Russia detains ex-militants linked to former Chechen guerrilla leader Basayev

Three former militants linked to the groups of Shamil Basayev and Khattab have been detained in Russia over their alleged involvement in attacks during the Second Chechen War, according to Russian security services.

The Federal Security Service (FSB), working alongside the Investigative Committee and the Interior Ministry, said suspects were arrested in the Astrakhan Oblast and Moscow Oblast, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

They are accused of participating in assaults in 1999 and 2000, including the incursion into the Republic of Dagestan and an attack on Russian troops in Chechnya.

The FSB’s Public Relations Centre said the detainees — identified as Russian nationals born in the 1970s — had been linked to armed groups operating under the command of Basayev and Khattab.

They are alleged to have taken part in a raid on a federal checkpoint in August 1999 in the Tsumadinsky District, as well as an attack on Russian forces near the village of Ulus-Kert in February 2000, during which members of the 6th Company of the 104th Parachute Regiment of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division were engaged.

The Investigative Committee of Russia stated that two of the suspects were involved in the 1999 operation in Dagestan, while the third allegedly took part in the 2000 attack in Chechnya’s mountainous region under the command of Basayev and Khattab.

All three have been placed in pre-trial detention. Authorities said investigations are continuing into their possible involvement in other offences and the identification of additional suspects.

Officials claim that a total of 379 servicemen, law enforcement officers and state officials were killed and more than 800 were injured across the two attacks. The FSB said efforts to locate individuals involved in past terrorist offences remain ongoing.

By Aghakazim Guliyev