Movladi Udugov
Encyclopedia
Movladi Saidarbievich Udugov (born February 9, 1962 in Germenchuk, Shalinsky District
, Chechnya
into the Shirdi teip
) was the First Deputy Prime Minister
of the separatist
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
(ChRI). As a Chechen propaganda
chief, he was credited for the Chechen separatists' victory on the information front during the First Chechen War
.
A highly-controversial figure, following a particularly fundamentalist strain of Islam
that is not shared by most Chechens
, he is currently one of the ideologues and the main propagandist
behind the Caucasus Emirate
(a Pan-Islamic
militant movement that is rejecting the idea of a merely independent
Chechen state in favor of an Islamic state
encompassing most of the Russia's North Caucasus
and based on Islamic Sharia
law).
State University. Since 1988, was editor in chief
of the newspaper
Orientir, which was banned by the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
in 1989. Soon, he became a member of the Presidium
of the Executive Committee of the National Congress of Chechen People (NCCP). In NCCP, Movladi Udugov became the chairman of the Information Committee and simultaneously an employee of the local television station
; during the 1991 revolution
in Grozny
, Udugov used this position to broadcast the Dzhokhar Dudayev's address to the people.
declaration of independence
by Dudayev, Udugov joined the ruling structures of the Chechen separatist government, serving as press secretary
. During the 1994-1996 war, the ways in which he distributed information about the conflict, although crude by the Western
standards, were still more professional than those of the Kremlin and the Russia
n federal forces. In August 1996, Movladi Udugov was appointed the First Deputy Prime Minister
of Chechen Republic for state policy and information in the war-time cabinet of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
who became an acting president after the death of Dudayev. For his role in the Chechen victory in information warfare
(and the whole war) Udugov was awarded the Ichkeria
's highest medal
, Honor of the Nation. Among his Russian enemies, he became known as "the Chechen Goebbels
".
Following the end of the First Chechen War
, Udugov unsuccessfully ran for the post of President of Ichkeria
in the January 1997 election, but got less than 1% percent of the votes (in his election campaign he was representing an unpopular radical Islamist
platform). Udugov again became a Deputy Prime Minister and of the Minister of Information
in the government of Aslan Maskhadov
. In 1996-1997 he travelled to Moscow on a number of occasions for talks with members of the Security Council of Russia
and Russian government, including as a part of Chechen delegation for the signing of peace treaty
at the Kremlin. In August 1997, Udugov founded Islam
ic Umma
party, uniting a number of political movements in Chechnya and neighbouring Dagestan
. In 1998, together with Shamil Basayev
and several other radical Chechen and Dagestani figures, Udugov organized the association called Congress of the Peoples of Ichkeria and Dagestan. In March 1999, Udugov helped to create Kavkaz Center
, a Chechen international Islamic Internet
agency; he also sponsors several other website
s, among them Russian language
The Chechen Times. According to an Anti-Defamation League
investigator, Udugov propagated antisemitic ideas in his media.
in August 1999, and Udugov is wanted by the Russian federal government since March 20, 2000, accused of having violated Article 279 of Russia's Criminal Code, which outlaws "armed uprising
s." At the start of the Second Chechen War
in September 1999, Udugov left Chechnya abroad, resulting in a rapid decline of his influence on the Chechen separatist movement at the time. There is information about his stay in Afghanistan
, Scandinavia
, Turkey
, Persian Gulf
countries and possibly United States
; although it should be noted no evidence has been offered to support any of these claims. His current whereabouts are unknown. Since February 2006, following his victory in a dispute with exile
d moderate Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev
, he once again became an official rebel spokesman
, heading National Information Service (NIS) of the State Defense Council
. In October 2007, Udugov was said to be the author of the proclamation of the Caucasus Emirate
; during the following constitutional crisis
, the ChRI government in exile
led by Zakayev dismissed Udugov from the post of the head of NIS and abolished the service. Since 2007, Udugov runs the Informational-Analytical Service of the Caucasus Emirate.
Shalinsky District, Chechen Republic
Shalinsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the fifteen in the Chechen Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the town of Shali...
, Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
into the Shirdi teip
Teip
Teip is a Chechen and Ingush tribal organization or clan, self-identified through descent from a common ancestor and geographic location. There are about 130-233 teips...
) was the First Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
of the separatist
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. The republic was proclaimed in late 1991 by Dzokhar Dudayev, and fought two devastating wars between separatists and the Russian Federation which denounced secession...
(ChRI). As a Chechen propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
chief, he was credited for the Chechen separatists' victory on the information front during the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
.
A highly-controversial figure, following a particularly fundamentalist strain of Islam
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
that is not shared by most Chechens
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
, he is currently one of the ideologues and the main propagandist
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
behind the Caucasus Emirate
Caucasus Emirate
The Caucasus Emirate also known as the Caucasian Emirate is a self-proclaimed virtual state entity, partially successor to the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and was officially announced on October 31, 2007 by former President of Ichkeria Dokka Umarov, who became the first Emir...
(a Pan-Islamic
Pan-Islamism
Pan-Islamism is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic state — often a Caliphate. As a form of religious nationalism, Pan-Islamism differentiates itself from other pan-nationalistic ideologies, for example Pan-Arabism, by excluding culture and ethnicity as primary...
militant movement that is rejecting the idea of a merely independent
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
Chechen state in favor of an Islamic state
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law...
encompassing most of the Russia's North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
and based on Islamic Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
law).
1962-1992
From 1983 to 1988, Udugov studied in Checheno-IngushetiaChechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The Chechen–Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, or Chechen–Ingush ASSR ;) was an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR...
State University. Since 1988, was editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
of the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
Orientir, which was banned by the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
in 1989. Soon, he became a member of the Presidium
Presidium
The presidium or praesidium is the name for the heading organ of various legislative and organizational bodies.-Historical usage:...
of the Executive Committee of the National Congress of Chechen People (NCCP). In NCCP, Movladi Udugov became the chairman of the Information Committee and simultaneously an employee of the local television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
; during the 1991 revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
in Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
, Udugov used this position to broadcast the Dzhokhar Dudayev's address to the people.
1992-1999
After the ChechenChechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
declaration of independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
by Dudayev, Udugov joined the ruling structures of the Chechen separatist government, serving as press secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
. During the 1994-1996 war, the ways in which he distributed information about the conflict, although crude by the Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
standards, were still more professional than those of the Kremlin and the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n federal forces. In August 1996, Movladi Udugov was appointed the First Deputy Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Chechen Republic for state policy and information in the war-time cabinet of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
Zelimkhan Abdumuslimovich Yandarbiyev was a Chechen writer and a politician, who served as acting president of the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria between 1996 and 1997...
who became an acting president after the death of Dudayev. For his role in the Chechen victory in information warfare
Information warfare
The term Information Warfare is primarily an American concept involving the use and management of information technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent...
(and the whole war) Udugov was awarded the Ichkeria
Ichkeria
Ichkeria can refer to:* Ichkeria , the historical Turkic name for a region more or less coinciding with the Republic of Chechnya* Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the secessionist government of Chechnya...
's highest medal
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
, Honor of the Nation. Among his Russian enemies, he became known as "the Chechen Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
".
Following the end of the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
, Udugov unsuccessfully ran for the post of President of Ichkeria
President of Ichkeria
This is a list of Presidents of the unrecognised Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, a pro-independence movement that controlled most of Chechnya from 1991 to 1999...
in the January 1997 election, but got less than 1% percent of the votes (in his election campaign he was representing an unpopular radical Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
platform). Udugov again became a Deputy Prime Minister and of the Minister of Information
Minister of Information
The Ministry of Information , headed by the Minister of Information, was a United Kingdom government department created briefly at the end of World War I and again during World War II...
in the government of Aslan Maskhadov
Aslan Maskhadov
Aslan Aliyevich Maskhadov was a leader of the Chechen separatist movement and the third President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.He was credited by many with the Chechen victory in the First Chechen War, which allowed for the...
. In 1996-1997 he travelled to Moscow on a number of occasions for talks with members of the Security Council of Russia
Security Council of Russia
The Security Council of the Russian Federation is a consultative body of the Russian President that works out the President's decisions on national security affairs...
and Russian government, including as a part of Chechen delegation for the signing of peace treaty
Peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
at the Kremlin. In August 1997, Udugov founded Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Umma
Umma
Umma was an ancient city in Sumer. Note that there is some scholarly debateabout the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site.-History:...
party, uniting a number of political movements in Chechnya and neighbouring Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
. In 1998, together with Shamil Basayev
Shamil Basayev
Shamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen rebel movement.Starting as a field commander in the Transcaucasus, Basayev led guerrilla campaigns against the Russian troops for years, as well as launching mass-hostage takings of civilians, with his goal...
and several other radical Chechen and Dagestani figures, Udugov organized the association called Congress of the Peoples of Ichkeria and Dagestan. In March 1999, Udugov helped to create Kavkaz Center
Kavkaz Center
The Kavkaz Center is a privately run website by pro-Chechen which aims to be "a Chechen internet agency which is independent, international and Islamic" that "does not represent the viewpoint of any state structures"...
, a Chechen international Islamic Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
agency; he also sponsors several other website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s, among them Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
The Chechen Times. According to an Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
investigator, Udugov propagated antisemitic ideas in his media.
Since 1999
Russian authorities accused him of being one of the main organizers of the Chechen rebel-led attack on DagestanDagestan War
The invasion of Dagestan, also known as the War in Dagestan and Dagestan War, began on August 7, 1999, when the Chechnya-based Islamic International Brigade , an Islamist militia led by warlords Shamil Basayev and Ibn al-Khattab, invaded the neighbouring Russian republic of Dagestan in support of...
in August 1999, and Udugov is wanted by the Russian federal government since March 20, 2000, accused of having violated Article 279 of Russia's Criminal Code, which outlaws "armed uprising
Uprising
-In music:* Uprising * Uprising , album by Concord Dawn* Uprising , album by Entombed* Uprising , album by Universal Poplab...
s." At the start of the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
in September 1999, Udugov left Chechnya abroad, resulting in a rapid decline of his influence on the Chechen separatist movement at the time. There is information about his stay in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
countries and possibly United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; although it should be noted no evidence has been offered to support any of these claims. His current whereabouts are unknown. Since February 2006, following his victory in a dispute with exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d moderate Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev
Akhmed Zakayev
Akhmed Khalidovich Zakayev is the former Deputy Prime Minister and the current Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , which is unrecognised by other countries...
, he once again became an official rebel spokesman
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
, heading National Information Service (NIS) of the State Defense Council
State Defense Council
The State Defense Council is the military command committee of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , established by the separatist government of Dzhokhar Dudayev in 1992....
. In October 2007, Udugov was said to be the author of the proclamation of the Caucasus Emirate
Caucasus Emirate
The Caucasus Emirate also known as the Caucasian Emirate is a self-proclaimed virtual state entity, partially successor to the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and was officially announced on October 31, 2007 by former President of Ichkeria Dokka Umarov, who became the first Emir...
; during the following constitutional crisis
Constitutional crisis
A constitutional crisis is a situation that the legal system's constitution or other basic principles of operation appear unable to resolve; it often results in a breakdown in the orderly operation of government...
, the ChRI government in exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
led by Zakayev dismissed Udugov from the post of the head of NIS and abolished the service. Since 2007, Udugov runs the Informational-Analytical Service of the Caucasus Emirate.
External links
- Biographical information on Caucasian Knot
- We have taken up arms to establish laws (interview with Movladi Udugov), Prague WatchdogPrague WatchdogPrague Watchdog was an English, Czech and Russian-language Prague-based on-line service that collected and disseminated information on the crisis in Chechnya and reporting on the conflict in the North Caucasus, focusing on human rights, humanitarian situation, media access and coverage, and the...
, July 24, 2008