Ruslan Gelayev
Encyclopedia
Ruslan Gelayev (1964 – February 28, 2004) was a prominent commander in the Chechen
separatist movement against Russia
, in which he played a significant military
and political
-religious
role between 1994 and 2004.
Gelayev was commonly viewed as an abrek
and known in the region as a ruthless fighter but was respected even by some of his enemies. His operations spread well beyond the borders Chechnya
and even outside the Russian Federation and into Georgia
; the Russians
nicknamed him the Black Angel, which he also used as his radio communications call sign
.
, 10 years after his parents had returned from the Stalinist
deportation of Chechens into Central Asia
. In 1992-1993, he took part in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict as a volunteer on the Abkhaz
side alongside Shamil Basayev
. After his return to Chechnya
, he soon became a commander in Dzhokhar Dudayev's Spetsnaz (special forces
) unit Borz (Wolf).
In the 1994-1996 First Chechen War
Gelayev fought against the Russian army, including as a major commander in the bloody defence of the capital Grozny
. He was one of the first Chechen fighters awarded the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
's highest medal
Kioman Syi (Honor of the Nation) and in early 1995 he became the commander of the South-Western Front of the separatist forces. In 1995 Gelayev's units defended the village of Shatoy
, where Gelayev was wounded several times; Mumadi Saidayev took over the command in the Southwest of Chechnya. During this battle, on May 27, 1995, he announced that if the bombing of the town of Shali continued, five Russian prisoners of war
would be killed a day; according to Memorial
eight prisoners were executed while carrying this threat. On March 6, 1996, Gelayev led a surprise raid on Grozny, regaining large parts of the city for two days, inflicting serious losses on federal forces and leaving with more than 100 hostage
s. This was seen as a test before the recapture of the city in August
in the operation by Shamil Basayev
, which ended the war and in which Gelayev also participated. The future Presidents of Ichkeria
Dokka Umarov and Akhmed Zakayev
were both initially serving under his command, before leaving to form their own unit.
After the war, Gelayev became deputy Prime Minister
under the new Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov
in April 1997; he went on a Hajj
pilgrimage
to Mecca
and took on the name Hamzat. The following year, in 1998, he was appointed the Defence Minister
of Chechnya, the post which he held until he was replaced by Magomed Khanbiyev in 1999. Gelayev maintained links with Maskhadov as well as his rival Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
.
, Gelayev commanded a large force of some 1,500 fighters in defense of Grozny, but withdrew from the city in January 2000, which left it open to attack and for which he was later severely criticised. Following the inexplicable withdrawal
from Grozny, Gelayev was demoted
from Brigadier General
to Private
and stripped of all military decorations.
In February–March 2000, Gelayev's forces were taking heavy losses as they withdrew from Grozny to the mountain forests in southern Chechnya, when a warlord Arbi Barayev
contacted Gelayev promising him aid and transportation to a safe area. When Gelayev's forces arrived at the specified meeting place, they were instead ambushed by a large number of Russian troops and retreated to the Gelayev's native village of Komsomolskoye. There, more than a thousand rebels were besieged
and pounded for weeks by the Russian army in one of the largest battles of the war
, ending with some 800 rebels and more than 50 soldiers dead (according to Russian figures); Gelayev himself escaped the encirclement with just few hundred of his men. Some time after the disaster at Komsomolskoye, Russian government had attempted to negotiate with him since he was believed to be at odds with some of the Chechen Islamist
commanders, especially Barayev, with whom Hamzat fought a brief personal war following Barayev's betrayal
at Komsomolskoye, and an Arab
fighter known as Abu Walid
. In November 2000, a Kremlin envoy confirmed that Russian federal authorities were involved in talks with Gelayev, but this information was refuted later.
By mid-2001,Gelayev decided to rebuild his forces in the Pankisi Gorge
across the Georgian
border. There, Gelayev had built up a significant armed force of 800 Chechens, together with about 80 international mujahideen
(mostly Turks
and Arabs). Georgian authorities were accused of negotiating a deal to supply and arm Gelayev's force in return for the October 2001 Gelayev's raid on behalf of Georgia
into Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia. Gelayev earned admiration from senior Georgian politicians, despite the failure of the attempt which killed at least 40 people including five United Nations
observers; President of Georgia
Eduard Shevardnadze
described him as "noble man and an educated person who is well-disposed toward Georgia." From there, Gelayev led a hit-and-run attacks against Russian military targets in Chechnya, Dagestan
and Ingushetia
. Russians responded in a series of secret airstrike
s on a Georgian territory, during which a Georgian civilian was reported killed.
In August 2001, Gelayev played a crucial role in releasing Russian human rights
activist Svetlana Kuzmina who was held in Chechen captivity where she spent more than two years. Gelayev acted upon the request of Louisa Islamova, the wife of his fellow rebel commander Lechi Islamov, who was being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison
pending trial; Islamova had tracked down Vyacheslav Izmailov, a journalist for Novaya Gazeta
, and offered to try and persuade the rebels to free hostages if Izamailov would help her try and secure her husband’s release in court. Gelayev wrote a note warning Kuzmina’s captors that if they did not free the woman, they would become his deadly enemies. Lechi Islamov was later reportedly murdered with poison
in captivity.
In September 2002, Gelayev's forces managed a large raid into the Russian republic of Ingushetia, capturing the villages of Tarskoye and then Galashki
, but Gelayev's fighters became surrounded, took large losses and were dispersed. Among these killed in the battle was Roddy Scott
, a British freelance reporter who travelled with the rebels; seven to 40 Chechen fighters were killed and five were captured, while 17 Russian soldiers were also reported killed by the official reports. In December 2003, Gelayev was incorrectly reported dead after a firefight that left nine Russian soldiers dead. In an interview, Gelayev said he would "continue to fight until not only our country but all the nations of the Caucasus
are freed from the double-headed eagle
[of Russia]."
of Georgia, but was faced with heavy resistance and was consequently practically wiped out in a large Russian manhunt operation; 30 Chechen fighters (possibly including Khozh-Ahmed Noukhayev) and 14 Russian soldiers were reported to die in the fighting and landslide
s, while several rebels were captured. On February 28, 2004, Gelayev was killed after a skirmish with a two-man Russian border guard
patrol
he encountered while attempting to cross the border into Georgia alone; Gelayev shot and killed both guards (First Sergeant Mukhtar Suleimanov and Sergeant Abdulkhalik Kurbanov), but died soon after, from bleeding
as a result of an arm gunshot wound he had suffered. According to the Kavkaz Center
version, Gelayev fought with a larger group of border guards, and was killed after his arm was shot-off by heavy machine gun
of an attack helicopter
.
Gelayev's body was positively identified, but not released to his relatives for the reason that he was classified as a terrorist
by the Russian authorities. His family has since been campaigning to release his remains or disclose what happened to the body.
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...
separatist movement against 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...
, in which he played a significant military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
and political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
-religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
role between 1994 and 2004.
Gelayev was commonly viewed as an abrek
Abrek
Abrek is a North Caucasian term. It originates from abræg, the Ossetian for a robber. Once it was used for a person who vowed to avoid any pleasures and to be fearless in fight. A vow could last for five years...
and known in the region as a ruthless fighter but was respected even by some of his enemies. His operations spread well beyond the borders 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...
and even outside the Russian Federation and into Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
; the Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
nicknamed him the Black Angel, which he also used as his radio communications call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
.
First Chechen War and interwar period
Ruslan Gelayev was born in 1964 in the village of Komsomolskoye near Urus-MartanUrus-Martan
Urus-Martan is a town and the administrative center of Urus-Martanovsky District of the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Martan River. The town is located in the central part of the republic, to the southwest of the capital Grozny. Population:...
, 10 years after his parents had returned from the Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
deportation of Chechens into Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. In 1992-1993, he took part in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict as a volunteer on the Abkhaz
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
side alongside 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...
. After his return to 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...
, he soon became a commander in Dzhokhar Dudayev's Spetsnaz (special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
) unit Borz (Wolf).
In the 1994-1996 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...
Gelayev fought against the Russian army, including as a major commander in the bloody defence of the capital 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...
. He was one of the first Chechen fighters awarded the 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...
'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,...
Kioman Syi (Honor of the Nation) and in early 1995 he became the commander of the South-Western Front of the separatist forces. In 1995 Gelayev's units defended the village of Shatoy
Shatoy
Shatoy or Shatoi is a village in the Chechen Republic, Russia. It is the administrative center of Shatoysky District. Population: 1,771 . It is the home village of underground rebel President Doku Umarov. Geographical location: ....
, where Gelayev was wounded several times; Mumadi Saidayev took over the command in the Southwest of Chechnya. During this battle, on May 27, 1995, he announced that if the bombing of the town of Shali continued, five Russian prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
would be killed a day; according to Memorial
Memorial (society)
Memorial is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-Soviet states. It focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union's totalitarian past, but also monitors human rights in post-Soviet states....
eight prisoners were executed while carrying this threat. On March 6, 1996, Gelayev led a surprise raid on Grozny, regaining large parts of the city for two days, inflicting serious losses on federal forces and leaving with more than 100 hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s. This was seen as a test before the recapture of the city in August
Battle of Grozny (August 1996)
In the August 1996 Battle of Grozny Chechen rebels conducted a rapid assault on the Chechnya capital Grozny. This led to the final ceasefire in the First Chechen War....
in the operation by 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...
, which ended the war and in which Gelayev also participated. The future Presidents 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...
Dokka Umarov and 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...
were both initially serving under his command, before leaving to form their own unit.
After the war, Gelayev became 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...
under the new Chechen President 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 April 1997; he went on a Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and took on the name Hamzat. The following year, in 1998, he was appointed the Defence Minister
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
of Chechnya, the post which he held until he was replaced by Magomed Khanbiyev in 1999. Gelayev maintained links with Maskhadov as well as his rival 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...
.
Second Chechen War
At the start of the Second Chechen WarSecond 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 ....
, Gelayev commanded a large force of some 1,500 fighters in defense of Grozny, but withdrew from the city in January 2000, which left it open to attack and for which he was later severely criticised. Following the inexplicable withdrawal
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
from Grozny, Gelayev was demoted
Demotion
A demotion is a reduction in an employee's rank or job title within the organizational hierarchy of a company, public service department, or other body. A demotion may also lead to the loss of other privileges associated with a more senior rank and/or a reduction in salary or benefits...
from Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
to Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
and stripped of all military decorations.
In February–March 2000, Gelayev's forces were taking heavy losses as they withdrew from Grozny to the mountain forests in southern Chechnya, when a warlord Arbi Barayev
Arbi Barayev
Arbi Alautdinovich Barayev , nicknamed "The Terminator", was a renegade Chechen warlord often accused of clandestine links with the Russian special services...
contacted Gelayev promising him aid and transportation to a safe area. When Gelayev's forces arrived at the specified meeting place, they were instead ambushed by a large number of Russian troops and retreated to the Gelayev's native village of Komsomolskoye. There, more than a thousand rebels were besieged
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
and pounded for weeks by the Russian army in one of the largest battles of the war
Battle of Komsomolskoye
The Battle of Komsomolskoye took place in March 2000 between Russian forces and separatists in Chechnya in the village of Komsomolskoye .-The battle:...
, ending with some 800 rebels and more than 50 soldiers dead (according to Russian figures); Gelayev himself escaped the encirclement with just few hundred of his men. Some time after the disaster at Komsomolskoye, Russian government had attempted to negotiate with him since he was believed to be at odds with some of the Chechen 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...
commanders, especially Barayev, with whom Hamzat fought a brief personal war following Barayev's betrayal
Betrayal
Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations...
at Komsomolskoye, and an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
fighter known as Abu Walid
Abu al-Walid
Abu al-Walid , was a Saudi-born Arab of the Ghamid tribe who fought as a "mujahid" volunteer in Central Asia, the Balkans, and the North Caucasus...
. In November 2000, a Kremlin envoy confirmed that Russian federal authorities were involved in talks with Gelayev, but this information was refuted later.
By mid-2001,Gelayev decided to rebuild his forces in the Pankisi Gorge
Pankisi Gorge
The Pankisi Gorge or Pankisi is a valley region in Georgia, in the northeastern corner of the country, bordering the Chechnyan republic of the Russian Federation. Administratively, it is included in the Akhmeta district of the Kakheti region...
across the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
border. There, Gelayev had built up a significant armed force of 800 Chechens, together with about 80 international mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
(mostly Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
and Arabs). Georgian authorities were accused of negotiating a deal to supply and arm Gelayev's force in return for the October 2001 Gelayev's raid on behalf of Georgia
2001 Kodori crisis
The 2001 Kodori crisis was a confrontation in the Kodori Gorge, Abkhazia, in October 2001 between ethnic Chechen fighters and Abkhazian forces. The crisis was largely neglected by world media, focused on then-actual US attack on Afghanistan...
into Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia. Gelayev earned admiration from senior Georgian politicians, despite the failure of the attempt which killed at least 40 people including five United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
observers; President of Georgia
President of Georgia
The President of Georgia is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Government of Georgia. Executive power is split between the President and the Prime Minister, who is the head of government...
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...
described him as "noble man and an educated person who is well-disposed toward Georgia." From there, Gelayev led a hit-and-run attacks against Russian military targets in Chechnya, 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...
and Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
. Russians responded in a series of secret airstrike
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
s on a Georgian territory, during which a Georgian civilian was reported killed.
In August 2001, Gelayev played a crucial role in releasing Russian human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist Svetlana Kuzmina who was held in Chechen captivity where she spent more than two years. Gelayev acted upon the request of Louisa Islamova, the wife of his fellow rebel commander Lechi Islamov, who was being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison
Lefortovo prison
Lefortovo prison is a prison in Moscow, Russia, which, since 2005, has been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. It was built in 1881...
pending trial; Islamova had tracked down Vyacheslav Izmailov, a journalist for Novaya Gazeta
Novaya Gazeta
Novaya Gazeta is a Russian newspaper well known in the country for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs....
, and offered to try and persuade the rebels to free hostages if Izamailov would help her try and secure her husband’s release in court. Gelayev wrote a note warning Kuzmina’s captors that if they did not free the woman, they would become his deadly enemies. Lechi Islamov was later reportedly murdered with poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
in captivity.
In September 2002, Gelayev's forces managed a large raid into the Russian republic of Ingushetia, capturing the villages of Tarskoye and then Galashki
Galashki
Galashki is a village in Sunzhensky District of the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sunzha River near the border with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania...
, but Gelayev's fighters became surrounded, took large losses and were dispersed. Among these killed in the battle was Roddy Scott
Roddy Scott
Roddy Scott was a British freelance cameraman who documented neglected conflicts in such places as Sierra Leone, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and Ethiopia. He derived the bulk of his income from updating a guide to war and traveled widely in his freelance journalism, usually career without sponsors or...
, a British freelance reporter who travelled with the rebels; seven to 40 Chechen fighters were killed and five were captured, while 17 Russian soldiers were also reported killed by the official reports. In December 2003, Gelayev was incorrectly reported dead after a firefight that left nine Russian soldiers dead. In an interview, Gelayev said he would "continue to fight until not only our country but all the nations of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
are freed from the double-headed eagle
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
[of Russia]."
Death
In the winter of 2004, Gelayev was attempting to lead a 40-strong unit of his forces from a raid in Dagestan into the safe havenSafe haven
Safe haven may refer to:* Safe harbor, a harbor or haven which provides safety from weather or attack, or an analogous situation* Safe Havens, a syndicated comic strip drawn by cartoonist Bill Holbrook...
of Georgia, but was faced with heavy resistance and was consequently practically wiped out in a large Russian manhunt operation; 30 Chechen fighters (possibly including Khozh-Ahmed Noukhayev) and 14 Russian soldiers were reported to die in the fighting and landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s, while several rebels were captured. On February 28, 2004, Gelayev was killed after a skirmish with a two-man Russian border guard
Border guard
The border guard, frontier guard, border patrol, border police, or frontier police of a country is a national security agency that performs border control, i.e., enforces the security of the country's national borders....
patrol
Patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :...
he encountered while attempting to cross the border into Georgia alone; Gelayev shot and killed both guards (First Sergeant Mukhtar Suleimanov and Sergeant Abdulkhalik Kurbanov), but died soon after, from bleeding
Bleeding
Bleeding, technically known as hemorrhaging or haemorrhaging is the loss of blood or blood escape from the circulatory system...
as a result of an arm gunshot wound he had suffered. According to the 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"...
version, Gelayev fought with a larger group of border guards, and was killed after his arm was shot-off by heavy machine gun
Heavy machine gun
The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...
of an attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles...
.
Gelayev's body was positively identified, but not released to his relatives for the reason that he was classified as a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
by the Russian authorities. His family has since been campaigning to release his remains or disclose what happened to the body.
External links
- Interview with Commander Khamzat Gelayev, Kavkaz CenterKavkaz CenterThe 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"...
, 27 October 2003 - Obituary: Ruslan Gelayev, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, March 4, 2004