Field commanders of Ichkeria. Chechen conflict and terrorism: “at gunpoint Known terrorists of Chechnya

Vladimir Barinov

According to official data, there are now up to a thousand militants in Chechnya who continue to actively oppose federal troops. As the intelligence services say, the activity of the bandits depends on the amount of their funding from foreign extremist organizations - mainly the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Haramain. It is in Chechnya that almost all terrorist attacks committed on Russian territory are planned using money received from abroad.

Colonel Ilya Shabalkin, a representative of the regional headquarters for managing the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, reported some information about the situation in the Chechen Republic to GAZETA. According to him, there are now up to a thousand militants left in Chechnya who continue active hostilities and sabotage against federal troops. A year ago there were about 1,500 bandits in the republic, and in 2002 - up to 2.5 thousand.

However, Shabalkin noted that all these figures are quite conditional and directly depend on the financial support coming to gangs from abroad. “Their activity manifests itself after receiving the next tranche from foreign sponsors. Every day, no more than 200 bandits are ready to attack the feds, while the remaining 800 sit out in the mountainous and wooded areas, waiting for money,” said a representative of the Rosh. The number of individual gang groups in Chechnya, according to Shabalkin, now ranges from 3 to 7 people. The last operation to eliminate a truly large gang was carried out in the republic in the spring of 2002. Now the feds are limited to reconnaissance and patrol operations of operatives of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who operate under the cover of special forces groups. Such operations are carried out mainly in remote mountainous areas of the republic. In populated areas, the identification and detention of bandits is carried out by the local police, who carry out targeted “targeted special measures”. At the same time, operational groups, together with members of Akhmat Kadyrov’s security service, headed by his son Ramzan, are negotiating surrender with some field commanders. “Here you need both the availability of operational information from the special services and excellent knowledge of internal customs,” Ilya Shabalkin told GAZETA. “So we act together.” It should be noted that sometimes negotiations actually produce results: not so long ago, the “Minister of Defense of Ichkeria” and Maskhadov’s closest associate, Magomed Khambiev, surrendered into the hands of the legitimate authorities, and a few days later, the “head of the special department of state security of Ichkeria,” Colonel Boris Aidamirov. The day after Aidamirov surrendered, about 10 ordinary militants subordinate to him voluntarily laid down their arms.

The main funds, according to Russian intelligence services, come to Chechen militants from the international organization “Muslim Brotherhood”, which has existed for about 40 years and has unofficial representatives in various Muslim and European countries.

The “Brothers,” in turn, actively cooperate with other terrorists, in particular with the Palestinian Hamas (Russian intelligence services estimate its annual budget at no less than $30 million). A “subsidiary” of the Muslim Brotherhood is the Al-Haramain organization, which also actively “invests” money in North Caucasian extremists.

The volume of investments into the “Chechen jihad” is quite difficult to estimate. However, representatives of the Russian special services believe that at a time when contact with their foreign sponsors was maintained through the Jordanian Khattab, the bandits received monthly from 200 thousand to a million dollars.

However, according to some reports, after the liquidation of Khattab and the transfer of leadership functions to his deputy Abu al-Walid, this amount decreased significantly. This is due, firstly, to the fact that now Chechen bandits are squeezed into mountainous regions and do not have a real opportunity to carry out large-scale actions on the territory of the republic. Secondly, their foreign Islamist partners are now forced to spend considerable sums on other “fronts” - in Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Leaders of Chechen terrorists liquidated by federal forces

1) “Black Arab” Khattab, Jordanian by origin, leader of the Arab mercenaries in Chechnya. Destroyed in March 2002 as a result of an “undercover combat operation” by Russian special services. Someone close to the extremist leader gave him a poisoned letter. He was distinguished by rare rigidity. He was one of the key figures among militant leaders. He appeared in Chechnya after the first campaign and was able to take control of most of the gang groups. Creator of a number of terrorist training camps. It was through him that most of the money from foreign “sponsors” came to Chechnya.

2) Ruslan Gelayev. Born in 1964 in the village of Komsomolskoye, Urus-Martan district of Chechnya. Education - three classes. We have been convicted three times - for robbery and rape. In 1992-1993 he fought in Abkhazia. In 1994-1996 he gained fame as one of the most influential Chechen field commanders. In March and August 1996, he led the capture of Grozny. In January 1998, he was appointed Minister of Defense in Maskhadov's government. At the beginning of 2000, after federal forces took Grozny, Gelayev’s detachment went to Georgia, from where it made regular forays into adjacent territories. In March 2000, Gelayev’s gang took part in the battles near Ulus-Kert, during which 84 Pskov paratroopers were killed. A few days later, 1,000 militants under the leadership of Gelayev captured the village of Komsomolskoye. In October 2001, Gelayev’s detachment invaded Abkhazia. According to some reports, he was going to capture Sochi, however, having met fierce resistance from the local armed forces, he returned to Georgia. Killed in Dagestan by border guards in March of this year.

3) Arbi Baraev, nickname "Tarzan". Killed by special forces in June 2001. Born in 1973 into a poor family in the village of Alkhan-Kala near Grozny. Worked in the traffic police. Barayev’s rise to the top under the militants was helped by his maternal uncle Vakha Arsanov, the future vice-president of Ichkeria and Aslan Maskhadov’s closest assistant. Baraev was Zelimkhan Yandarbiev’s bodyguard and took part in Basayev’s raid on Budennovsk. Commanded the "Islamic Special Purpose Regiment". He became famous for his hostage-taking and exceptional cruelty - on his personal account there were more than 100 killed.

4) Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov, head of the anti-terrorist center of Ichkeria. Killed on February 5, 2000 in the village of Alkhan-Kala. A detachment of militants broke out of the city towards the mountains, but died in a minefield.

5) Salman Raduev. He died in December 2002 in the Perm White Swan prison from internal hemorrhage. He became widely known in January 1996 after his gang captured the Dagestan city of Kizlyar. Organizer of terrorist attacks in Pyatigorsk, Essentuki, Armavir and a number of other Russian cities. He was captured in Chechnya by FSB officers in March 2000, and on December 25, 2001, the Supreme Court of Dagestan sentenced him to life imprisonment.

6) Turpal-Ali Atgeriev. He died on August 8, 2002 in the Yekaterinburg general regime colony. He was one of the key figures in the government of Ichkeria. He held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of law enforcement agencies, and the post of Minister of State Security. He was detained in October 2000 by FSB officers. An accomplice of Raduev, who commanded one of the detachments during the attack on Kizlyar in 1996. He was sentenced together with Raduev to 15 years in prison.

Leaders of Chechen terrorists continuing the fight against federal forces

1) Abu al-Walid, Arab by nationality. He became widely known only after the death of his boss, the “black Arab” Khattab, in 2002. Now he exercises general leadership of the Arab mercenaries fighting in Chechnya. According to Russian intelligence services, it is al-Walid who receives and distributes funds coming to Chechnya from foreign extremist organizations.

2) Aslan Maskhadov, “President of Ichkeria”. A former colonel of the Soviet army, during the “first Chechen war” he headed the headquarters of the armed forces of Ichkeria. Despite the fact that the feds have repeatedly talked about his loss of control over the militants, he is still considered a very influential figure.

3) Shamil Basayev. Former student of the Moscow Institute of Land Management Engineers. He fought in Abkhazia. In 1995, at the head of a detachment of 200 militants, he raided the city of Budennovsk (Stavropol Territory), killing 143 of its residents and taking about 2 thousand hostages in a local hospital. In 1999, together with Khattab, he organized the militant invasion of Dagestan. After the elimination of the main forces of the militants during the “second Chechen” campaign, he focused entirely on terrorist activities, forming the Riyadus Salihin battalion of female suicide bombers. Basayev took responsibility for the hostage-taking in the theater center on Dubrovka and the latest explosions of power lines and gas pipelines in the Moscow region.

4) Doku Umarov, “vice-president of Ichkeria”, “commander of the southwestern front”. He is the commander of a fairly large group of militants. According to some reports, after the death of Ruslan, Gelayev took command of the remnants of his detachment.

5) Rappani Khalilov, commander of the “Dagestan Mujahideen battalion.” Responsible for carrying out more than 10 major terrorist attacks in Dagestan and for many attacks on the federals in Chechnya. The bloodiest crime attributed to Khalilov's militants was the explosion in Kaspiysk during the parade on May 9, 2002, which killed 43 people, including 14 children.

6) Movladi Udugov, the main propagandist of the Chechen militants, minister of information in the Maskhadov government. In recent years, he has been living abroad, creating Internet sites reflecting the position of extremists.

The largest terrorist attacks on Russian territory

March 19, 1999. Explosion at the Central Market of Vladikavkaz. 50 people were killed, about 100 were injured.

September 9, 1999. Explosion of a residential building on Guryanov Street in Moscow. 106 people were killed and more than 300 were injured.

September 13, 1999. Explosion of a residential building on Kashirskoye Highway in Moscow. 124 people were killed and more than 200 were injured.

September 16, 1999. A truck was blown up in the courtyard of a residential building in Volgodonsk. 18 people were killed and more than 65 were injured.

October 23-26, 2002. Chechen terrorists seized the theater center on Dubrovka (Moscow). During the operation of the special services, all the bandits were destroyed, 129 hostages were killed.

December 27, 2002. A truck loaded with explosives drove into the courtyard of the Government House in Grozny. 70 people were killed and more than 200 were injured.

June 5, 2003. A bus carrying service personnel from the airbase in Mozdok was blown up. 18 people were killed, 15 were injured.

July 5, 2003. Explosion during a rock festival in Tushino (Moscow). 16 people were killed, 50 were injured.

September 3 and December 5, 2003. Terrorist attacks on commuter trains in the Essentuki area. 48 people were killed and more than 150 were injured.

February 6, 2004. Explosion in the Moscow metro. According to official data available today, 39 people were killed and 134 were injured.

March 16, 2004. Explosion of a residential building in Arkhangelsk. 58 people died. This incident has not been officially declared a terrorist attack. Although the investigation is inclined to conclude that the damage to the gas pipeline in the entrance of the collapsed house was “intentional.” This is also evidenced by the fact that on the night when the explosion occurred, gas pipelines were damaged in three more houses in Arkhangelsk.

There are many rumors about Shamil Basayev regarding his life and activities. Some of them create confusion about the origins of the warlord. According to one version, the fighter for the independence of Chechnya had Russian roots. (There were also very serious rumors that he was a creature of one of the Russian special services, and “disappeared” precisely when he was given the order to do so. By the way, his possible connections with the “authorities” can also explain the completely senseless and sinister operation of capturing maternity hospital in Budennovsk: presumably, he could have received an order to carry out an act that would greatly discredit the militants - ed.)

Shamil Basayev is perhaps the most famous leader of the Chechen militants who participated in the war with federal forces for the independence of the unrecognized republic of Ichkeria. He became the only Chechen field commander to be awarded the title of Generalissimo (posthumously). As the organizer of high-profile terrorist attacks on Russian territory, he was included in the lists of the most dangerous terrorists not only by the Russian government, but also by the UN, the US State Department and the European Union. Despite the pathological hatred of everything Russian, which Basayev elevated to the rank of a life credo (is this true? Wasn’t this just a natural cover for a skillfully infiltrated intelligence officer? - ed.), many who knew the field commander personally call his ancestors the descendants of ethnic Russians who were accepted into “Chechendom,” or more precisely, into the Belgatoy teip - one of the largest Chechen teips, part of the Nokhchmakhkahoy tukhum.

It is curious that the legend about the origin of Belgata tells that representatives of this teip died out in a not so distant time due to the outbreak of an epidemic, but then restored their numbers, largely at the expense of newcomers. The legend is confirmed by the etymology of the name: “bel” - “to die”, “gatto” - “to be resurrected”. Basayev’s life seems to confirm the fate of his native teip: several times he was counted among the dead, but he miraculously “resurrected.” However, according to other sources, Basayev’s ancestors joined the Benoi teip.

...Shamil Basayev was born on January 14, 1965 in the village of Dyshne-Vedeno on the banks of the Khulkhulau River. It is noteworthy that Basayev was born in a place that does not indicate clan affiliation, like Benoy-Vedeno, and in a village bearing the name “Nokhchiin Orsash” - “Chechen Russians” (the late priest Daniil Sysoev in one of his articles cites the opinion that Basayev’s ancestors were from... Old Believers Cossacks, who, due to well-known oppression by the Russian authorities, went over to the side of the Chechens during the wars of the Russian army with the highlanders - ed.). According to the writer Yuri Gavryuchenkov, this farm was once a settlement of Russian defectors, who in the 40s of the 19th century built defensive fortifications for the leader of the mountaineers during the Caucasian Wars, Imam Shamil, as well as a residential building, in which he later settled.

There is a hypothesis that one of Shamil Basayev’s ancestors was a naib - an assistant and authorized representative of Imam Shamil. The RIA Novosti agency, in an article dated October 13, 2005, citing its sources, writes that on the territory of Chechnya, field commander Basayev had the nickname “Chechen with a Russian tail,” which hinted at his roots. According to these data, the founder of the Basayev family was a Russian soldier who deserted from the active army in the first half of the 19th century and went over to the side of the rebel highlanders.

However, even if we assume that there were Russians in Basayev’s family, then by the time of his birth there was not much Russian blood left. The surname Basayev is quite common not only among Chechens, but also, for example, among the Ingush and Ossetians. For some, this gives reasons to classify the field commander among other Caucasian nationalities.

There is an opinion that Shamil Basayev was born from the marriage of a Chechen and an Avar woman, which gives rise to all sorts of speculation, including about “purity of blood.” For Caucasians, “purity of blood” is an important component of the pedigree; it largely determines what the fate of the highlander who embarks on the path of life will be. Magomed Khambiev, a former division general and minister of defense of the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, on the contrary, said that Basayev’s father was an Avar. Considering that for all the peoples of the Caucasus, nationality is determined by the father, Basayev’s nationality is obvious. However, Shamil Basayev himself put everything in its place in one of his interviews. The field commander stated that his father, Salman Basayev, and mother, Nura Basayeva, are Chechens by nationality.

Despite Basayev’s statement, many versions of his origin surfaced in the future. These include the most exotic one, who calls the mother of the future terrorist a native of a Cossack village. However, perhaps this version was confused with a persistent rumor that spread in 2005, according to which Basayev’s third wife was a Kuban Cossack woman. The marriage allegedly took place in one of the remote villages of Kuban, where Basayev was recovering his health, and the celebrations themselves took place on St. Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2005. The press even gave details: the bride, they say, is a hereditary Kuban Cossack, the sister of one “Russian Mujahideen.” The list of guests present at the wedding was replete with eminent and influential Muslim residents of Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Rostov region, Krasnodar and Stavropol territories.

Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent Alexander Kots tried to clarify this issue by contacting representatives of three Cossack organizations in Krasnodar. “This cannot happen, this is a vile provocation that aims to disrupt the holiday season,” the capital’s journalist was assured. A member of the Cossack association, Mikhail Zarubin, according to Alexander Kots, convinced him that under no circumstances could a hereditary Cossack woman marry a Chechen terrorist. Such women are very rare today; not only will they not be able to woo a Muslim, but even a Russian groom from another region.

You can become famous not only through politics or show business. Today, television constantly talks about famous terrorists. Their fame is based on blood and murder. The concept of “terror” arose quite a long time ago. Translated from Latin, this word means fear or horror. Physical violence could be used to frighten one's political opponents or the common population.

Terrorism has many forms - collective and individual, religious, nationalistic, state and international. The first terrorists operated in Judea in the 1st century. Then members of the Sicarii sect killed those noble Jews who advocated peace with the Romans. This was regarded as a betrayal of national interests.

In the Middle Ages, the assassins who operated in what is now Iran became famous. These faceless killers destroyed sinners on the orders of their leader. Today, terrorists are no longer faceless; they do not hide, exposing their dark deeds to the public. The most famous such criminals will be discussed below.

Herostratus. This is the first person who managed to go down in history not with his creative or political abilities, but with his destructive activities. A Greek from Ephesus in 356 BC. in his hometown he burned the temple of Artemis, considered one of the wonders of the world. During torture, Herostratus admitted that he did this specifically to perpetuate his name. After the execution, an order was issued to completely forget the name of Herostratus. For this, even the residents of Ephesus hired special heralds who traveled around the country and announced that the name of the ambitious man should be forgotten. However, this crime was outlined in the works of the ancient Greek historian Theopompus. From there, information about Herostratus migrated to the works of later scientists. The story of the arson of the famous temple was invariably accompanied by the name of the perpetrator. Thus Herostratus achieved his goal. Legends say that on the night when the Temple of Artemis was burning, Alexander the Great was born. It’s a stretch to consider Herostratus a terrorist, but he showed how fame can be achieved through criminal means. The phrase “Herostratus’ glory” or “Herostratus’s laurels” appeared, which means fame tantamount to shame.

Boris Savinkov. In the second half of the 19th century, terrorist methods became very popular in Russia - attempts were made on the lives of high-ranking officials and even the Tsar. Revolutionary Boris Savinkova supported such methods of fighting the regime. He himself was born into a family of nobles, but all of his closest relatives opposed the authorities in one way or another. For example, an older brother, a Social Democrat, committed suicide in Siberian exile. Savinkov himself was expelled from St. Petersburg University in 1899 for participating in student riots. In 1903, the young revolutionary was only 24 years old, and he already had arrests and exiles behind him. In Geneva, Savinkov joined the Combat Organization of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Until 1917, he organized numerous terrorist attacks on Russian territory. The most noisy cases were the murder of the Minister of Internal Affairs Plehve (1904), the Moscow Governor-General Prince Sergei Alexandrovich (1905), the assassination attempt on the Minister of Internal Affairs Durnovo and General Dubasov. After the arrest of the terrorist leader Azef, Savinkov heads the Combat Organization. In 1906, while preparing an assassination attempt on the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Chukhnin, the terrorist was caught in Sevastopol and sentenced to death. But Savinkov was able to escape to Romania at night. It was no longer possible to prepare successful terrorist attacks, the Combat Organization disintegrated, and its former leader began to engage in literary activities. After the February Revolution, Savinkov returned to Russia, he became a commissioner of the Provisional Government, then an assistant to the Minister of War. The former terrorist did not support the October Revolution of 1917. He tried to fight the new government, then went to Europe, where he found himself in a political vacuum. As a result, Savinkov returned illegally to Russia, where he was captured by the OGPU and was killed in prison (officially, he committed suicide).

Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez, "Carlos the Jackal". The international terrorist was born in 1949 in Venezuela. His name was given in honor of Lenin, because his father was also a convinced communist. In 1968-1969, the young fiery revolutionary studied in Moscow and the Peoples' Friendship University. In 1970, Sanchez acquired the nickname "Carlos" while interning at a terrorist camp in Palestine. During the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the terrorist performed well, and in 1973 he tried to kill an influential Jewish politician and businessman Edward Schiff in London. In the 70s, Sanchez succeeded in a whole series of terrorist attacks - an attack on a bank, an explosion of French newspaper offices, attacks on planes and a restaurant. The Jackal's most famous action was the attack on the OPEC headquarters in Vienna and the taking of hostages in 1975. At the same time, the terrorists managed to escape unpunished. In the 80s, Sanchez was credited with a series of bombings in France, killing 11 people and injuring more than 100 more. The criminal is constantly hiding, now in Hungary, now in Syria, now in Algeria. He began selling weapons, eventually moving away from his main activity. The terrorist was eventually extradited by Sudanese authorities in 1994. In France, Sanchez was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997, and a second similar sentence was handed down in 2011. Now the terrorist sits in a Paris prison and writes autobiographical books.

Ulrike Meinhof. This German journalist comes from an intelligent bourgeois family - her ancestors were pastors, and her parents were art critics. In 1955, at the age of 21, the smart girl entered the University of Marburg, where she studied philosophy, pedagogy, and sociology. But the musty atmosphere did not suit her active nature. In 1957, she transferred to the University of Münster, where she led the student movement against nuclear weapons. In the first half of the 1960s, Meinhof became one of the most famous journalists in Germany, she received large fees. At the same time, she actively participates in the anti-fascist movement, opposes the war in Vietnam and the adoption of anti-democratic laws. When left-wing organizations begin to be banned and persecuted in Germany, Ulrika's activities become much more radical. In 1970, the journalist organized the armed release of the leader of the Red Army Faction (RAF), Andreas Baader. This mission succeeds, albeit at the cost of injuring innocent people. The newly-minted terrorist herself goes underground. Since then, the RAF has been active. The group visited training camps of the Palestine Liberation Front. The terrorists needed money and upon returning to Germany they began to attack banks. Ulrike Meinhof herself was called the queen of terror. The RAF was credited with 555 terrorist attacks. Among the victims were ordinary people and even comrades who wished to retire. In 1972, Ulrike Meinhof was finally arrested. In 1975, she died under strange circumstances in prison. Her funeral turned into a mass protest.

Timothy McVey. Until the emergence of Osama bin Laden, this was the largest terrorist in American history. In his youth, Timothy grew up withdrawn and unsociable. He was more interested in computers, and later firearms, rather than studying and communicating. In 1988, at the age of 20, McVeigh became a soldier in the US Army. He took part in the Gulf War and earned awards. McVeigh underwent special training, studied explosives and sniper tactics. But his career in the army did not work out due to McVeigh’s poor physical condition. In 1992, he was transferred to the reserve. The former soldier was a right-wing anarchist who believed that gun control was a restriction of constitutional freedoms. The actions of the authorities at Ruby Ridge in 1992 and at the siege of the Mount Carmel estate in 1993, when innocent people died as a result of the authorities' actions, became the reason for McVeigh's desire for revenge. On April 19, 1995, a terrorist bombed the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. For these purposes, a car bombed with 5 tons of explosives was used. 168 people died then, including 19 children under 6 years old. Another 680 people were wounded. The total damage from the explosion was $652 million. Within an hour and a half after the explosion, McVeigh was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm. In 1997, a trial was held that sentenced the terrorist to death. In 2001, McVeigh was given a lethal injection. In America itself, legislation was changed that tightened the security of federal buildings.

Patrick Magee. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is waging a terrorist war against the British. The most famous revolutionary is Patrick Magee. In 1984, he carried out his most famous action. Then the carefully prepared assassination attempt on English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was practically successful. When the British Conservative Party held its congress in the town of Brighton, Magee managed to plant a bomb in the politician's hotel room. Thatcher narrowly escaped death because she was in the toilet at the time of the explosion. But 5 innocent people died. Magee himself received the nickname “Brighton Bomb Thrower” for his terrorist attack. The terrorist knew in advance which hotel the distinguished guest would be accommodated in. Six months in advance, under a false name, he booked a room next door. And the signature he accidentally left in the guest book gave him away. The court sentenced the Irishman to 8 life sentences. In prison, Magee studied and even passed exams, receiving a second education. After 15 years he was released. Today, Magee continues to actively participate in demonstrations against the authorities.

Shoko Asahara. This man managed to create an entire deadly sect, which, under the guise of a neo-religious organization, began to kill people. Chizuo Matsumoto grew up in a large family. Unable to get into university, he took up the practice of Chinese medicine. Back in 1981, he was arrested for fraud, selling energy-charged drugs. In 1987, Asahara made a pilgrimage to the Himalayas, where he claims to have been spiritually cleansed. A little earlier, he founded an organization called Aum Shinrikyo. Since 1989, the sect has become known in Japan. It attracted many young Japanese students from elite universities. Active cooperation with the Dalai Lama led to his recognition of this organization. Studying Buddhist texts and meditation were just a decoy. Aum Shinrikyo began to act more actively. The rituals included the use of drugs and shock therapy. In 1989, the first murder of a sect member who wanted to leave occurred. In 1990, Asahara tried to run for parliament, but failed. The sect began to secretly acquire weapons, including chemical weapons. Sarin and VX gas have previously been used to kill or assassinate Aum Shinrikyo critics. But on June 27, 1994, gas was released against civilians. Members of the sect used sarin gas in the central park of the city of Matsumoto. Then 7 people died, another 200 were injured. The police were preparing to close the sect, but Asahara managed to carry out another high-profile terrorist attack. On March 20, 1995, a gas attack took place in the Tokyo subway. The victims were 12-27 people; in total, the effects of sarin were felt by several tens of thousands of people. The trial of Shoko Asahara turned out to be the longest in the country's history. As a result, he was sentenced to death, but the sentence has not yet been carried out.

Shamil Basayev. After completing his military service, Basayev ended up in Moscow. There he was never able to enter university and was content with low-paid work. After the collapse of the State Emergency Committee, Basayev returned to Chechnya and felt a field for self-realization. He became part of the armed formation created under the National Congress of the Chechen People. In the summer of 1991, Basayev created the armed group “Vedeno”, and in October he formed a group of saboteurs. They were supposed to protect the freedom of the Chechen Republic and the interests of the President. On November 9, 1991, as a sign of protest against the introduction of a state of emergency, Basayev hijacked a passenger plane from Mineralnye Vody to Turkey. There the invaders surrendered and were sent to Chechnya. Then Basayev noted his participation in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. During the First Chechen War, the terrorist gradually moved from active participation to sabotage. On June 14-20, 1995, militants led by Basayev seized a hospital in the city of Budennovsk, Stavropol Territory. 1,600 people became hostages, 147 of whom died. Before the Second Chechen War, Basayev was actively involved in politics. Nevertheless, he continued to organize terrorist attacks on Russian territory. These include the hostage taking in Dubrovka in 2002 (129 dead), the explosion of a truck near the government building in Grozny (72 victims), a series of suicide bombings in 2003, explosions in the metro in 2004, the seizure of a school in Beslan in 2004 ( 330 dead hostages). In 2006, Basayev was killed by Russian special services while preparing a new terrorist attack.

Osama bin Laden. This man became the largest organizer of terrorist attacks in modern history. He also quite generously sponsored the entire Islamic radical movement. Osama was born in Saudi Arabia and received a good education. He became involved in the family construction business, but the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan forced bin Laden to join the Afghan Jihad. Bin Laden's activities against Soviet troops (hiring volunteers, active military operations) were under the control of American intelligence. In 1989, Osama returned to his homeland, continuing to sponsor radicals. But the Gulf War and Saudi Arabia's alliance with the United States angered Osama, which led to his expulsion to Sudan. In 1996 and 1998, bin Laden issued proclamations instructing Muslims to fight the Americans. The result was the bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998. It was just the eighth anniversary of the entry of American troops into Saudi Arabia. As a result of the terrorist attacks, 290 people were killed and about 5 thousand were injured. Then Osama bin Laden was added to the list of most wanted terrorists. After the events of September 11, 2001, Osama's name became known throughout the world. It was he who was declared the main suspect in a series of major terrorist attacks in America. Bin Laden himself either refused to participate in the attack or confirmed his involvement in it. The United States sent troops into Afghanistan, wanting to destroy the Al Qaeda terrorist network. Bin Laden himself hid for a long time until he was killed by special forces in 2011.

Andres Behring Breivik. The recent terrorist attack shocked everyone, because it turned out that the attack could be carried out in quiet, prosperous countries. Norwegian Andres Breivik led an inconspicuous life, but his political activities were active. Since 1997, Breivik has been involved in the youth wing of the Progress Party. In the 2000s, the Norwegian's views became more radical. He positioned himself as a nationalist and hated multicultural politics and Muslims. Breivik gradually came to the conclusion that he could not do anything through political methods, therefore, it was necessary to use weapons. Before carrying out his terrorist attack, Breivik posted a 12-minute video on the Internet and sent out a 1,518-page manifesto. There he called on Europeans to return to the policy of isolationism and Christian medieval values. Breivik was able to legally purchase weapons in his native Norway, and components for explosives from a fertilizer seller. On July 22, 2011, an explosion occurred in the government quarter of Oslo. 8 people were killed and 92 more were injured. Nearby buildings were damaged and a fire started. An hour and a half after this, Breivik arrived at the ferry crossing near the island of Utøya. There was a summer camp for the ruling Workers' Party. There were more than 600 young people there. Dressed in a police uniform, Breivik did not arouse suspicion; he gathered young Social Democrats around him and began shooting at them. The terrorist killed another 69 people on the island. After an hour and a half of massacre, he surrendered to the authorities without resistance. The law provides for a maximum prison term of 21 years; the terrorist himself does not intend to challenge the upcoming court decision.

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Tomorrow they will be destroyed!

The death of the “great and terrible” militant Said Buryatsky remained almost unnoticed by society. The leaders of the Caucasian separatists have ceased to be recognizable media figures. “Stars” like Shamil Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov have sunk into oblivion; now the Islamist underground is led by little-known characters with exotic names who do not evoke any emotions in the average person. They have practically disappeared from television screens and newspaper pages, but the trouble is! – they did not even think of disappearing from reality. As before, they influence the political and social life of the North Caucasian republics, Islamic religious figures and organizations take them into account, and local residents treat them with rather respect. Who are they, the successors of Dudayev, Yandarbiev and Khattab, and what are they famous for – the correspondent of “Our Version” tried to find an answer to these questions.

It must be said that the odious separatist leaders disappeared from television programs for a reason. The same Shamil Basayev acquired his romantic flair as an anti-hero to a large extent thanks to the media. “The press, perhaps unwittingly, largely legitimized the Chechen militants and made them into minus heroes,” says Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky. – Frequent mentions in the press seemed to give reason to consider this or that field commander almost a politician, engaged not in murders, but in some kind of social activity. And a number of Western organizations still continue to follow this speculation, substitution of concepts, classifying bandits as statesmen and demanding that we treat them with the same attitude, which, you see, is strange.” After the operation on Dubrovka in 2002, State Duma deputies adopted a number of legislative measures that were designed to change the situation: the faces of separatist leaders were once and for all removed from the television “picture”, depriving them of recognition and, as a result, of public weight. And this measure turned out to be no less effective than the law according to which the bodies of terrorists were prohibited from being handed over to relatives. From now on, no one had the right to find out what happened to them, where they were buried, and whether they were buried at all, and from now on no one could identify this or that separatist in the bearded man on the television screen.

The recent liquidation of one of the ideologists of the North Caucasian armed underground, the amir of the Ossetian jamaat Said abu Saad - Said Buryatsky, or, if you like, Alexander Tikhomirov, revealed one curious detail: among those who took the bayat (Islamic oath of allegiance) there are many, let’s say, non-indigenous Caucasians. Said abu Saad was Buryat on his father’s side and Russian on his mother’s side, and spent his youth in a Buddhist datsan. Moreover, he lived two-thirds of his life in Ulan-Ude, thousands of kilometers from the Caucasus and its problems. It would seem, where did the guy get his Spanish sadness? Chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia Heydar Dzhemal considers Tikhomirov “a symbol of a new generation in the epic of the Caucasian struggle”: “We have seen preachers belonging to various ethnic groups before. We saw Avars, Laks, Karachais, Circassians, Arabs... But all these people were either representatives of the Caucasian area, or at least of one or another traditionally Muslim people. In this case, for the first time, a person of Eurasian origin, in whose veins Russian and Buryat blood flows, acts as an ideologist, as an authoritative representative.” However, similar phenomena have happened before. Let’s say, a few years ago, the leader of the Caucasian separatists, Doku Umarov, appointed “commander of the Ural Front”—it turns out there is such a thing now—Amir Assadullah, known in the world as Mikhail Zakharov.

The biography of Said Buryatsky is alarming with an unexpected and incomprehensible turn: the young man, who received a Buddhist religious education, suddenly breaks with Buddhism and from the Ulan-Ud datsan moves straight to the Moscow Rasul Akram madrasah, considered Shiite, and then to a more radical Sunni madrasah located near Orenburg. Was the change in the young man’s worldview so sudden? “There are many emissaries of the North Caucasian armed underground operating in the national republics today,” a representative of the FSB of the Russian Federation, whose competence includes the fight against regional separatism, told a Nasha Versiya correspondent on condition of anonymity. – In Buryatia, for example, there are now at least two hundred such active recruiters. They cleverly manipulate the national identity of the Buryats, convincing them that their worst enemy is Russia. Then there are stories about brave martyrs and evil kafirs-enslavers, religious “reforging” is involved, and the result is obvious: about 1.5–2 thousand Buryats go abroad every year to study. This is a lot. A similar “reforging” is being carried out among the Buddhists of Kalmykia, but the number of recruits there so far is not in the thousands, but in the hundreds. Bye". The main danger of the aggressive “reforging” of infidels into Muslims carried out by separatist emissaries lies in the fact that one or another “scribe” can become a martyr literally in a matter of days. Today he is a quiet and inconspicuous convert with the Koran in his hand, and tomorrow he is a martyr with a machine gun. This was the case with Said Buryatsky: two years ago, the famous Arab field commander Muhannad, better known as the international terrorist Abu Anas, approached him, then still an aspiring theologian. Like, it’s time to serve the Prophet with arms in hand.

And Said Buryatsky obediently took up arms.

More than anything else, Said Buryatsky was afraid of being beheaded. Almost all of his articles - and he wrote a lot of them - in one way or another touch on the topic of beheading a suicide bomber and the desecration of his body in the form of subsequent wrapping in pork skin. The fact is that militants consider such a death extremely undesirable, even despite the fact that a similar sad fate befell the grandson of the Prophet himself, the Islamic martyr Hussein ibn Ali. “Dead martyrs were beheaded and wrapped in pigskins both before and after Nord-Ost,” Said wrote two months before his death. “The French also did this in occupied Algeria, hoping in this way to stop the jihad. But the infidels (Russians - Ed.) will not be able to stop the jihad, even if they take off their skins when the cloven-hoofed pigs run out."

In general, this is how Said felt: after the operation in the Nazran region of Ingushetia, first the headless corpse of a terrorist was “found”, and only then his head was found separately. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov predicted “the same fate” for the head of the terrorist underground in the Caucasus, Doku Umarov.

Let's try to figure out what the Caucasian separatist underground is these days and who its leaders are. Contrary to the popular belief that some disparate groups are operating in the Caucasus, the militants are even better organized than 10 years ago. From the point of view of the separatists, today a new Islamic Sharia state is being formed in the Caucasus - the Caucasus Emirate*****, or the Caucasian Emirate, which includes Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. Coincidentally or not, the territory of the Emirate includes almost entirely the recently created North Caucasus Federal District. In February of this year, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office, banned the activities of the Caucasus Emirate in Russia as a terrorist organization, but not a word was said about the fact that this is not an organization at all, but an emerging state. Either they mixed things up on purpose, or they got confused themselves. Be that as it may, on February 25, the decision of the Supreme Court entered into legal force, and now Caucasian armed separatists will be caught and destroyed precisely as representatives of the Caucasus Emirate. Either a banned organization, or an unrecognized semi-virtual state.

“There is some danger in the fact that the newly formed North Caucasus Federal District somehow suspiciously fits into the territory of the self-proclaimed Caucasus Emirate,” reflects Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky. – Although, on the other hand, there is an opportunity to more purposefully fight extremism and separatism there. Still, now it will be easier to manage than in the previous framework of the Southern Federal District.”

Two years ago, the self-proclaimed president of the self-proclaimed Ichkeria, Doku Umarov, resigned from his duties as “president” and declared himself the amir - commander-in-chief of the Mujahideen of the Caucasus***. He also renamed the national republics, at the same time lowering their status to the level of counties - vilayats. There are five of them: Dagestan, Nokhchiycho, Galgayche, Nogai steppe and Kabarda-Balkaria-Karachay. The heads of the wilayats - waliyas - were the leaders of autonomous ethnic combat terrorist associations - jamaats. Then a certain mathematical insanity begins, which can only be comprehended by enlightened characters, like Doc Umarov, because there are five wilayats, and eight jamaats (Jamaat Shariat or Derbent jamaat, Galgayche, Kataib al-Houl or Ossetian jamaat, Kabardino-Balkarian jamaat, Nogai battalion , Karachay jamaat and Adygei and Krasnodar sectors). But that’s not all: five wilayats had as many as 11 valiyat leaders. We stocked up for future use, or what? Apparently, having figured out some simple arithmetic operations, six months ago Doku Umarov divided the leadership of jamaats and vilayats - now two seats are even left vacant. And in order not to get confused at all in the hierarchical intricacies, the “Majlis al-Shura” was formed - an advisory body consisting of the heads of wilayats and jamaats.

On this topic

A resident of Great Britain, who fought in the American army in his youth, has been experiencing difficulties interacting with various services for several years because of his first and last name. As it turned out, a Chechen militant had previously used a similar pseudonym.

We have roughly figured out the state within the state and its structure, now let’s take on the leaders. Who are these little-known heirs to the anti-heroes of the 90s?

Today, there are 11 amirs in the North Caucasus - a kind of football team. The most odious of them are Doku Umarov, Supyan Abdullaev, Anzor Astemirov (Seifullah) and Akhmed Evloev (Magas). Doku Umarov is the most famous and, perhaps, the most bloodthirsty. Law enforcement agencies have recorded about 100 (!) murders in which Umarov was directly involved. He shot, cut off heads, and even strangled victims. The militants who know him personally note not only the pathological cruelty of their leader, but also a special penchant for sadism. Those he killed with his own hands mostly died slowly. Umarov is matched by his closest associate Magas, the ethnic Ingush Akhmed Yevloev. He is one of the few who went through both the first and second Chechen campaigns. Magas is a kind of money bag of the Caucasian resistance. Directly subordinate to him is the emissary of Al-Qaeda** Muhannad (also part of the 11 amirs), a very rich man whose family manages hundreds of millions of dollars. When one of the militant leadership has financial difficulties, they turn directly to Magas. It is also known that Magas is followed everywhere by two orderlies: one is considered a personal bodyguard, and the other... a porter. In the hands of the porter there are always two bags that look like shopping bags. Each contains $500 thousand in cash. The load is heavy, but the porter is also a former heavyweight weightlifter. The most incredible rumors are circulating about Magas’s personal fortune, but in everyday life he is ascetic, spends practically no money, and has a weakness only for expensive weapons.

Magas is one of the most efficient militants; money helps him quickly move throughout the North Caucasus and even appear in Moscow. The President of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has repeatedly stated that “after the destruction of Umarov and Yevloyev, there will be no known field commanders left among the militants” - so great is Yevloyev’s influence.

If Doku Umarov and Akhmed Yevloev are famous for their cruelty and personal participation in the executions of infidels, then the third “whale” of the separatists, Supyan Abdullaev, is their direct opposite. He did not dirty his hands with executions of infidels, although he had a chance to shoot a lot. Supyan is not only an emir, he is also one of the main ideologists of Wahhabism, revered in Saudi Arabia no less than the local sheikhs. Today, Supyan is considered something of an elder among the separatists. Back in Soviet times, he organized the Islamic Renaissance Party in Chechnya, and since 1991 he took an active part in anti-state actions, heading the Ar-Risal Islamic Center in Grozny before the first war.

On November 26, 1994, Supyan participated in the very first large-scale attack on Russian military units, and in August 1996 he stormed Grozny. Then he served in the rank of Deputy Minister of the MSGB (Ministry of Sharia State Security). Supyan is considered to be Umarov’s successor if he is killed, this information was first announced last year by Akhmed Zakaev. Among the specific characteristics of Supyan, his non-traditional sexual orientation is known.

The fourth leader of Islamic extremists is Anzor Astemirov, nicknamed Seifullah (Sword of Allah). He is one of those who organized the militant attack on Nalchik in October 2005. Astemirov’s involvement in a number of particularly serious crimes has been proven: murder, armed robbery and rape, including of minors. Repeated violation of the law did not prevent Seifullah from becoming the supreme qadi - the head of the Sharia court.

There are several other separatists of lower rank, who nevertheless enjoy respect and some fame in their circles. Israpil Velidzhanov, the head of the Derbent jamaat, became famous for organizing about 100 attacks on law enforcement officers in Dagestan; he is credited with numerous terrorist attacks and executions. Velidzhanov is in a difficult relationship with Doku Umarov: there were even rumors that he was preparing to take the place of the Supreme Amir by organizing an assassination attempt on him. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but it is well known about the fight that followed the appointment of Velidzhanov as head of the jamaat in the fall of 2008. He beat Umarov, who was not weak in appearance, soundly. They say that the reason for this was money that was not given to one of Velidzhanov’s friends by Umarov’s relatives. One way or another, so far this fight has not had any impact on the terrorist’s career; apparently, the special popularity that Velidzhanov enjoys in his homeland, in Dagestan, played a role. They say that he still, especially without disguise, attends all competitions related to wrestling and other martial arts in Makhachkala.

Velidzhanov’s influence is second only to that of another famous separatist and leader of the Dagestan Wahhabis - Bagautdin Kebedov, respectfully called Bagautdin of Dagestan, “the spiritual leader of the Dagestan monotheists.” Supyan Abdullaev has a personality to match: back in Soviet times, he organized illegal circles for the study of Islam, which were smashed by the KGB.

In 1989, Kebedov created the first Muslim community in the North Caucasus - a jamaat in the city of Kizilyurt near Makhachkala. And in 1997 he had to emigrate... to Chechnya. There he escaped persecution by the FSB (he was charged with a list of 30 crimes, from child molestation to incitement to murder). In 1999, Kebedov took a personal part in organizing the invasion of Shamil Basayev’s militants into Dagestan.

Although Velidzhanov and Kebedov compete with each other for the right to be considered the spiritual leaders of Dagestan, they also have a common rival. This is Emir Ibrahim Gadzhidadaev. It is popular mainly among Dagestan youth.

Representatives of law enforcement agencies include Magomed Magomedov, nicknamed Chest, Islam Dadashev, Isa Kostoev, Umar Khalilov and Sadyk Khudaybergenov, nicknamed Uzbek, in the symbolic five of the most odious and bloodthirsty separatists.

At the most, for liquidation upon arrest. These people have hundreds and thousands of atrocities behind them, perhaps even more than the odious Basayev and Khattab. But they do not and will never have even a 10th part of the fame and influence that the separatists enjoyed in the 90s. The current growth, although no less bloodthirsty, is... faceless.

And therefore less viable.

* The Islamic State is recognized as a terrorist organization, whose activities in Russia are officially prohibited by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.

“Imarat Kavkaz” (“Caucasian Emirate”) is an international organization officially banned in Russia.

The Islamic Party of Turkestan (formerly the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) is an international organization officially banned in Russia. ** The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated November 13, 2008 No. GKPI 08-1956, entered into force on November 27, 2008 recognized the Al-Qaeda organization as extremist and prohibited on the territory of Russia *** “The Supreme Military Majlisul Shura of the United Mujahideen Forces of the Caucasus.” Recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia on February 14, 2003, which came into force on March 4, 2003. **** "Imarat Caucasus" ("Caucasian Emirate"), an international organization. Recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia on February 8, 2010. Came into force on February 24, 2010.

Ruslan Gorevoy

The list includes the most notable and significant FSB operations in the entire history of its existence. It does not contain cases about the capture of spies and other little-known operations, due to the fact that from the mid-90s to the present time, the main direction of the FSB is the North Caucasus. It is the elimination and capture of key opponents in this region that has a decisive influence on the development of the situation in the entire direction. Places are distributed according to the importance of the object of the operation or the situation as a whole.

10. Detention of Magas Ali Musaevich Taziev (formerly known as Akhmed Evloev; call sign and nickname - “Magas”) - terrorist, active participant in the separatist movement in the North Caucasus in the 1990s - 2000s, Ingush field commander, since 2007 year - commander (supreme amir) of the armed forces of the self-proclaimed “Caucasian Emirate”. He was second in the leadership hierarchy of the Caucasus Emirate after Doku Umarov. It turned out that since 2007, Ali Taziev, under the name Gorbakov, lived in one of the private houses in the suburbs of the Ingush city of Malgobek. He introduced himself to his neighbors as a migrant from Chechnya. He behaved quietly and inconspicuously and did not arouse any suspicion. The operation to capture “Magas” began six months before his arrest. Three times he was targeted by snipers, but the order was to take him alive. On the night of June 9, 2010, the house was surrounded by FSB special forces. At the time of his arrest, Taziev did not have time to resist (according to the Kavkaz Center - due to the fact that he was poisoned), the FSB officers did not suffer any losses

9. Elimination of Abu Hafs al-Urdani Abu Hafs al-Urdani - Jordanian terrorist, commander of a detachment of foreign volunteers in Chechnya, took part in battles on the side of the separatists during the First and Second Russian-Chechen Wars. After the death of Abu al-Walid, Abu Hafs replaced him as amir of foreign fighters and coordinator of financial flows from abroad. He led the attack of militants on the village. The attacks of the Shali region in the summer of 2004, as well as many smaller militant attacks. Abu Hafs was valued as a military strategist by Aslan Maskhadov, who planned operations with him. On November 26, 2006, Abu Hafs and four other militants were blocked in one of the private houses in Khasavyurt (Dagestan). As a result of the storming of the house by FSB special forces, all the militants were killed.

8. Elimination of Abu Dzeit Abu Dzeit (known as Little Omar, Abu Omar of Kuwait, Hussein, Moor) is an international terrorist, an emissary of the Al-Qaeda organization in the North Caucasus, the organizer of terrorist attacks in Bosnia and the Caucasus, including Beslan. According to some reports, he personally met with Osama bin Laden. In 2002, he was invited to Chechnya by one of the al-Qaeda emissaries, Abu Haws. He was a demolition instructor in one of the terrorist camps. Then he was sent by Abu Haws' representative in Georgia, to Ingushetia. In 2004, Moor became the leader of an al-Qaeda cell in Ingushetia. He died during an operation to eliminate militants on February 16, 2005 in the Nazran region of Ingushetia.

7. Elimination of Abu-Kuteib Abu-Kuteib is a terrorist, one of Khattab’s associates. He was a member of the Majlisul Shura of Ichkeria and was responsible for propaganda support for the activities of gangs, and was also given the exclusive right to post on the Internet information transmitted by groups of Arab mercenaries from Chechnya. It was he who, in March 2000, organized an attack on a convoy in Zhani-Vedeno, as a result of which 42 riot policemen from Perm were killed. He was one of the organizers of the militant invasion of Ingushetia. On July 1, 2004, he was blocked in the city of Malgobek and, after many hours of fighting, he blew up a “martyr’s belt” on himself.

6. Liquidation of Aslan Maskhadov Aslan Maskhadov is a military and statesman of the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI). In the early 1990s, he participated in the creation of the armed forces of the ChRI and led the separatists’ military operations against federal forces. On March 8, 2005, Maskhadov was killed during a special operation by the FSB in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt (Grozny rural district), where he was hiding in an underground bunker under the house one of the distant relatives. During the assault, Maskhadov resisted, and the special forces detonated a device, the shock wave of which left the house dilapidated.

5. Elimination of Arbi Barayev Arbi Barayev, a participant in the separatist movement in Chechnya in the 1990s, supported the creation of a “Sharia” state in Chechnya. After the end of the first Chechen war, in 1997-1999, he became known as a terrorist and bandit, a murderer and the leader of a gang of slave traders and kidnappers, at whose hands more than a hundred people suffered in Chechnya and neighboring regions. The liquidation of the Chechen field commander Arbi Barayev was a consequence special operation of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, which took place from June 19 to 24 in the village of Alkhan-Kala. During the operation, Arbi Barayev and 17 militants from his inner circle were killed, many were captured, and federal forces lost one person killed during the operation.

4. Liquidation of Dzhokhar Dudayev Dzhokhar Dudayev is a Chechen military and political figure, leader of the Chechen national liberation movement of the 1990s, the first president of the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. In the past, he was a major general of aviation, the only Chechen general in the Soviet Army. According to Russian sources, by the beginning of the first Chechen campaign, Dudayev commanded about 15 thousand soldiers, 42 tanks, 66 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 123 guns, 40 anti-aircraft systems, 260 training aircraft, so the advance of the federal forces was accompanied by serious resistance from Chechen militias and guardsmen Dudayev. On the evening of April 21, 1996, Russian special services located the signal from Dudayev’s satellite phone in the area of ​​the village of Gekhi-Chu, 30 km from Grozny. 2 Su-25 attack aircraft with homing missiles were lifted into the air. Dzhokhar Dudayev died from a rocket explosion while talking on the phone with Russian deputy Konstantin Borov.

3. Elimination of Khattab Amir ibn al-Khattab - field commander, terrorist originally from Saudi Arabia, one of the leaders of the armed forces of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria on the territory of the Russian Federation in 1995-2002. He was an experienced and well-trained terrorist, owned all types of small arms. He understood the mine demolition business. He personally trained the suicide bombers subordinate to him. He organized foreign financing for the purchase of ammunition and the construction of camps for training militants on the territory of Chechnya. Khattab was killed in an unconventional way: a messenger delivered a message to the Arab, which contained a heavy dose of potent poison. Khattab opened the envelope and died very quickly after that. His bodyguards could not understand what was really happening.

2. Elimination of Shamilya Basayev Shamil Basayev is an active participant in military operations in Chechnya, one of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI) in 1995-2006. Organized a number of terrorist acts on the territory of the Russian Federation. He was included in the lists of terrorists of the UN, the US State Department and the European Union. According to official data from the FSB, Basayev and his accomplices were killed during the explosion of a KamAZ truck filled with explosives in the Nazran region of Ingushetia. This explosion was the result of a carefully planned special operation, which became possible thanks to the operational work of the Russian special services carried out abroad. “Operational positions were created abroad, primarily in those countries in which weapons were collected and subsequently delivered to Russia to carry out terrorist attacks,” Mr. Patrushev said, adding that Basayev and his accomplices were planning to carry out a major terrorist attack in order to exert political pressure on the leadership of Russia during the G8 summit.

1. Capture of "Nord-Ost" Terrorist attack on Dubrovka, also referred to as "Nord-Ost" - a terrorist attack on Dubrovka in Moscow, which lasted from October 23 to 26, 2002, during which a group of armed militants led by Movsar Barayev captured and held hostages from among the spectators of the musical “Nord-Ost”. The assault began at 05.17, when special forces began to launch a special nerve agent through the ventilation shafts. At that moment, several hostages called their friends and said that some kind of gas was arriving at the cultural center, but their speech quickly became incoherent, and then they were unable to say anything at all. The gas suppressed the will of all those present in the hall, and most importantly, the terrorists. If even one of them had time to press several toggle switches on her belt or connect wires, the bombs would begin to explode one after another, and the building could simply collapse. Within just a few seconds after the gas began to take effect, the snipers destroyed all the female suicide bombers with precise shots to the head, and then the fighters in gas masks moved on to destroy the other bandits who were in the auditorium. One of them was armed with a Kalashnikov machine gun, but did not have time to use it, firing only one unaimed burst. At the same time, part of the special forces who entered the building through the roof dealt with the terrorists in the utility rooms of the second floor, using noise and flash grenades. Most of the bandits were already unconscious, since the gas affected those first of all.