambiev himself is still in jail in the village of Tsentoroy. As Nikitin notes, neither Khambiev nor Bekbulatov are now suspects in any criminal case under investigation. The final decision on amnesty for Khambiev will be made by the prosecutor's office of the republic or the Federal Security Service for Chechnya in agreement with the prosecutor's office. In fact, the previous statements of Russian military and authorities about Khambiev, in principle, is enough to initiate more than one criminal about cases under a serious article. The military, for example, suspected Khambiev of organizing an assassination attempt on Kadyrov when he was still a mufti. Also, the Russian authorities officially announced Khambiev as the organizer of the assassination attempt on the first pro-Moscow mayor of the formidable Makhchaev and deputy plenipotentiary Koshman Sergey Zverev in 2000. All this will probably be forgotten. Kadyrov Sr., after the exponential surrender of Khambiev, has already said that he will petition law enforcement agencies for an amnesty for the field commander.

Edition "Polit.ru". headlined the article as follows: "Brigadier General Magomed Khambiev surrendered, his family was taken hostage." Kommersant, the only printed publication that came out after the holidays, reports that "the elders of his teip persuaded the closest person from Aslan Maskhadov's entourage to lay down their arms." The newspaper calls it the most successful operation carried out in the republic since the beginning of the war. According to Kommersant, the Kadyrovites blocked the house in the mountainous village of Benoy, where Brigadier General Khambiev lived illegally throughout the second war. Khambiev, as always, managed to escape, but the Kadyrovites detained all the men who were in the house. Soon, almost all of General Khambiev's relatives were released, except for two young people. "Persuade Khambiev to surrender or bring them to us, we will let everyone go," Ramzan Kadyrov told the released men. The next day, one of the relatives contacted Ramzan Kadyrov's people and told them where Magomed Khambiev was. "Kommersant" writes that the seizure was quiet. They say that relatives themselves persuaded Khambiev not to open fire. According to federal sources, the operation to capture Magomed Khambiev did not have to be carried out at all, he was persuaded to surrender by the elders of the village, with whom the Kadyrovites had been negotiating for a long time. Khalid Yamadayev, a State Duma deputy from Chechnya, said in an interview with Kommersant that "without Khambiev, Maskhadov is a complete zero, he will be next."

The edition "Grani.ru" writes that the arrest of Khambiev was preceded by a wide campaign of pressure on his entire family, which was carried out by federal forces. "According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ichkeria, Ilyas Akhmadov, the Russian special services in the course of special operations carried out in the village of Benoy, in Grozny and in other settlements Chechnya, selectively abducted 16 members of the Khambiev family. Local authorities were told that all detainees would be sentenced to death if Magomed and his brother Umar did not surrender."

Andrey Shary: The version of the voluntary surrender of Magomed Khambiev, set out by Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov and his son Ramzan, is being questioned in Chechnya itself. Khambiev surrendered because the lives of his relatives were in danger. Radio Liberty correspondent in Grozny, Amina Azimova, says:

Amina Azimova: On March 1, right from a lecture, unknown armed men abducted a first-year student of the medical faculty of the Chechen State University, 22-year-old Aslambek Khambiev. Aslambek's classmates said that during the second class, a university security guard came into the classroom and said that Khambiev was being summoned by relatives. On the street, several cars were waiting for him, silver Zhiguli 99 models with different state numbers in front and behind, and three UAZ cars without numbers. As soon as the student went out into the street, the armed men locked the auditorium doors, and he himself was pushed into one of the cars and taken away in an unknown direction.

On the same day, another group of armed men visited the Khambievs' apartment in the Leninsky district of Grozny and abducted Aslambek's older brother, a 6th-year student of the same medical faculty. And in the village of Benoy, Nozhai-Yurtovsky district, where a special operation was held for several days to search for the chief Khambiev of Chechnya, more than a dozen bearers of this surname were detained under similar circumstances. Soon, several young men from among those detained in the special operation in Benoy were shown on local television, who allegedly laid down their arms and were ready for peaceful creative work. In the cell they all thanked Akhmad Kadyrov for opening their eyes to the futility of further resistance.

The former minister of Ichkeria, Magomed Khambiev, did not thank Kadyrov, only saying that he decided "to answer the insistent requests of the elders not to endanger the lives of innocent people." Whether he means his abducted relatives, Khambiev did not specify. It is only known that not all of them were helped by his capitulation. The next morning after the voluntary surrender of the brigadier general, the mutilated corpse of his cousin, a university student, was thrown out on the outskirts of the village of Benoy.

Andrey Shary: Maskhadov's representative in Europe, Umar Khambiev, says his brother Magomed was forced to surrender to Russian authorities.

Umar Khambiev: The fact is that during the last week a lot of relatives were captured in Benoy and throughout Chechnya. Brother in these conditions did not save his life, he sacrificed himself in order to save these people. The last straw, in my opinion, overflowing Magomed's patience, was the capture of our brother's youngest son, who disappeared a year and a half ago, was kidnapped, he worked in a hospital in Benoy. The capture of his family, threats of rape of women - all this could not but affect. As a brother, I know him very well, he can sacrifice himself for the sake of saving these people, and he sacrificed himself. He knows perfectly well that he has no chance of surviving in these conditions, and that it's all a farce, that it's all invented in order to film this scenario, there can be no cooperation there. I am sure, and I have information, that there was a very strong pressure, and all this pressure was organized because of the upcoming elections, to show that the Minister of Defense had surrendered. To be honest, I worry about my brother, I definitely know that this is not salvation. Moreover, he knows perfectly well that he did not protect himself by this, he simply sacrificed himself.

Arslan Saidov: Mr. Khambiev, I would like to ask you to comment on some statements concerning Aslan Maskhadov. In particular, Akhmad Kadyrov stated that "Magomed Khambiev's step is a mortal blow for Aslan Maskhadov. This was the person closest to him, he remained faithful until last days and so Khambiev's departure means Maskhadov's near collapse." Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen president's security service, claims that "Aslan Maskhadov is looking for ways to possibly voluntarily appear in law enforcement agencies."

Umar Khambiev: It's very funny to me, because I know what the situation was, and how much Magomed was key figure in this resistance process. Yes, Mohammed is a faithful person. The fact that he surrendered will definitely not affect the resistance in any way. Therefore, I think, instead of telling fairy tales, they should think about how to lead to peace. For our part, we offer Russia a concrete plan for getting out of this situation. And if Russia thinks that it is possible to win in this way, then it will be deeply mistaken. Because we are figurines in this struggle, we are small figurines, and it is the people who are fighting. If we want long-term peace, then there must be a concrete political solution. You can calm down somewhere at some stage, you can kill everyone, but this is not peace, and this will happen again. Maskhadov will never give up - this is clear, and they understand this very well, they are simply teasing, they are conducting election campaigns. I declare with all responsibility that the arrest of Magomed will in no way affect the resistance.

The so-called Minister of Defense of Ichkeria, Magomed Khambiev, was persuaded to surrender to the federal authorities after his relatives were detained, Kommersant writes.

Recall that on Monday, one of the most influential leaders of the Chechen fighters, Magomed Khambiev, laid down his arms and surrendered. This happened in the village of Tsentoroy, where he appeared before the security service of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov. Together with him, his deputy Kharon Bibulatov laid down his arms.

A large-scale operation in the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district of Chechnya, as a result of which General Khambiev was detained, began on last week, writes Kommersant. Akhmat Kadyrov's security service, special forces and OMON, having joined forces, cleared several villages, where militants repeatedly visited to visit their families and relax. The operation resulted in the arrest of nine militants subordinate to the Minister of Defense of Ichkeria, Magomed Khambiev (this well-known brigadier general has long "controlled" the Nozhai-Yurt region).

The captures of the militants were carried out without bloodshed: the Kadyrovites broke into the houses, wringing the hands of the men and taking them away to the cars without firing a single shot. After the interrogations, Ramzan, the son of Akhmad Kadyrov, who actually led the operation, suggested that the detainees make a confession.

Faced with a choice - prison or surrender, all the detainees agreed to the latter. It should be noted that, according to the Regional Operational Headquarters for the management of the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, on March 5, 21 people from Khambiev's detachment laid down their arms.

Khambiev was persuaded to surrender by his relatives

On Sunday, in the mountainous village of Benoi, the Kadyrovites blocked the house of Brigadier General Khambiev himself: he comes from Benoy and lived illegally in this village throughout the second war. They tried to capture Magomed Khambiev in his house more than once, but he always safely went to the mountains. This time the story repeated itself: when the special forces surrounded the house and the Kadyrovites demanded that General Khambiev leave without weapons, he managed to jump out through the window.

They could not find him, but all the men who lived in the house of Magomed Khambiev were detained. Soon, almost all of General Khambiev's relatives were released, except for two young people. "Persuade Khambiev to surrender or bring him to us - we will let everyone go," said Ramzan Kadyrov to the released.

The next day, one of the relatives contacted Ramzan Kadyrov's people and said that Magomed Khambiev was in Benoy, in the house of another relative. Yesterday at dawn, Chechen security forces blocked the house and took Magomed Khambiev.

The capture was quiet, they did not even wake up the neighbors - they say that the relatives themselves persuaded General Khambiev not to open fire.

According to federal sources, the operation to capture Magomed Khambiev did not have to be carried out at all: he was persuaded to surrender by the elders of the village, with whom the Kadyrovites had been negotiating for a long time.

Yesterday morning, the "UAZ" in which the brigadier general was put, accompanied by special forces vehicles, left Benoy for the village of Tsentoroy. There, Magomed Khambiev surrendered to his teip relatives Akhmad and Ramzan Kadyrov (all three from Benoy teip).

At the same time, the former Maskhadov general said that he was tired of the war and "there is no need to torture the people anymore by drawing them into fighting". In the evening, his voluntary surrender was officially announced.

Akhmad Kadyrov had long intended to lure Maskhadov's minister over to his side, but until recently he refused because of his personal loyalty to Aslan Maskhadov.

It is obvious that only the prosecutor's office and the FSB, who suspected Magomed Khambiev of serious crimes, including terrorism, can now prevent the conversion to civilian life of a prominent Maskhadovite. His confession to law enforcement agencies has not yet been formalized, Kommersant notes.

Magomed Khambiev began to fight in the first Chechen campaign, commanded the special forces of militants, and then, during the presidency of Maskhadov, headed the Chechen national guard. Until 1999, he was the "defense minister of Ichkeria" and is considered Aslan Maskhadov's closest and most authoritative supporter among the militants.

Throughout the second war, Magomed Khambiev commanded the so-called eastern front, defending the strategically important Kurchaloy, Nozhai-Yurt, Dargo from the federals. According to people who knew the brigadier general, General Khambiev carried out Aslan Maskhadov's orders unquestioningly, although he enjoyed great respect from the Ichkerian president: Aslan Maskhadov often turned to him for advice, the newspaper writes.

Khambiev constantly lived in Benoy, which everyone knew

In November 2000, Akhmad Kadyrov confidently stated that Magomed Khambiev, Aidamar Abalaev and Turpal-Ali Atgeriev, members of Maskhadov's cabinet, would lay down their arms in the near future. They say that relatives of Magomed Khambiev also confirmed this information - they say that he is tired of fighting and wants a peaceful life. This version was also supported by the fact that Khambiev constantly lived in Benoy, which the whole village knew about, but no active attempts were made to capture him. Moreover, delegates from Akhmad Kadyrov and even, according to rumors, FSB officers came to the house of General Khambiev.

"If Khambiev lays down his arms, he will be the second authoritative person after the Yamadayevs to join Akhmat-hadji," people around Mr. Kadyrov said. "This will improve Kadyrov's position in the republic."

It is possible that Magomed Khambiev really wanted to lay down his arms, especially since this was done by his colleague Turpal-Ali Atgeriev. By the way, at the military council, during which Shamil Basayev fired at Magomed Khambiev, Turpal-Ali Atgeriev supported the latter.

However, the story with General Atgeriev turned out to be sad: having decided to negotiate with the federals, he came to the office of General Ugryumov, who was then head of the FSB in Chechnya, after handing in a pistol at the entrance, and was immediately detained.

A further trial, which sentenced the general to 15 years in prison, and his mysterious death in prison, apparently discouraged Magomed Khambiev from surrendering to the authorities.

Now, apparently, he was offered special security guarantees. The administration of President Kadyrov said yesterday that they would apply for an amnesty for the defense minister of Ichkeria, because "he did not support the Wahhabis and did not participate in kidnappings."

The surrender of Magomed Khambiev is already being called a serious success. “Until we remove Basayev, terrorism will not end,” State Duma deputy Khalid Yamadayev, a supporter of Akhmad Kadyrov, told Kommersant. “But without Khambiev, Maskhadov is completely zero. After all, Maskhadov carried out all connections and contacts through Khambiev. I think Maskhadov himself will be next.”

According to Kadyrov's son, Maskhadov also wants to voluntarily surrender. Negotiations are underway

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the security service of the President of the Chechen Republic, said that he did not rule out the possibility of Aslan Maskhadov and his entourage voluntarily surrendering in the near future. "Negotiations in this direction are already underway," he said.

"The information we have collected through various independent channels indicates that Maskhadov is recent times is interested in ways out of the impasse into which he has driven himself. Indirect ways, he is probing the possibility of stopping resistance to federal forces and voluntarily appearing in law enforcement agencies," Ramzan Kadyrov said.

According to him, mediators are also asking such questions, trying to create the appearance that they are acting on their own behalf and are not allegedly authorized by Maskhadov.

"He found himself in front of a high wall, he has no other way. There is practically nowhere for him to go in Chechnya. The most reasonable thing that Maskhadov can do is to surrender to the authorities. I do not exclude that he will try to frame it as an arrest in order to look in the eyes of his patrons a fighter who allegedly did not lay down his arms," ​​said the son of the President of Chechnya.

"We know for sure that Maskhadov has two former guards, one of whom is ill. We also know their names," Ramzan Kadyrov said. According to him, the two militants have already asked him to give guarantees that they will not be persecuted if they lay down their arms.

Kadyrov believes that Aslan Maskhadov can also be amnestied.

"Naturally, for this it is necessary to conduct the most thorough investigation, organize court hearings, and the court must issue its verdict," said Ramzan Kadyrov.

Akhmad Kadyrov: Khambiev's surrender means the collapse of the separatist movement

President of the Chechen Republic Akhmad Kadyrov noted that the voluntary surrender of weapons by the former "defense minister of Ichkeria" Magomed Khambiev meant the collapse of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov.

"This is a mortal blow for Aslan Maskhadov. He was the person closest to him, he remained faithful to him until his last days, and therefore Khambiev's departure means almost the collapse of Maskhadov," Kadyrov emphasized on Monday evening in an interview with Interfax.

The President of Chechnya noted that he would petition the country's law enforcement agencies for an amnesty for the voluntarily surrendered "Minister of Defense of Ichkeria" Magomed Khambiev.

The Chechen prosecutor's office does not rule out that Khambiev and his deputy may be amnestied

The prosecutor's office of Chechnya is checking for involvement in grave crimes the so-called Minister of Defense of Ichkeria, Magomed Khambiev, who surrendered to the authorities the day before. Alexander Nikitin, deputy prosecutor of the republic, told ITAR-TASS that "the check is underway for the second day. If he has not committed serious crimes, the prosecutor's office will issue his confession."

"If they do not have acts falling under any articles other than Articles 208 and 122 (participation in illegal bandit formations and carrying weapons), they can be released," the deputy prosecutor explained. "Voluntary surrender and repentance are taken into account in the named articles. as extenuating circumstances and exempt from liability.

According to him, "all this work will take a total of 10 days." At the same time, as Nikitin noted, "so far, prosecutors have not discovered a serious crime behind Khambiev." To date, Khambiev and Bibulatov "do not appear as suspects in any of the criminal cases under investigation."

Therefore, the prosecutor's office believes that Khambiev and his deputy Bibulatov, who surrendered, can be released.

Negotiations on the surrender were conducted with Magomed Khambiev for several years. So, back in July 2000, the President of Chechnya (and then the head of the Chechen administration) Akhmad Kadyrov stated that Magomed Khambiev, among other "field commanders", had actually ceased resistance to federal troops and was not taking part in hostilities.

At the same time, according to law enforcement agencies of Chechnya, he was engaged in the distribution of audio cassettes with calls to organize resistance to federal forces.

Magomed Khambiev openly feuded with Shamil Basayev and his supporters, sometimes openly insulting them in his speeches. In February 2002, Khambiev's house in Gudermes was completely destroyed by an explosion whose organizers could not be identified.

The prehistory of this capitulation turned out to be quite long. To begin with, student rallies have been feverish in Grozny for the past week. Every morning, about 200 people dressed in white coats gathered in front of the Government House in Grozny...

The prehistory of this capitulation turned out to be quite long. To begin with, student rallies have been feverish in Grozny for the past week. Every morning, about 200 students of the Chechen State University, dressed in white coats, gathered in front of the Government House in Grozny, mainly from the medical and historical faculties, and demanded that the authorities immediately release their fellow students, the Khambiev brothers, who, as the students claimed, were only guilty of who are relatives of the field commander.

On March 1, unknown armed men abducted 22-year-old Aslanbek Khambiev, a first-year student of the Faculty of Medicine, right from a lecture.

The kidnapping of a student resembled a large-scale special operation. According to Khambiev's classmates, during the second class, a university security guard came into the classroom and said that Aslanbek was being called by relatives. There were two cars on the street: a silver Zhiguli model 99 with different registration numbers front and rear, and an UAZ without license plates. The student, who came out at the call of his "relatives", was pushed into a Zhiguli and taken away in an unknown direction. When classmates discovered the kidnapping, the classroom doors were locked from the outside - the kidnappers made sure that the rest of the students could not come to the aid of Khambiev.

On the same day and at the same time, another group of "unidentified armed men in masks" visited the Khambievs' apartment in the Leninsky district of Grozny and abducted Aslanbek's older brother Shita, a 6th-year student of the same medical faculty. And in the village of Benoy, Nozhai-Yurtovsky district of Chechnya, where a special operation to search for the “chief Khambiev” had been underway for several days, over a dozen bearers of this seditious surname were detained under similar circumstances, including not only the closest relatives of the brigadier general, but also just namesakes .

Soon the local TV channel showed several young men, “looking like militants”, who allegedly laid down their arms and are ready for peaceful creative work. The "repentant militants" thanked Akhmad Kadyrov for opening their eyes to the futility of further resistance and the opportunity to prove themselves in civilian life...

The former Minister of Defense of Ichkeria, Brigadier General Magomed Khambiev, did not thank Kadyrov. He preferred not to look at the camera and did not look happy at all. He only said in a quiet voice a couple of ritual phrases about the fact that "I decided to answer the insistent requests of the elders and not endanger the lives of innocent people." Whether he had in mind his abducted relatives remained unknown - Khambiev was laconic.

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Today in Chechnya a press conference is to be held by the former Minister of Defense of Ichkeria, Magomed Khambiev, who surrendered to the federal authorities on March 8. Yesterday his brother, Minister of Health in Aslan Maskhadov's government, Umar Khambiev, held his briefing in Strasbourg. Mr. Khambiev claims that his brother was forced to lay down his arms, threatening to kill his relatives.
“The fact that Magomed did not surrender voluntarily I learned from my brother himself,” Mr. Khambiev told a Kommersant correspondent after the briefing. “We talked on the phone for only two or three minutes; him.
- What were you talking about?
“First of all, I inquired about his health, to which he replied that he felt fine, they didn’t beat him and treat him tolerantly. And then he said that he wanted to preserve the health and lives of our detained relatives. I asked if they were released or not? Magomed answered this way: "They say they let him go."
According to Umar Khambiev, the Russian special services and the security service of the President of Chechnya have long opened a hunt for their relatives, although they have nothing to do with the militants: “A year and a half ago, our younger brother Ali, who worked as a doctor in a rural hospital, was arrested. His fate is unknown Until now. Most likely, he was killed. And a week before the arrest of Magomed, the son of our missing brother, Aslanbek, a student of the local university, was detained." In total, according to Maskhadov's Minister of Health, more than 30 of their relatives and friends have been taken hostage by representatives of law enforcement agencies. In his opinion, for the sake of their release, his brother Magomed sacrificed himself, agreeing to stop the resistance: “I know him very well, this is my younger brother. He is not capable of betrayal, changing his beliefs for the sake of personal interests. He is a very kind-hearted person, and it was hard for him to realize that people close to him were suffering because of him. He was treated cruelly, forced to sacrifice himself for the sake of the release of his relatives.
Khambiev Sr. called the allegations of representatives of the Chechen administration that his brother was going to order the militants to disarm as conjectures: “Even if he does this, which I don’t believe, no one will follow this order. Everyone understands that brother is under pressure ". Mr. Khambiev believes that representatives of the Russian side exaggerate the significance of his brother's withdrawal from the war: "Although he was the Minister of Defense, he did not play a key role. The war will continue until political agreements are reached between the conflicting parties."
Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov yesterday refuted the statement of his brother Magomed Khambiev. “Indeed, work was carried out with Khambiev through intermediaries for a long time,” said the head of Chechnya. did not take." Magomed Khambiev, according to Mr. Kadyrov, himself called his brother in Strasbourg and said that he "surrendered exclusively voluntarily." "The organizers of the press conference in Strasbourg," the head of Chechnya noted, "are only trying to negate all the efforts that we are making to normalize the situation in the republic." Mr. Kadyrov promised that on Thursday morning Magomed Khambiev would hold a press conference at which he would tell the whole truth about the circumstances of his surrender.
Kommersant will continue to follow developments.
MUSA Ъ-MURADOV